Grammar Notes

ملاحظات قواعدية

Conditional Sentences

الجمل الشرطية

اذاiza - if (possible condition)

Used when it is possible for the condition to be met. The situation could realistically happen.

اذا بتعرف...If you know... (and you could easily know)

اذا اجيت بكرا...If you come tomorrow... (and you probably can)

لوlaw - if only (impossible/counterfactual condition)

Used when speaking about a situation that does not exist. 'If only...' can be followed by 'but that's not the case.'

Past tense after لو: situation did not exist in the past
Present tense after لو: theoretical situation that does not exist now or in the future
Main clause typically uses كان before the verb

لو شافني كان سألنيIf he'd seen me, he would have asked me (but he didn't see me)

لو شوفته كان قولتلهIf I'd seen him (yesterday), I would have told him

لو بعرف وينه كان بسألهIf I knew where he was, I would ask him (but I don't know)

لو بقدر كنت بَكتُبIf I could (today, tomorrow), I would write...

لو قالليIf only he had told me (but he didn't)

لو بعرفIf only I knew (but I don't)

ما as 'but' before pronouns

ما كـ 'لكن' قبل الضمائر

We use ما as 'but' when placed before a pronoun or name

but I

ما انا

but you (f)

ما انتي

Question Words + ما

أدوات الاستفهام مع ما

where→ wherever

وين← وين ما

when→ whenever

ايمتى← ايمتى ما

what→ whatever

شو← شو ما

who→ whoever

مين← مين ما

how→ however

كيف← كيف ما

Comparative with مما between verbs

المقارنة بـ مما بين فعلين

We use من ما (contracted to مما) between two verbs for comparison

بحبك اكتر من ما بتحبني

I love you more than you love me

من ما contracts to مما

بتحكي اكتر مما بتسمع

You talk more than you listen

انت طبخت اكتر مما اكلت

You cooked more than you ate

Attached Pronouns with Final Vowels

الضمائر المتصلة مع حرف علة بالآخر

When we have a vowel at the end, the attached pronoun changes for (انا, انت, انتي, هو) compared to normal

قدام / ورا

in front of / behind (base forms)

قدامي / وراي

in front of me / behind me (suffix: -i / -ay)

قدامَك / وراك

in front of you(m) / behind you(m) (suffix: -ak / -k)

قدامِك / وراكي

in front of you(f) / behind you(f) (suffix: -ik / -ki)

قدامه / وراه

in front of him / behind him (suffix: -h)

صار + Participle = Have been / Have already

صار + اسم فاعل

صار + الي = I have been + verb-ing. Used to express duration of an ongoing action.

صارلي خمس سنين بدرس عربي

I have been studying Arabic for five years

صارلي ساكن في بيت لحم عشر سنين

I have been living in Bethlehem for ten years

كم صارلك

How long have you been...?

صِرنا متغديين

We have already eaten lunch

لمّا as 'when' (statement)

لمّا

لمّا is used as 'when' in narrative statements (not questions)

لمّا جحا سِمِع الملِك بِقول...

When Juha heard the king saying...

بشكل = -ly (adverb maker)

بشكل

بشكل is used to turn adjectives into adverbs, equivalent to the English '-ly' suffix

بشكل عام

generally

بشكل خاص

specially / particularly

كان Constructions

تراكيب كان

English	Present	With كان	كان + form
[will]	رَح	was about to	كان رَح
[can]	مُمكن	could have	كان مُمكن
to want	بِدَّه	wanted to / had wanted to	كان بِدَّه
to have	عِنده	had	كان عِنده
to have (with)	مَعه	had (with him)	كان مَعه
to seem	شكله	seemed	كان شكله
to think of doing	نِفسه	had wanted to / had been thinking of	كان نِفسه
is supposed to	مَفروض	was supposed to	كان مَفروض