, her sisters and half-sisters

Transcription

1 Chapter 13, her sisters and half-sisters 131 (the verb to be ) (he was) is the Arabic verb to be, like (he said), is called (a hollow verb) The triliteral root of is actually (ka wa na) The Arabs consider this heavy on the tongue and so they drop the leaving: (ka ana) (two fathas) are equivalent to an alif so we arrive at (kaana) The reappears (in the imperfect verb): (he is, will be) and verbal noun of kaana) is (universe) (she is, will be) (the ( ) (he was) is conjugated (in the perfect) as follows: Plural Dual Singular They were * (3) (6) They (two) were (2) (5) He was (1) (4) Fem Third They were They (two) were She was You were (9) (12) You (two) were (8) (11) You were (7) (10) Fem Second You were You (two) were You were We were (14) I was (13) First * is an assimilation of ( ) and her sisters do two things: 1 enter upon a (noun sentence) and make the (predicate) 2 enter upon a (verb sentence) 147

2 We may think of ( ) as a time-machine 1311 Transporting a (noun sentence) using ( ) (a) We can transport a (noun sentence) into (the past) by simply placing before it The sentence becomes (verbal) because is a (verb) makes (the predicate) and does not affect (the subject) The house is big The house was big The garden was close (b) We can transport a ( 33:40) Muhammad was not the father of any of your men folk (noun sentence) (to the future) by placing before it The house will be big The boy will be a king tomorrow Although is a (verb), it does not have a (subject) and (object) like a proper verb) As illustrated above has a which we rename a, which we call about being rather than doing (a (the subject of kaana) and (the predicate of kaana) is a (deficient verb) because it is (c) The imperfect is sometimes used (in the present tense) as a verb to be when making assumptions Your son is big now Your son went to Damascus many years ago so he will be big now Hasan should/will be in Makkah (by) now 148

3 (d) In chapter two we encountered the indefinite (subject): A boy is in the house; or There is a boy in the house If we transport this (sentence) using, we get, (into the past) using or (into the future) A boy was in the house yesterday; or There was a boy in the house yesterday A boy will be in the house tomorrow; or There will be a boy in the house tomorrow is not the so does not make it In such (sentences) where is not mentioned, and expresses a there was or there will be meaning, is considered to be (a proper verb) and not (deficient) is thus (the subject of kaana) and we may bring it forward First Aid (students) often translate the sentence, in the house) as he was a boy in the house Prescription (there was a boy may be summarised as follows: Hasan was a boy ( is (subject) and is (predicate)) He was a boy (The (subject) is the implied pronoun is (predicate)) ( ) There was a boy (in the house) ( is and there is no (object) is (proper verb) 149

4 1312 Transporting a (verb sentence) using ( ) (a) The Pluperfect A pluperfect is a perfect of a perfect If is placed transports it further (into the past), usually in relation to another event (before another perfect verb), He went He had gone The man went The man had gone It is common to put (the subject) (between the two verbs) The man had gone The particle (not which can only initiate a sentence) may be placed before the second perfect verb as a rhetorical flourish The man had gone The man had gone When Hasan arrived the man had (already) gone When Hasan arrived, his brothers had (already) gone ( and are singular here because they precede ) When Hasan arrived, his brothers had (already) gone ( is plural because it comes after ) 150

5 (b) The past continuous If is placed (before an imperfect verb), transports it (to the past) He is going / he goes He was going / he used to go He could read (c) Intention in the past If is placed transports it (before an imperfect verb) with the future particle attached to it, (to the past) He will write He was going to write (d) The future perfect If is placed (before a perfect verb), transports it (to the future) When Muhammad arrives tomorrow, Hasan will have (already) gone 132 (some sisters of kaana) All (verbs) bearing a meaning of being, becoming, not being or not becoming are sisters of, and like are (deficient verbs) Sisters of behave like by, 1 entering upon a (noun sentence) and making the (predicate) 2 entering upon a (verb sentence) 151

6 1321 We have used the verb he is not used to negate a (noun sentence) It is a (perfect verb) but negates only in the present tense It has no (imperfect) Although is a hollow root, it does not become This is anomalous in the Arabic language is conjugated as follows: Plural Dual Singular They are not (3) (6) They (two) are not (2) (5) He is not (1) (4) Fem Third They are not They (two) are not She is not You are not (9) (12) You (two) are not (8) (11) You are not (7) (10) Fem Second You are not You (two) are not You are not We are not (14) I am not (13) First (a) like makes (the predicate) and does not affect (the subject) The house is big The house is not big The negative particle is able to do the job of The house is not big If (the subject) is a (pronoun), unlike it does not drop when negated by He is a student He is not a student 152

7 The preposition may be placed (before the predicate of laysa) and also (before the predicate of maa), without changing the meaning 7:172) The house is not big The house is not big ( Am I not your Lord? They said, yes indeed And I am a reciter And I am not a reciter (ii) We do not use to say he/it was not Instead we negate rendering The house was not big (iii) To say he will not be we use The house will not be big (b) can be used, especially in poetry and literature, to negate both perfect and imperfect verbs / He did not write / He is not writing 153

8 1322 ( ) (he became) is another (hollow verb) that is also a sister of The imperfect is, which indicates to us that the root is This is why we say (originally first person singular perfect, rather than ) in the ( ) (he became) is conjugated (in the perfect) as follows: Plural Dual Third person They became (3) (6) They (two) became (2) (5) He became (1) (4) Fem Third They became They (two) became She became (9) (12) You (two) became (8) (11) (7) (10) Fem Second You (two) became We became (14) I became (13) First (a) ( ) enters upon a (noun sentence): She became a professor (b) enters upon an imperfect verb (but not a perfect verb) to mean to come to : He came to understand 154

9 1323 ( ) (he became) is a sister of The imperfect is It is conjugated (in the perfect) as follows: Plural Dual Singular They became (3) (6) They (two) became (2) (5) He became (1) (4) Fem Third They became They (two) became She became (9) (12) You (two) became (8) (11) (7) (10) Fem Second You (two) became We became (14) I became (13) First (a) ( ) enters upon a (noun sentence): The girls became women The boys became men (b) enters upon an imperfect verb (but not a perfect verb) to mean to come to : He came to understand 155

10 1324 ( ) (he became) is conjugated (in the perfect) as follows: Plural Dual Singular They became They became (3) (6) They (two) became They (two) became (2) (5) He became She became (1) (4) Fem Third (9) (12) You (two) became You (two) became (8) (11) * (7) (10) Fem Second We became (14) I became (13) First * for (a) ( ) enters upon a (noun sentence): Muhammad became a prophet His arrival has become imminent His arrival has become certain (b) enters upon an imperfect verb (but not a perfect verb) to mean to come to : He came to find it hard 156

11 1325 / (he still is (lit he has not ceased to be )) is only ever used negated We may also negate the perfect with and the imperfect with rendering: / imperfect bear the same present tense meaning ( ) (to disappear) / (he still is) is conjugated / (in the perfect) as follows: Like the perfect and (he still is) should not be confused with Plural Dual Singular They are still They are still (3) (6) They (two) are still They (two) are still (2) (5) He is still She is still (1) (4) Fem Third You are still You are still (9) (12) You (two) are still You (two) are still (8) (11) You are still You are still (7) (10) Fem Second We are still (14) I am still (13) First (a) / enters upon a (noun sentence): / Hasan is still a little boy Are you still at home? We are still many They are still with us (b) / enters upon an imperfect verb (but not a perfect verb: / He still reads / is still reading his books 157

12 1326 (so long as, for as long as) is a sister of It must be preceded by which is not a negation here It has no (imperfect) and is conjugated (in the perfect) as follows: Plural Dual Singular So long as they are So long as they are (3) (6) So long as they are So long as they are (2) (5) So long as he is So long as she is (1) (4) Fem Third So long as you are So long as you are (9) (12) So long as you are So long as you are (8) (11) So long as you are So long as you are (7) (10) Fem Second So long as we are (14) So long as I am (13) First (a) enters upon a (noun sentence): For as long as I am alive Your speech will be in my conscience for as long as I am alive We are with you so long as we are alive Allah will be with us so long as we are with him (b) enters upon an imperfect verb (but not a perfect verb): So long as I am a Muslim 158

13 133 Half-sisters of The expression half-sister of is of my own coinage and is not found in Arabic grammar I have named these verbs so because they are only able to enter upon (verb sentences) and not (noun sentences) They can only perform half of the function of the full sisters of 1331 Verbs meaning to begin The perfect verb may be placed before a (imperfect verb) to mean he began to, in the same way as we placed the perfect of before an imperfect verb to mean he was He was writing He began to write He began to read The verbs and among others, also bear a meaning of to begin to apart from their other meanings He was saying He began to say He began to sit 1332 ( ) ( almost ) (a) ( ) followed by a (imperfect verb) renders almost He was reading it He almost read it He almost trusted them He almost trusts them He was almost like his father He is almost like his father His speech is almost bad 159

14 (b) When negated, ( ) means (can) hardly He could hardly read it (lit he almost couldn t read it) He can hardly trust them (c) The structure than / means hardly when or no sooner He had hardly read it when I took the book from him No sooner had he sat than his father entered and took him home 160

15 , ( ) he was kaana (yakuun u ) kawn an, kiyaan an ( ) universe; being kawn un (akwaan un ) existence kiyaan un when (before perfect verb) lammaa when (before any verb) indamaa not (before noun sentence) laysa () 1 to become 2 to come to Saara (yaseer u ) Sayruurat an becoming Sayruurat un ( ) ( ) 1 to become 2 to come to 1 to spend the night 2 to become 3 to come to asbaha (yusbih u ) baata (yabeet u ) imminent washeek un it has become imminent baata washeek an certain mahtuum un it has become certain baata mahtuum an / still maa zaala / laa yazaal u () ( ) to disappear zaala (yazuul u ) (zultu) zawaal an 1 disappearance 2 noon zawaal un doomed to early ruin washeek u az-zawaal i so long as maa daama (- ) To persist Daama (yaduum u ) daum an ( ) alive hayy un (ahyaa un ) so long as I am alive maa dumtu Hayy an (- ) to begin bada a (yabda u ) bad an 161

16 beginning bad un (imperf verb) + / to begin Ja ala / akhadha ( ) almost, about to kaada (yakaad u ) / (could) hardly maa kaada / laa yakaad u + / + + hardly when no sooner than maa kaada / laa yakaad u + perfect verb + Hatta + perfect verb tomorrow (adv) ghad an since, for; ago (prep) mundhu 1 for a month (past); 2 since a month ago; 3 a month ago mundhu shahr in from now onwards mundhu al-aan a from today onwards mundhu al-yawm i since the beginning mundhu al-bad i since I was young mundhu kuntu Sagheer an period muddat un for a month limuddat i shahr in hollow verb fi l un ajwaf u proper verb fi l un taamm un deficient verb fi l un naaqis un the past (tense) al-maad ii / last month/year (adv) the present (tense) al-haal u ash-shahr a al-maadiy a / as-sanat a al-maadiyat a the future (tense) al-mustaqbal u subject of kaana ism u kaana predicate of kaana khabar u kaana 162

17 Exercise 131 Express in English, ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ ١٠ ١١ ١٢ ١٣ ١٤ ١٥ Exercise 132 Express in Arabic 1 Hasan was a new student last year 2 Your presence in the council was a reason for many people leaving 3 There were many men in the city 4 When I arrived, Hasan had left the city four weeks ago 5 Hasan used to go to the sea every day at asr time 6 When your brother takes you to the city tomorrow, Hasan will have arrived before you 7 My book is not difficult I have read it and understood it 8 Maryam became an author and wrote beautiful books 9 Their exit from the meeting became certain 10 The book is still very difficult after many readings 11 I am with you so long as I am alive 12 When I entered, Hasan began to leave the meeting 13 The boy s statement is almost incorrect 14 He can hardly begin to speak 15 No sooner had be become a minister than he desired the president s chair 163