Lesson 60
Conditional Sentences Sharṭ
الجمل الشرطية
Arabic has two main types of conditional sentences: real conditions using إِنْ (possible/future) and hypothetical conditions using لَوْ (unreal/past). Both are essential for expressing "if-then" relationships.
Conditional Particles
ParticleTypeVerb moodExample
إِنْReal / possibleBoth jussiveإِنْ تَدْرُسْ تَنْجَحْ
إِذَاReal / expectedPast or presentإِذَا جَاءَ الْأَمْرُ
لَوْHypothetical (past)Past in both clausesلَوْ دَرَسَ لَنَجَحَ
لَوْلَاIf it were not forNominal sentence or pastلَوْلَا اللَّهُ لَضَلَلْنَا
مَنْWhoever (persons)Jussiveمَنْ يَزْرَعِ الْخَيْرَ يَحْصُدْه
مَاWhatever (things)Jussiveمَا تَفْعَلْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّه
كُلَّمَاWhenever (repeated)Past tenseكُلَّمَا دَخَلُوا أَعَادُوا
Conditional Sentence Structure
PartArabic termNote
Condition clauseفِعْل الشَّرْطJussive verb after إِنْ/مَنْ etc.
Answer clauseجَوَاب الشَّرْطJussive or preceded by فَـ
إِنْ تَدْرُسْ تَنْجَحْ لَوْ دَرَسَ لَنَجَحَ
In tadrus tanjaḥ Law darasa lanjaḥa
If you study, you will succeed. If he had studied, he would have succeeded.
مَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَه لَوْلَا اللَّهُ مَا اهْتَدَيْنَا
Man yaʿmal mithqāla dharratin khayran yarahu Lawlā llāhu ma-htadaynā
"Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it." (99:7) "Were it not for Allah, we would not have been guided." (7:43)
- إِنْ + jussive: both the شَرْط (condition) and جَزَاء (answer) are in jussive mood.
- لَوْ + past: both clauses use past tense; the جَزَاء begins with لَـ: لَفَعَلَ (he would have done).
- مَنْ conditional: مَنْ يَزْرَعِ الْخَيْرَ يَحْصُدْهُ whoever sows good will reap it classical proverb with jussive.
- When the جَوَاب الشَّرْط is a nominal sentence or starts with a non-verb, it must be introduced by فَـ: إِنْ تَدْرُسْ فَأَنْتَ نَاجِح.
- لَوْلَا (if not for): uniquely takes a nominative noun لَوْلَا اللَّهُ the nominal sentence's predicate is deleted.