Overview
This lecture covers the Arabic grammar concept of the "jumlah ismiyah" (nominal sentence), focusing on its two main components: mubtada’ (subject) and khabar (predicate), including their rules, forms, and examples.
Jumlah Ismiyah Structure
- Jumlah ismiyah is a sentence that begins with a noun (ism) rather than a verb.
- The main parts of jumlah ismiyah are mubtada’ (subject) and khabar (predicate).
- Mubtada’ provides the topic, while khabar gives information about the topic.
Mubtada’ (Subject)
- Mubtada’ must be an "isim ma’rifah" (definite noun), such as those with alif lam, proper names, demonstratives, or interrogatives.
- Mubtada’ can be in different forms: singular (mufrad), dual (mutsanna), or plural (jama’).
- Mubtada’ must agree in gender (masculine/muzakkar or feminine/muannas) and number with the khabar.
- Mubtada’ can be: an explicit noun, a proper name, demonstrative pronoun, relative pronoun, or a pronoun (dhomir).
Khabar (Predicate)
- Khabar explains or gives information about the mubtada’.
- Khabar often is "isim nakiroh" (indefinite noun), typically ending in tanwin.
- Khabar must match the mubtada’ in number and gender.
- Khabar can be: single word, phrase, or even a full sentence.
I’rab (Grammatical Status)
- Both mubtada’ and khabar are generally in the nominative case (marfu’), usually marked by dhammah or its equivalents (alif, waw).
- Mutsanna (dual) nouns are marked by alif; jama’ mudzakkar salim (regular masculine plural) by waw.
Examples
- Muhammadun dzahibun (Muhammad has gone): Muhammadun = mubtada’, dzahibun = khabar.
- Al-muslimuna najihuna (The Muslims are successful): al-muslimuna = mubtada’, najihuna = khabar.
- Hadza farhun (This is Farhun): hadza = mubtada’, farhun = khabar.
- Anta abidun (You are a worshipper): anta = mubtada’, abidun = khabar.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Jumlah Ismiyah — Nominal sentence starting with a noun.
- Mubtada’ — The subject or topic of a nominal sentence.
- Khabar — The predicate or information about the mubtada’.
- Isim Ma’rifah — Definite noun (with alif-lam, proper names, etc.).
- Isim Nakiroh — Indefinite noun.
- Marfu ’ — Nominative grammatical case, marked by dhammah (or alif/waw for dual/plural).
- Mufrad — Singular noun.
- Mutsanna — Dual noun.
- Jama’ — Plural noun.
- Muzakkar — Masculine.
- Muannas — Feminine.
- Dhomir — Pronoun.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review examples of jumlah ismiyah and identify mubtada’ and khabar in each.
- Practice constructing nominal sentences with various mubtada’ forms (singular, dual, plural, proper names, pronouns).