Lesson 84 · لَيْلًا
When and where: time and place words with -a
Words that say when or where something happens take the -a ending and need no preposition: سَافَرْتُ لَيْلًا (I travelled at night) · صُمْتُ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ (I fasted on Thursday). Grammarians call this الْمَفْعُولُ فِيهِ (“the thing in which”) or ظَرْفٌ (a container).
Learn with pictures
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Examples
سَافَرْتُ لَيْلًاsaafartu laylanI travelled at night.
أَشْرَبُ الْقَهْوَةَ صَبَاحًاashrabu l-qahwata ṣabaaḥanI drink coffee in the morning.
صُمْتُ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِṣumtu yawma l-khamiisiI fasted on Thursday.
أَقَمْتُ فِي مَكَّةَ شَهْرًاaqamtu fii makkata shahranI stayed in Makkah for a month.
السَّيَّارَةُ خَلْفَ الْبَيْتِas-sayyaaratu khalfa l-baytiThe car is behind the house.
سِرْتُ وَالنَّهْرَsirtu wa n-nahraI walked along the river.
Key points
- Time: صَبَاحًا in the morning · مَسَاءً in the evening · لَيْلًا at night · نَهَارًا by day · يَوْمًا one day · يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ on Friday · شَهْرًا for a month · الْيَوْمَ today · غَدًا tomorrow.
- Place: أَمَامَ in front of · خَلْفَ or وَرَاءَ behind · فَوْقَ above · تَحْتَ under · بَيْنَ between · حَوْلَ around · عِنْدَ at. The noun after them ends in -i: جَلَسْتُ أَمَامَ الْمُدَرِّسِ (I sat in front of the teacher).
- A وَ meaning “along with” also gives the next noun -a: سِرْتُ وَالنَّهْرَ (I walked along the river) · اِسْتَيْقَظْتُ وَطُلُوعَ الشَّمْسِ (I woke up with the sunrise). This is الْمَفْعُولُ مَعَهُ; you will mostly meet it in books.
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I study in the evening.”
أَدْرُسُ مَسَاءً adrusu masaa’an
Say “I will travel on Friday.”
سَأُسَافِرُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ sa-usaafiru yawma l-jumuʿati
Say “The cat is under the table.” Table: الطَّاوِلَةُ.
الْقِطُّ تَحْتَ الطَّاوِلَةِ al-qiṭṭu taḥta ṭ-ṭaawilati
