Lesson 76 · مَنْ جَدَّ
Whoever, whatever, wherever: مَنْ, مَا, أَيْنَمَا, كُلَّمَا
Words like مَنْ (whoever) and مَا (whatever) can start an “if” sentence, like إِنْ in lesson 56. Both present verbs then take the silent ending: مَنْ يَدْرُسْ يَنْجَحْ (whoever studies will succeed). With past verbs the endings don’t show: مَنْ جَدَّ وَجَدَ (whoever strives, finds), a famous proverb.
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
مَنْ يَدْرُسْ يَنْجَحْman yadrus yanjaḥWhoever studies will succeed.
مَنْ جَدَّ وَجَدَman jadda wajadaWhoever strives, finds.
مَا تَزْرَعْ تَحْصُدْmaa tazraʿ taḥṣudWhatever you sow, you will reap.
أَيْنَمَا تَذْهَبْ أَذْهَبْ مَعَكَaynamaa tadhhab adhhab maʿakaWherever you go, I’ll go with you.
مَتَى تَأْتِ أُكْرِمْكَmataa ta’ti ukrimkaWhenever you come, I’ll host you generously.
كُلَّمَا زُرْتُهُ فَرِحَkullamaa zurtuhu fariḥaEvery time I visit him, he is happy.
Key points
- مَنْ whoever · مَا whatever · مَتَى whenever · أَيْنَمَا wherever · كَيْفَمَا however: أَيْنَمَا تَذْهَبْ أَذْهَبْ مَعَكَ (wherever you go, I’ll go with you).
- In the Quran: فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ (whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it) · وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ اللّٰهُ (whatever good you do, Allah knows it).
- كُلَّمَا (every time) is different: it takes past verbs and no silent ending, and the meaning can be past or present: كُلَّمَا زُرْتُهُ فَرِحَ (every time I visit him, he is happy).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “Whoever is patient will win.” (يَصْبِرْ, يَفُزْ)
مَنْ يَصْبِرْ يَفُزْ man yaṣbir yafuz
Say “Wherever you sit, I’ll sit.”
أَيْنَمَا تَجْلِسْ أَجْلِسْ aynamaa tajlis ajlis
Say “Every time he came, he brought a gift.”
كُلَّمَا جَاءَ أَحْضَرَ هَدِيَّةً kullamaa jaa’a aḥḍara hadiyyatan