Lesson 25
Declension Nominative, Accusative, Genitive
الإعراب: رفع نصب جر
The three Arabic cases nominative (رَفْع), accusative (نَصْب), genitive (جَرّ) determine the ending of every declinable noun. Understanding case is the key to reading Arabic with full precision.
The Three Cases (الحالات الإعرابية الثلاث)
CaseArabicIndef. endingDef. endingWhen used
Nominativeرَفْع / مَرْفُوعـٌـُSubject; predicate
Accusativeنَصْب / مَنْصُوبـاًـَDirect object; adverbs; after إِنَّ etc.
Genitiveجَرّ / مَجْرُورـٍـِAfter prepositions; second noun of iḍāfa
The Same Noun in All Three Cases
SentenceArabicCase of الطَّالِب
Subject of verbجَاءَ الطَّالِبُnominative (ـُ)
Object of verbرَأَيْتُ الطَّالِبَaccusative (ـَ)
After prepositionسَلَّمْتُ عَلَى الطَّالِبِgenitive (ـِ)
جَاءَ الطَّالِبُ رَأَيْتُ الطَّالِبَ سَلَّمْتُ عَلَى الطَّالِبِ
Jāʾa ṭ-ṭālibu Raʾaytu ṭ-ṭāliba Sallamtu ʿalā ṭ-ṭālib
The student came. I saw the student. I greeted the student.
كِتَابٌ مُفِيدٌ (nom.) قَرَأْتُ كِتَاباً مُفِيداً (acc.) فِي كِتَابٍ مُفِيدٍ (gen.)
Kitābun mufīdun Qaraʾtu kitāban mufīdan Fī kitābin mufīdin
A useful book. I read a useful book. In a useful book. (adj. follows noun in case)
- Arabic iʿrāb: the same word changes only its final short vowel (or tanwīn) across cases.
- The definite article الـ never changes only the noun's final vowel marks case.
- Adjectives must agree with the noun in case, gender, number, and definiteness.
- Case is often dropped in spoken Arabic but essential in writing, Quran, and poetry.
- Dual and sound plural have their own case markers: ـَانِ/ـَيْنِ (dual), ـُونَ/ـِينَ (masc. pl).