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Level B2

Advanced Iʿrāb (الإِعْرَابُ المُتَقَدِّمُ)

A comprehensive review of the Arabic case system at the advanced level, covering the five nouns (الأسماء الخمسة), diptotes (الممنوع من الصرف), iʿrāb of complex sentences, and full parsing of multi-clause constructions.

The Five Nouns (الأَسْمَاءُ الخَمْسَةُ)

Five nouns in Arabic show their case endings with long vowels (letters) instead of short vowels (diacritics). They are: • أَبٌ (father) → أَبُو / أَبَا / أَبِي • أَخٌ (brother) → أَخُو / أَخَا / أَخِي • حَمٌ (father-in-law) → حَمُو / حَمَا / حَمِي • فُو (mouth) → فُو / فَا / فِي • ذُو (possessor of) → ذُو / ذَا / ذِي Case endings: • Nominative: وَاو (ū) → جَاءَ أَبُوكَ (your father came) • Accusative: أَلِف (ā) → رَأَيْتُ أَبَاكَ (I saw your father) • Genitive: يَاء (ī) → مَرَرْتُ بِأَبِيكَ (I passed by your father) Conditions for this special declension: 1. Must be singular (not dual or plural) 2. Must be مُضَاف (annexed) to a noun or pronoun - NOT to يَاء المُتَكَلِّم 3. Must not be diminutive When annexed to يَاء المُتَكَلِّم (my): أَبِي (my father) - the kasra absorbs all case distinctions. When not مُضَاف: أَبٌ / أَبًا / أَبٍ - regular tanwīn endings.

جَاءَ أَبُو الطِّفْلِ إِلَى المَدْرَسَةِ
jāʾa abū aṭ-ṭifli ilā al-madrasati
The child's father came to the school
أَبُو is nominative (فَاعِل), shown by the وَاو. مُضَاف to الطِّفْلِ.
رَأَيْتُ أَخَا مُحَمَّدٍ فِي السُّوقِ
raʾaytu akhā muḥammadin fī as-sūqi
I saw Muhammad's brother in the market
أَخَا is accusative (مَفْعُول بِهِ), shown by the أَلِف.
هٰذَا الرَّجُلُ ذُو عِلْمٍ وَاسِعٍ
hādhā ar-rajulu dhū ʿilmin wāsiʿin
This man is a possessor of vast knowledge
ذُو is nominative (خَبَر), shown by the وَاو. ذُو always requires iḍāfa.
سَلَّمْتُ عَلَى حَمِيهَا
sallamtu ʿalā ḥamīhā
I greeted her father-in-law
حَمِي is genitive after عَلَى, shown by the يَاء. مُضَاف to هَا (her).

3 more sections and 5 practice questions

"Advanced Iʿrāb (الإِعْرَابُ المُتَقَدِّمُ)" is one of 38 grammar lessons in Fahm Premium, each with worked examples and self-checking practice. The first 3 grammar lessons are free to try.

Also in this lesson
  • Diptotes (المَمْنُوعُ مِنَ الصَّرْفِ)
  • Iʿrāb of Multi-Clause Sentences
  • Common Parsing Challenges and Principles

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Frequently asked questions

What is Advanced Iʿrāb in Arabic?

A comprehensive review of the Arabic case system at the advanced level, covering the five nouns (الأسماء الخمسة), diptotes (الممنوع من الصرف), iʿrāb of complex sentences, and full parsing of multi-clause constructions.

How do you use Advanced Iʿrāb in Arabic?

Five nouns in Arabic show their case endings with long vowels (letters) instead of short vowels (diacritics). They are:

What are common examples of Advanced Iʿrāb in Arabic?

Examples from this lesson include "jāʾa abū aṭ-ṭifli ilā al-madrasati" (The child's father came to the school), "raʾaytu akhā muḥammadin fī as-sūqi" (I saw Muhammad's brother in the market), "hādhā ar-rajulu dhū ʿilmin wāsiʿin" (This man is a possessor of vast knowledge) and "sallamtu ʿalā ḥamīhā" (I greeted her father-in-law).