Arabic Nominal and Verbal Sentences

In this Arabic grammar lesson, we will study the difference between nominal and verbal sentences in Arabic. This topic is essential for students who want to learn Arabic online, understand sentence structure and improve their Arabic reading skills.

In Arabic, a sentence can begin with a noun or with a verb. Depending on the first word of the sentence, Arabic grammar mainly distinguishes between two types of sentences: الجُمْلَةُ الاسْمِيَّةُ and الجُمْلَةُ الفِعْلِيَّةُ.

What Is an Arabic Sentence?

An Arabic sentence is a group of words that gives a complete meaning. It can provide information, describe a situation or express an action.

To understand Arabic grammar correctly, it is important to recognize the type of sentence being used, because the rules are not exactly the same when a sentence begins with a noun or with a verb.

The Two Main Types of Arabic Sentences

Arabic has two main sentence types:

• الجُمْلَةُ الاسْمِيَّةُ: the nominal sentence;
• الجُمْلَةُ الفِعْلِيَّةُ: the verbal sentence.

A nominal sentence usually begins with a noun or a pronoun. A verbal sentence usually begins with a verb.

The Arabic Nominal Sentence

The Arabic nominal sentence is called الجُمْلَةُ الاسْمِيَّةُ. It usually begins with a noun, pronoun, proper noun or demonstrative pronoun.

It often consists of two main parts:

• المُبْتَدَأُ: the subject or starting point of the sentence;
• الخَبَرُ: the information given about the subject.

The Mubtada

The المُبْتَدَأُ is the word or phrase being discussed. It is generally in the nominative case.

Examples:

• أَحْمَدُ طَالِبٌ: Ahmad is a student;
• هُوَ طَالِبٌ جَيِّدٌ: he is a good student;
• هَذَا كِتَابٌ: this is a book;
• الكَلْبُ جَالِسٌ: the dog is sitting.

The Khabar

The الخَبَرُ gives information about the المُبْتَدَأُ. It can be a noun, a prepositional phrase, a verbal sentence or even another nominal sentence.

Examples:

• أَحْمَدُ طَالِبٌ: Ahmad is a student;
• أَحْمَدُ فِي الفَصْلِ: Ahmad is in the classroom;
• مُحَمَّدٌ خَرَجَ مِنَ الجَامِعَةِ: Muhammad left the university;
• رَشِيدٌ أُمُّهُ صَالِحَةٌ: Rashid’s mother is righteous.

The Arabic Verbal Sentence

The Arabic verbal sentence is called الجُمْلَةُ الفِعْلِيَّةُ. It usually begins with a verb.

It often consists of three elements:

• الفِعْلُ: the verb;
• الفَاعِلُ: the subject, or the one who performs the action;
• المَفْعُولُ: the object, when the sentence has one.

The Verb

The verb indicates an action. It can be in the past, present or future. In beginner lessons, students often first encounter the past tense, called فِعْلٌ مَاضٍ.

The Subject

The subject of the verbal sentence is called الفَاعِلُ. It shows who performs the action and is generally in the nominative case.

The Object

The object is called المَفْعُولُ. When it is present, it is often in the accusative case.

Examples:

• ذَهَبَ أَحْمَدُ إِلَى الجَامِعَةِ: Ahmad went to the university;
• خَرَجَ المُدَرِّسُ مِنْ فَصْلٍ: the teacher left a classroom;
• أَكَلَ أَحْمَدُ تُفَّاحًا: Ahmad ate apples;
• ذَهَبَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى البَيْتِ: the man went to the house.

Difference Between Nominal and Verbal Sentences

The main difference between the two structures is the first element of the sentence.

Practical Examples

Here are some additional examples to help distinguish the two types of Arabic sentences:

• الطَّالِبُ فِي الفَصْلِ: the student is in the classroom;
• دَخَلَ الطَّالِبُ الفَصْلَ: the student entered the classroom;
• الكِتَابُ مُفِيدٌ: the book is useful;
• قَرَأَ مُحَمَّدٌ الكِتَابَ: Muhammad read the book.

Why This Rule Is Important

Understanding nominal and verbal sentences helps you analyze Arabic sentences, recognize grammatical functions and progress in Modern Standard Arabic or Quranic Arabic.

This rule is also useful for understanding Arabic grammatical cases, prepositions, idafa constructions and Arabic conjugation.

Learn Arabic Grammar with a Teacher

The difference between nominal and verbal sentences is a foundation for students who want to learn Arabic online and understand the structure of Arabic texts.

To continue your learning, you can follow our online Arabic classes, study through our Modern Standard Arabic online lessons, review the Arabic alphabet or download our free Arabic books for beginners.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we studied nominal and verbal sentences in Arabic. We learned that a nominal sentence usually begins with a noun, while a verbal sentence usually begins with a verb.

This topic is essential for understanding Arabic grammar and building correct Arabic sentences. However, to learn Arabic properly, students need a progressive method, regular practice and correction from a qualified Arabic teacher.