Lesson 83 · أَخِي خَالِدٌ
Naming it again: apposition (الْبَدَلُ)
Arabic can put a second noun straight after the first to say who or what it is: جَاءَ أَخِي خَالِدٌ (my brother Khalid came). The second noun is called الْبَدَلُ, and it copies the ending of the first, whether -u, -a or -i.
Learn with pictures
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Examples
جَاءَ أَخِي خَالِدٌjaa’a akhii khaalidunMy brother Khalid came.
زُرْتُ صَدِيقِي أَحْمَدَzurtu ṣadiiqii aḥmadaI visited my friend Ahmad.
كَانَ الْخَلِيفَةُ عُمَرُ عَادِلًاkaana l-khaliifatu ʿumaru ʿaadilanThe Caliph Umar was just.
هٰذَا الرَّجُلُ مُدَرِّسٌhaadha r-rajulu mudarrisunThis man is a teacher.
قَرَأْتُ الْكِتَابَ نِصْفَهُqara’tu l-kitaaba niṣfahuI read half of the book.
اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْihdina ṣ-ṣiraaṭa l-mustaqiima ṣiraaṭa lladhiina anʿamta ʿalayhimGuide us to the straight path, the path of those You have blessed. (1:6–7)
Key points
- The same ending each time: جَاءَ أَخِي خَالِدٌ · رَأَيْتُ أَخَاكَ خَالِدًا · سَلَّمْتُ عَلَى أَخِيكَ خَالِدٍ. Titles work the same way: الْخَلِيفَةُ عُمَرُ (the Caliph Umar).
- A noun with al- after هٰذَا is also apposition: هٰذَا الرَّجُلُ (this man) · قَرَأْتُ هٰذَا الْكِتَابَ (I read this book). So هٰذَا الْكِتَابُ جَدِيدٌ means “this book is new”, while هٰذَا كِتَابٌ is the sentence “this is a book”.
- A part can follow the whole, with a pronoun pointing back: قَرَأْتُ الْكِتَابَ نِصْفَهُ (I read half of the book, literally “the book, its half”). Al-Fatiha has apposition too: الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ.
Practice
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Tell a man “I saw your brother Ali.”
رَأَيْتُ أَخَاكَ عَلِيًّا ra’aytu akhaaka ʿaliyyan
Say “This book is new.”
هٰذَا الْكِتَابُ جَدِيدٌ haadha l-kitaabu jadiidun
Say “I drank half of the water.”
شَرِبْتُ الْمَاءَ نِصْفَهُ sharibtu l-maa’a niṣfahu
