Lesson 96 · كَرِيمٌ أَبُوهُ
A man whose father is generous: describing by what belongs to it
Arabic can describe a noun by something that belongs to it, with no word for “whose”: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ كَرِيمٌ أَبُوهُ (a man whose father is generous came). The describing word comes first, then the owned noun with a pronoun pointing back. This is النَّعْتُ السَّبَبِيُّ.
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Examples
جَاءَ رَجُلٌ كَرِيمٌ أَبُوهُjaa’a rajulun kariimun abuuhuA man whose father is generous came.
هٰذَا بَيْتٌ مَفْتُوحٌ بَابُهُhaadhaa baytun maftuuḥun baabuhuThis is a house whose door is open.
رَأَيْتُ شَجَرَةً طَوِيلًا جِذْعُهَاra’aytu shajaratan ṭawiilan jidhʿuhaaI saw a tree with a tall trunk.
هٰذَا رَجُلٌ مَرِيضَةٌ أُمُّهُhaadhaa rajulun mariiḍatun ummuhuThis is a man whose mother is ill.
سَكَنْتُ فِي مَدِينَةٍ نَظِيفَةٍ شَوَارِعُهَاsakantu fii madiinatin naẓiifatin shawaariʿuhaaI lived in a city whose streets are clean.
مِنْ هٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَاmin haadhihi l-qaryati ẓ-ẓaalimi ahluhaafrom this town whose people are oppressors (4:75)
Key points
- The describing word copies the first noun’s ending and its al- or tanween: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ كَرِيمٌ أَبُوهُ · رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا كَرِيمًا أَبُوهُ · مَرَرْتُ بِرَجُلٍ كَرِيمٍ أَبُوهُ. The noun after it always ends in -u.
- Its gender follows the noun after it, not the one before: هٰذَا رَجُلٌ مَرِيضَةٌ أُمُّهُ (this is a man whose mother is ill) · هٰذِهِ بِنْتٌ طَبِيبٌ أَبُوهَا (this is a girl whose father is a doctor).
- The Quran: رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا (our Lord, take us out of this town whose people are oppressors, 4:75). الظَّالِمِ has al- and -i like الْقَرْيَةِ, but is masculine like أَهْلُهَا.
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I saw a car whose colour is red.” Colour: لَوْنٌ.
رَأَيْتُ سَيَّارَةً أَحْمَرَ لَوْنُهَا ra’aytu sayyaaratan aḥmara lawnuhaa
أَحْمَرَ is masculine like لَوْنُ, and takes no tanween (lesson 54).
Say “This is a student whose father is a doctor.”
هٰذَا طَالِبٌ طَبِيبٌ أَبُوهُ haadhaa ṭaalibun ṭabiibun abuuhu
Say “a girl whose hair is long”. Hair: شَعْرٌ.
بِنْتٌ طَوِيلٌ شَعْرُهَا bintun ṭawiilun shaʿruhaa
