كَانَ قَائِمًا زَيْدٌ
Translation: Zayd was standing (the predicate comes first).
كَانَ: past incomplete verb.
قَائِمًا: fronted accusative khabar kāna.
زَيْدٌ: delayed nominative ism kāna.
The first noun after the verb is not necessarily its ism; case and predication identify the roles.
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The Ism of Kāna and Its Sisters
كَانَ قَائِمًا زَيْدٌ
Translation: Zayd was standing (the predicate comes first).
كَانَ: past incomplete verb.
قَائِمًا: fronted accusative khabar kāna.
زَيْدٌ: delayed nominative ism kāna.
The first noun after the verb is not necessarily its ism; case and predication identify the roles.