DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE NOUNS IN ARABIC LANGUAGE (النكرة والمعرفة)

 DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE NOUNS IN ARABIC LANGUAGE (النكرة والمعرفة)

By: Yusuf Basirat Bolanle

 INTRODUCTION

The Nouns (الأسماء) in Arabic language can be divided into two types: which are Definite (معرفة) and Indefinite Nouns (نكرة).
For the purpose of this lesson, we shall look into the definitions, types and their uses.

 

       The Indefinite Noun (النكرة)
Indefinite noun (النكرة) in Arabic are the nouns which are not referring to a specific name of a person, animal, place, or thing. The indefinite noun can be formed in Arabic language by adding one of the signs of Tanween: (Fathataan, Kasrataan or Dammataan) to its end. This will be done depending on the position of the noun in a sentence. It could be object, subject, prepositional object and so on.

The indefinite Nouns is always indicated by the use of article  (a) or (an) to show that the item is not known before the period of discussion.
  Here are the examples:

كتابٌ

A book

 

كتابٌ جديدٌ

A new book

 ........................................

كتابٍ

A book

 

قرأت من كتابٍ جديدٍ

I read from a new book

 ........................................

كتابًا

A book

 

اشتريت كتابا جديدا

I bought a new book

 ........................................

رجلٌ

A man

 

رجلٌ غنيٌ

A rich man

 ........................................

رجلٍ

A man

 

سلَّمت على رجلٍ غنيٍ

I greeted a rich man

 ........................................

رجلاً

A man 

 

رأيت رجلاً غنياً

I saw a rich man

 ........................................

 In the above sentences, the indefinite nouns are shown in their different positions, Subject, Object and prepositional objects positions with different parsing marks placed on them based on their positions in the sentences.

    The Definite Noun(المعرفة)

What is Definite Noun?

In Arabic Language, the definite noun is known as (المعرفة). It is the type of noun that is referring to a specific name  of a person, animal, place or thing. Hence, this means you are referring to the name you have already known before or have in mind.

The Definite noun can be identified in many ways among which are:

1- With the addition of (ال) (article The) to the beginning of the noun
2- The Pronoun (الضمير)
3- The Proper Noun (العَلَم)
4- The demonstrative Noun (اسم الإشارة)
5- The Relative Noun (اسم الموصولة)
6- The Noun indicated by calling (يا) (You)
7- Adding Indefinite Noun to definite Noun (المضاف الى المعرفة)

 

The (ال) definitely makes a word definite, while Tanween, such as: fathataan (ً), kasrataan (ٍ) and dammataan (ٌ) make a word indefinite*. A word cannot have both (ال) and tanween attached to it at the same time.

Sometimes people's names have tanween on their end, This is called exceptional to the rules.

Now, Let us look at the examples as they are used in sentences.

- The definite Nouns formed with the addition of (ال) (article The) to the beginning of the noun

 

الكتاب

The Book

 

اشتريت الكتاب

I bought the book

 ........................................

الولد

The boy

 

الولد زكي جدا

The boy is very smart

 ........................................

- The definite Nouns formed by the use of pronoun (الضمير)

هو

He

 

هو فى الغرفة

He is in the room

 ........................................

هي

She

 

هي أختى صغيرة

She is my younger sister

 ........................................

- The definite Nouns formed by the use of The Proper Noun (العلم)

يوسف

Yusuf

 

يوسف يصلى فى المسجد

Yusuf is praying in the mosque

 ........................................

راضية

Rodiyah

 

رأيت راضية فى السوق

I saw Rodiyah in the market

 ........................................

- The definite Nouns formed by the use of The demonstrative Pronoun  (اسم الإشارة)

 

هذا

This 

 

هذا الكتاب مفيد للغاية

This book is highly beneficial

 ........................................

هذه

This

 

هذه السيارة جميلة

This car is beautiful

  ........................................

- The definite Nouns formed by the use of Relative Noun (اسم الموصولة)

الذى

That

 

الرجل الذى فى المسجد عمى

The man that is in the mosque is my uncle

 ........................................

التى

That

 

البنت التى حفظت القرأن كاملا

The girl that memorized the complete Quran

 ........................................

- The definite Nouns formed by the use of (يا)

يا

O you!

 

اجلس يا ولد

Sit down you boy!

 ........................................

يأيها

o you!

 

يأيها الذين أمنوا كتب عليكم الصيام

Oh you who believe, fasting is made compulsory on you!

  ........................................

- The definite Nouns formed by Adding Indefinite Noun to definite Noun (المضاف الى معرفة).

 

قميص

A Shirt

 

قميص أحمدَ

Ahmad’ shirt

  ........................................

قلم

A pen

 

قلم المدرسِ

The teacher’s pen

 ........................................

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