Possession is an important part of Arabic grammar, just like in any language. In Arabic, you show possession by using possessive pronouns and suffixes.
Arabic also uses a structure called إضافة (iḍāfa) or the “genitive construct” to show possession. In this lesson, we will learn how possession works in Arabic and how to form possessive nouns.
How Do You Show Possession In Arabic?
Arabic uses the إضافة (iḍāfa) to show possession. Iḍāfa means adding one noun to another to create a relationship of ownership or belonging (one noun being owned by the other).
There are two parts in iḍāfa: The first part is called mudaaf (مُضَافٌ), and the second part is called mudaaf ilayhi (مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ).
Mudaaf (مُضَافٌ) means the thing that is owned, and mudaaf ilayhi (مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ) means the owner.
There are two main ways to show possession in English: using the word “of” or adding “‘s,” like in “the teacher’s office” or “the office of the teacher.”
In Arabic, possession is shown in a way that’s more like the second English example. The word for “office” comes first, followed by the word for “teacher” (مَكتَب المُدَرِّس).
Arabic also uses possessive pronouns to show ownership. These pronouns are suffixes added to the end of a word. For example, the suffix “-i” (ي) means “my,” and “-ka” and “-ki” (ك) mean “your” for singular male and female, respectively.
There are different possessive pronouns for various gender and number combinations.
It’s important to note that possession in Arabic is sometimes expressed differently from English.
For example, instead of saying “my car,” in Arabic, you would say “the car of me” (sayyarat-i), where the possessive suffix “-i” is added to the end of the word “sayarat” (car).
How to Form a Possessive Noun in Arabic
In Arabic, the possessed noun comes first, followed by the possessor. For example, كِتَابُ الْمُدَرِّسِ (kitāb al-mudarris) literally means “Book teacher’s,” but it translates to “the teacher’s book.”
Let’s break down the example كِتَابُ الْمُدَرِّسِ:
- Kitāb (كِتَابُ) is the possessed noun, known as Mudaf (مُضَافٌ).
READ ALSO: Arabic Sounds That Don’t Exist In English
Rules for the Possessed Noun (Mudaf):
- Even though kitāb doesn’t have “al-” (the) before it, it is understood as “the book,” not “a book.” This is because the possessed noun is considered definite when it’s part of a possessive structure.
- The possessed noun can have any case ending:
- Nominative (with dammah): typically used for subjects.
- Genitive (with kasrah): used when preceded by a preposition.
- Accusative (with fatah): typically used for direct objects.
- Normally, the possessed noun is in the nominative case, so it ends with a dammah (ـُ). However, if it comes after a preposition, it takes the genitive case and ends with a kasrah (ـِ).
- Since the possessed noun is definite, it does not take double dammah (ـٌ).
The second part is the possessor, called Mudaf Ilaihi (مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ). In the example, it is Al-mudarrisi (the teacher).
The possessor can be either:
- Definite (like Al-mudarrisi, meaning “the teacher”)
- Indefinite (like mudarrisin, meaning “a teacher”).
The possessor is always in the genitive case, so the last letter ends with a kasrah (ـِ) or kasratain (ـٍ).
Let’s dive deeper into the iḍāfa (إضافة) construction and explore some variations and details.
Types of Iḍāfa
a. Definite Iḍāfa:
When the second noun (the possessor) is definite, the entire construction is considered definite, even though the first noun doesn’t have the definite article (الـ).
- كتاب الطالب (kitāb aṭ-ṭālib): The student’s book.
- سيارة المدير (sayyārat al-mudīr): The manager’s car.
In these examples, both الطالب (the student) and المدير (the manager) are definite, making the whole phrase definite.
b. Indefinite Iḍāfa:
When the second noun (the possessor) is indefinite, the whole construction is indefinite.
- بيت طالب (bayt ṭālib): A student’s house.
- قلم معلم (qalam muʿallim): A teacher’s pen.
Here, طالب (student) and معلم (teacher) are indefinite, so the entire phrase is indefinite.
Iḍāfa with Pronouns:
When a pronoun is used as the possessor, it is attached to the possessed noun as a suffix. This is still an iḍāfa construction but with a slightly different format.
- كتابي (kitābī): My book.
- -ي (ī) is the possessive suffix for “my.”
- كتابك (kitābuka/kitābuki): Your book (masculine/feminine).
- -كَ (ka) is the masculine possessive suffix for “your.”
- -كِ (ki) is the feminine possessive suffix for “your.”
- كتابه (kitābuhu): His book.
- -ه (hu) is the possessive suffix for “his.”
Complex Iḍāfa Constructions:
In some cases, the iḍāfa can be more complex, involving more than two nouns. Each noun in the chain is connected to the next in a possessive relationship.
- كتاب مدير المدرسة (kitāb mudīr al-madrasa): The book of the school’s principal.
- كتاب (kitāb) = book (possessed)
- مدير (mudīr) = principal (possessor of the book)
- المدرسة (al-madrasa) = the school (possessor of the principal)
Here, the book belongs to the principal, and the principal is of the school.
Special Cases:
- Dual Nouns in Iḍāfa:
- The ending for dual nouns in iḍāfa changes from -ān to -ā.
- كتاب الطالبين (kitāb aṭ-ṭālibayn): The book of the two students.
- بيتا المعلمين (baytā al-muʿallimayn): The two teachers’ houses.
- Plural Nouns in Iḍāfa:
- Regular plural endings often change slightly in iḍāfa constructions.
- كتب الطلاب (kutub aṭ-ṭullāb): The students’ books.
- سيارات النساء (sayyārāt an-nisā’): The women’s cars.
Examples and Practice:
Let’s go through some examples to solidify your understanding:
- “The professor’s lecture”:
- محاضرة الأستاذ (muḥāḍarat al-ustādh)
- محاضرة: lecture (possessed)
- الأستاذ: the professor (possessor)
- “A child’s toy”:
- لعبة طفل (luʿbat ṭifl)
- لعبة: toy (possessed)
- طفل: child (possessor)
- “My friend’s house”:
- بيت صديقي (bayt ṣadīqī)
- بيت: house (possessed)
- صديقي: my friend (possessor, with the pronoun suffix -ي for “my”)
- “The teacher’s pen”:
- قلم المدرس (qalam al-mudarris)
- قلم: pen (possessed)
- المدرس: the teacher (possessor)
- “The school’s principal’s office”:
- مكتب مدير المدرسة (maktab mudīr al-madrasa)
- مكتب: office (possessed)
- مدير: principal (possessor of the office)
- المدرسة: the school (possessor of the principal)
This structure is a fundamental part of Arabic grammar, so mastering it will help you understand and construct more complex sentences.