Three cases, two sets of endings
An Arabic noun carries a short vowel at the end that says what job it does in the sentence. Definite nouns take a single vowel, indefinite nouns take the same vowel doubled, which is tanween:
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Arabic name |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | ـُ | ـٌ | مَرْفُوع |
| accusative | ـَ | ـً | مَنْصُوب |
| genitive | ـِ | ـٍ | مَجْرُور |
الْكِتَابُ / كِتَابٌ, الْكِتَابَ / كِتَابًا, الْكِتَابِ / كِتَابٍ.
What triggers each case
| Case | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | subject of a nominal sentence | الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ. |
| predicate of a nominal sentence | الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ. | |
| subject of a verb | كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ. | |
| accusative | object of a verb | قَرَأْتُ الْكِتَابَ. |
| predicate of كَانَ | كَانَ الْجَوُّ جَمِيلًا. | |
| subject of إِنَّ | إِنَّ الطَّقْسَ جَمِيلٌ. | |
| adverbs and set expressions | شُكْرًا، جِدًّا، غَدًا، كَثِيرًا | |
| genitive | after any preposition | فِي الْبَيْتِ |
| second noun of an iḍāfa | بَابُ الْبَيْتِ |
The alif of the accusative
Indefinite accusative tanween is written on an extra alif: كِتَابًا, طَالِبًا, شُكْرًا. That alif is a spelling device, not a vowel: كِتَابًا is kitāban.
The alif is left out after ة and after a final hamza that follows an alif: مُعَلِّمَةً, مَسَاءً, بِنَاءً.
Words that refuse tanween
Some nouns are مَمْنُوع مِنَ الصَّرْف (diptotes). They take no tanween at all, and in the genitive they end in fatha instead of kasra. This group includes most foreign and many Arabic proper names (أَحْمَدُ، عُمَرُ، لَنْدَنُ، مِصْرُ), the comparative pattern (أَكْبَرُ), and broken plurals of the shape مَدَارِسُ، مَفَاتِيحُ:
- ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى مِصْرَ. — I went to Egypt. (not مِصْرٍ)
- فِي مَدَارِسَ كَثِيرَةٍ — in many schools
- رَأَيْتُ أَحْمَدَ. — I saw Ahmad.
Once such a word takes ال or enters an iḍāfa, it behaves normally again: فِي الْمَدَارِسِ.
Endings in speech
In ordinary speech the final short vowel is dropped at the end of a phrase. This is the pausal form: قَرَأْتُ الْكِتَابْ. The accusative alif stays and is read as ـَا: شُكْرًا stays shukran.
Watch out as an English speaker
- English marks case only on pronouns, so the endings feel decorative. They are what tells a reader who did what, especially when the word order changes.
- Adverbs and set expressions like "thank you" are accusative. ✗ شُكْرٌ / ✓ شُكْرًا; ✗ جِدٌّ / ✓ جِدًّا.
- Do not add the alif after ة. ✗ مُعَلِّمَةًا / ✓ مُعَلِّمَةً.
- Diptotes take fatha in the genitive. ✗ ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى مِصْرٍ. / ✓ ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى مِصْرَ.
Example dialogue
مَاذَا قَرَأْتَ؟ — What did you read?
قَرَأْتُ كِتَابًا عَنْ مِصْرَ. — I read a book about Egypt.
وَهَلْ كَانَ مُفِيدًا؟ — And was it useful?
نَعَمْ، شُكْرًا عَلَى التَّوْصِيَةِ. — Yes, thank you for the recommendation.
الْكِتَابُ فِي الْمَكْتَبَةِ أَيْضًا. — The book is in the library too.