The verb comes first
The neutral word order in written Arabic is verb, subject, object:
- كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الرِّسَالَةَ. — The student wrote the letter.
- قَرَأَ الْوَلَدُ الْكِتَابَ. — The boy read the book.
- فَتَحَتِ الْمُعَلِّمَةُ الْبَابَ. — The teacher opened the door.
The subject (الْفَاعِل) is nominative, the object (الْمَفْعُول بِهِ) is accusative. Because the endings show the roles, the order can change without confusion, but verb first is the default.
You may also start with the subject. Then the sentence is a nominal sentence with a verb as its predicate, and it puts emphasis on the subject: الطَّالِبُ كَتَبَ الرِّسَالَةَ. — The student (he is the one who) wrote the letter.
A verb in front of its subject stays singular
This is the rule English speakers break most often. When the verb comes before the subject, it does not take a plural ending, however many people are involved:
| Verb first | Subject first |
|---|---|
| ذَهَبَ الطُّلَّابُ. | الطُّلَّابُ ذَهَبُوا. |
| كَتَبَ الْمُهَنْدِسُونَ. | الْمُهَنْدِسُونَ كَتَبُوا. |
| وَصَلَتِ الطَّالِبَاتُ. | الطَّالِبَاتُ وَصَلْنَ. |
Both columns mean the same thing. The verb still shows gender: a feminine subject takes ـَتْ even when the verb comes first.
Gender agreement
- ذَهَبَتْ لَيْلَى إِلَى السُّوقِ. — Layla went to the market.
- دَرَسَتِ الطَّالِبَاتُ كَثِيرًا. — The students (f) studied a lot.
- وَصَلَتِ السَّيَّارَاتُ. — The cars arrived. (non-human plural counts as feminine singular)
When a verb ending in sukun meets ال, a kasra is added to join them: دَرَسَتْ + الطَّالِبَاتُ = دَرَسَتِ الطَّالِبَاتُ.
Where the object goes
If the object is a pronoun, it attaches to the verb and comes before the subject: قَرَأَهُ الْوَلَدُ. — The boy read it.
Watch out as an English speaker
- Do not force subject-verb-object order in writing. ✓ كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الرِّسَالَةَ. is the normal sentence, not an inversion.
- Do not make the verb plural in front of a plural subject. ✗ ذَهَبُوا الطُّلَّابُ. / ✓ ذَهَبَ الطُّلَّابُ.
- Do not drop the gender ending. ✗ ذَهَبَ لَيْلَى. / ✓ ذَهَبَتْ لَيْلَى.
- The object needs a fatha. ✗ قَرَأَ الْوَلَدُ الْكِتَابُ. / ✓ قَرَأَ الْوَلَدُ الْكِتَابَ.
Example dialogue
مَاذَا حَدَثَ فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ؟ — What happened at school?
وَصَلَ الْمُعَلِّمُونَ مُبَكِّرًا. — The teachers arrived early.
وَالطُّلَّابُ؟ — And the students?
الطُّلَّابُ وَصَلُوا بَعْدَهُمْ. — The students arrived after them.
وَمَنْ فَتَحَ الْبَابَ؟ — And who opened the door?
فَتَحَتِ الْمُدِيرَةُ الْبَابَ. — The principal opened the door.