Level 37: Verbal Noun, Idafah, Numbers, and the Nominal Sentence

Classical Arabic syntax through clear rules and worked examples Read the bilingual lesson for Level 37: Verbal Noun, Idafah, Numbers, and the Nominal Sentence and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. Verbal Noun, Idafah, Numbers, and the Nominal Sentence: Core Idea

Core definition: A verbal noun and certain nouns may govern their complements, while the subject and predicate of a nominal sentence are nominative through a semantic governor.
• A verbal noun may govern a doer or object like its verb.
• The second noun in an iḍāfah is genitive.
• The noun after a number takes a form determined by the type of number.
• The subject and predicate of a nominal sentence are basically nominative.

2. Verbal Noun, Idafah, Numbers, and the Nominal Sentence: Key Terms

Key terms

Arabic termEnglish meaning
الْمَصْدَرُverbal noun
الْإِضَافَةُiḍāfah
كَمْkam: how many or many
الْمُبْتَدَأُ وَالْخَبَرُsubject and predicate

3. Verbal Noun, Idafah, Numbers, and the Nominal Sentence: Worked Examples

Example and grammatical analysis

Arabic exampleMeaningGrammatical point
عَجِبْتُ مِنْ ضَرْبِ زَيْدٍ عَمْرًاI was surprised at Zayd's striking Amr.The verbal noun governs a doer and an object.
غُلَامُ زَيْدٍZayd's servantZayd is the genitive second term of iḍāfah.
كَمْ رَجُلًا عِنْدَكَ؟How many men do you have?Rajulan specifies kam.
زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌZayd is standing.Zayd is the subject and qāʾim the predicate.

4. Verbal Noun, Idafah, Numbers, and the Nominal Sentence: Rules and Distinctions

Keep the rules distinct
• Rule 1: A verbal noun may govern a doer or object like its verb.
• Rule 2: The second noun in an iḍāfah is genitive.
• Rule 3: The noun after a number takes a form determined by the type of number.
• Rule 4: The subject and predicate of a nominal sentence are basically nominative.

5. Verbal Noun, Idafah, Numbers, and the Nominal Sentence: Review and Application

Lesson summary
• A verbal noun and certain nouns may govern their complements, while the subject and predicate of a nominal sentence are nominative through a semantic governor.
• عَجِبْتُ مِنْ ضَرْبِ زَيْدٍ عَمْرًا: The verbal noun governs a doer and an object.
• غُلَامُ زَيْدٍ: Zayd is the genitive second term of iḍāfah.
• كَمْ رَجُلًا عِنْدَكَ؟: Rajulan specifies kam.
• زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ: Zayd is the subject and qāʾim the predicate.
Next step: Identify the governor, governed word, and case sign separately in each example.

Practice questions

Question 1: Core Idea

Which statement gives the core definition of this lesson?

iḍāfah
kam: how many or many
A verbal noun and certain nouns may govern their complements, while the subject and predicate of a nominal sentence are nominative through a semantic governor.
verbal noun

Question 2: Terms and Meanings

Match each Arabic term with its correct meaning.

Question 3: Meaning of the Example

Choose the correct meaning of عَجِبْتُ مِنْ ضَرْبِ زَيْدٍ عَمْرًا.

I was surprised at Zayd's striking Amr.
Zayd's servant
How many men do you have?
Zayd is standing.

Question 4: Rule Check

Is this statement true or false? A verbal noun may govern a doer or object like its verb.

False
Only with nouns
Only with verbs
True

Question 5: Examples and Meanings

Match each Arabic example with its correct meaning.

Question 6: Identify the Term

What is the correct meaning of الْمَصْدَرُ?

subject and predicate
verbal noun
iḍāfah
kam: how many or many

Question 7: Grammatical Analysis

Choose the correct grammatical analysis of غُلَامُ زَيْدٍ.

The verbal noun governs a doer and an object.
Zayd is the genitive second term of iḍāfah.
Rajulan specifies kam.
Zayd is the subject and qāʾim the predicate.

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