عربي

The doer or cause is commonly the subject, whose noun normally has an -u ending in fully pronounced formal Arabic. With a verb before a plural noun subject, the verb normally stays singular but matches its gender. With the noun subject first, the following verb normally also matches its number.

هَبَّتِ الرِّيحُ. (Habbati al-rīḥu.)

وَصَلَ الطُّلَّابُ مُبَكِّرًا. (Waṣala al-ṭullābu mubakkiran.)

الطُّلَّابُ وَصَلُوا مُبَكِّرًا. (Al-ṭullābu waṣalū mubakkiran.)

إنجليزي

In an ordinary English statement about an action, the doer or cause is usually the subject and comes before the verb. The subject can be a person, an animal, or a thing. In a passive sentence, which presents an action from the receiving side, the doer can appear after by or remain unnamed.

Tom washed the dishes.

The sun melted the snow.

We moved the table.

عربي

An affected participant is often a direct object, the person or thing an action acts on, marked by an -a ending or an attached pronoun. These noun endings are usually absent from ordinary unvowelled writing. With verbs describing a change, the affected participant can instead be the subject.

قَطَّعَ سَامِرٌ الْخُبْزَ. (Qaṭṭaʿa Sāmirun al-khubza.)

وَضَعْتُهُ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. (Waḍaʿtuhu ʿalā al-ṭāwilati.)

اِنْكَسَرَ الْكُوبُ. (Inkasara al-kūbu.)

إنجليزي

With verbs such as cut or move, English usually puts the affected participant after the verb as the object, the person or thing the action is directed at. Pronouns used as objects have forms such as me, him, and them. In a sentence describing a change without a named doer, the affected participant can instead be the subject.

Mia cut the bread.

The noise woke me.

The ice melted.

عربي

In a nominal sentence (jumla ismiyya), a noun or pronoun is followed by what is said about it, often without a verb in the present. In a verbal sentence (jumla fiʿliyya), the sentence begins with a verb, and its subject may follow or be understood from the verb form. The subject can act, undergo a change, or simply be described.

أُخْتِي مُعَلِّمَةٌ. (Ukhtī muʿallimatun.)

سَقَطَ الْكُوبُ. (Saqaṭa al-kūbu.)

سَافَرْنَا أَمْسِ. (Sāfarnā amsi.)

إنجليزي

English usually uses the subject to name the person or thing it makes a statement about. In an ordinary statement, the subject comes before the verb and can name a doer, someone in a state, or something affected by an action. It is not always the topic or the first phrase in the sentence.

Ella is tired.

My bag was found at the station.

After lunch, the kitchen was quiet.

عربي

Arabic can express a recipient as an object with verbs such as aʿṭā 'give,' or with a preposition such as ilā 'to,' depending on the verb. The person who benefits from an action is commonly introduced with li- 'for.' A recipient and a beneficiary need not have the same role or use the same pattern.

أَعْطَيْتُ أُخْتِي الْمِفْتَاحَ. (Aʿṭaytu ukhtī al-miftāḥa.)

أَرْسَلْتُ رِسَالَةً إِلَى سَامِرٍ. (Arsaltu risālatan ilā Sāmirin.)

صَنَعْتُ الْكَعْكَةَ لِأُمِّي. (Ṣanaʿtu al-kaʿkata li-ummī.)

إنجليزي

With verbs such as give, English can name the recipient before the thing given or after it with to. A beneficiary, someone an action is done for, is often introduced with for; verbs such as make also allow the person before the thing made. Not every verb allows both word orders.

I sent Lily a photo.

Please give the keys to Ben.

We saved a seat for you.

عربي

Arabic has no single marker for the person who feels, perceives, or knows something. With verbs such as aḥabba 'like' and ʿarafa 'know,' that person is the subject. With aʿjaba 'please,' the person is an object, while the pleasing thing is the subject.

أُحِبُّ الْقَهْوَةَ. (Uḥibbu al-qahwata.)

يُعْجِبُنِي هَذَا الْكِتَابُ. (Yuʿjibunī hādhā al-kitābu.)

إنجليزي

The person who feels, perceives, or knows something is often the English subject, before the verb. With verbs such as bother or surprise, that person can instead be the object, after the verb. The verb and its usual partners determine the pattern.

I like this song.

Anna knows the answer.

The noise bothers him.

عربي

Arabic commonly introduces a tool or means with bi-, written attached to the following word. It can mark a physical tool or a means of transportation. Phrases such as ʿan ṭarīq 'by way of' can identify a method or communication channel.

فَتَحْتُ الْعُلْبَةَ بِسِكِّينٍ. (Fataḥtu al-ʿulbata bi-sikkīnin.)

سَافَرْنَا بِالْحَافِلَةِ. (Sāfarnā bi-al-ḥāfilati.)

إنجليزي

English commonly uses with to name a physical tool. It often uses by for a way of traveling or sending information, as in by train or by email. The choice depends on how the tool or means is described, so there is no single preposition for every case.

Mia opened the door with a key.

Please send the photos by email.

We got there by train.

عربي

Arabic normally expresses actions and events with verbs whose forms show time and identify the subject. Changes inside a verb can change its meaning or present an action without naming its doer. Different verbs also distinguish an action someone carries out from an event that happens on its own.

فَتَحَ سَامِرٌ النَّافِذَةَ. (Fataḥa Sāmirun al-nāfidhata.)

فُتِحَتِ النَّافِذَةُ. (Futiḥati al-nāfidhatu.)

وَقَعَ الْقَلَمُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ. (Waqaʿa al-qalamu ʿalā al-arḍi.)

إنجليزي

English normally uses a verb to express an action or event. The verb form and helper verbs can show its time and whether it is in progress. Events without a deliberate doer also use verbs, such as fall, arrive, or melt.

Ben cooks dinner every evening.

The snow is melting.

The bus arrived late.

عربي

Present states and locations usually have no linking verb, a verb joining someone or something to a description. Existence can be stated with hunāka 'there is' or with a place phrase followed by a noun. Kāna and sayakūnu can place a state in the past or future.

الْبَابُ مَفْتُوحٌ. (Al-bābu maftūḥun.)

هُنَاكَ خُبْزٌ فِي الْمَطْبَخِ. (Hunāka khubzun fī al-maṭbakhi.)

كَانَتِ الْغُرْفَةُ بَارِدَةً. (Kānati al-ghurfatu bāridatan.)

إنجليزي

English often uses be to describe a state or say where something is. To introduce something as existing or being present, it commonly uses there is or there are. Other verbs, such as exist, know, and belong, can express states too.

The kitchen is warm.

My glasses are on the table.

There is some milk in the fridge.

عربي

Arabic normally identifies or classifies someone with a nominal sentence, without a present linking verb. A noun naming a job or group is usually indefinite, without al-, when it supplies the classification. Between two definite expressions, a pronoun such as huwa or hiya can help make the identification clear.

هَذَا سَامِرٌ. (Hādhā Sāmirun.)

أُخْتِي طَبِيبَةٌ. (Ukhtī ṭabībatun.)

سَامِرٌ هُوَ الْمُدِيرُ. (Sāmirun huwa al-mudīru.)

إنجليزي

English uses a form of be before a name or noun to say who or what someone or something is. A singular noun for one member of a group normally needs a/an if it names something that can be counted. To identify a particular person or thing, English can use a name or a phrase such as the new teacher.

This is Emma.

Leo is a driver.

That building is the library.

عربي

Arabic names participants with nouns and pronouns, including short pronouns attached to verbs, nouns, or prepositions. Verb forms also show who is involved, so a separate subject pronoun is often unnecessary. Articles and matching word forms help show which words describe the same participant.

لَيْلَى تَقْرَأُ قِصَّةً. (Laylā taqraʾu qiṣṣatan.)

وَجَدْتُهُ فِي الْحَقِيبَةِ. (Wajadtuhu fī al-ḥaqībati.)

إنجليزي

English usually names a participant with a noun, a name, or a pronoun such as she. A noun can have other words with it, as in my old bike; together these words form a noun phrase. When a participant is the subject, English normally expresses it even when the listener knows who is meant.

My new neighbor works at the library.

She has a small dog.

Your plan sounds good.

عربي

Arabic expresses time with words such as ghadan 'tomorrow' and phrases naming clock times or dates. Duration can be given directly, as in niṣfa sāʿatin 'half an hour,' or introduced with a word such as muddata 'for a period of.' Many time and duration expressions take an -a or -an ending in fully pronounced formal Arabic.

سَنَلْتَقِي غَدًا. (Sanaltaqī ghadan.)

نَلْتَقِي فِي السَّاعَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ. (Naltaqī fī al-sāʿati al-thālithati.)

اِنْتَظَرْتُ نِصْفَ سَاعَةٍ. (Intaẓartu niṣfa sāʿatin.)

إنجليزي

English uses words such as yesterday and expressions with at, on, and in to say when something happens. For gives a length of time, while since gives the starting point of a period continuing to a later point, often now. Time expressions often go at the beginning or end of a sentence.

The class starts at nine on Monday.

We waited for twenty minutes.

I've lived here since 2020.

عربي

The past form (al-māḍī) normally presents a completed event and often refers to the past. The present form (al-muḍāriʿ) can refer to now, a habit, or the future, depending on context and nearby words. Adding sa- or sawfa before the present form explicitly places it in the future.

سَافَرْتُ أَمْسِ. (Sāfartu amsi.)

أَسْكُنُ قُرْبَ الْجَامِعَةِ. (Askunu qurba al-jāmiʿati.)

سَأَزُورُكَ غَدًا. (Sa-azūruka ghadan.)

إنجليزي

English has present tense and past tense verb forms; the past is often marked by -ed, but many common verbs use a different form. A present tense form can describe habits and states, while present tense be plus an -ing form often describes an action happening now. Future time is commonly expressed with will, be going to, or a present tense form supported by context.

We walked home yesterday.

Lena works at a cafe.

Maya is cooking right now.

I will call you tonight.

Our train leaves at six tomorrow.