The Nominal Sentence — Jumla Ismiyya
Forming complete sentences with two nouns
- Define the Jumla Ismiyya and state the rule that determines what it begins with
- Identify the two parts of a nominal sentence — Mubtada' and Khabar — and state their grammatical requirements
- Explain why there is no word for "is," "am," or "are" in Arabic and how to supply it in translation
- Form a simple Arabic nominal sentence using proper nouns, definite nouns (with al), and pronouns
- Recognise that a nominal sentence can have one Mubtada' and more than one Khabar
Video Lesson
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Key Vocabulary
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| جُمْلَةٌ اِسْمِيَّةٌ | jumla ismiyya | nominal sentence — a sentence that begins with an ism | ISM |
| مُبْتَدَأٌ | mubtada' | subject of a nominal sentence — must be definite and in rafa' | ISM |
| خَبَرٌ | khabar | predicate of a nominal sentence — must be indefinite and in rafa', matching the mubtada' in gender and number | ISM |
| اَللَّهُ غَفُورٌ | Allaahu ghafuurun | Allah is forgiving — a model nominal sentence | ISM |
| مُعَلِّمٌ | mu'allim | teacher (masculine) | ISM |
| نَبِيٌّ | nabiyy | prophet | ISM |
| رَسُولٌ | rasuul | messenger | ISM |
| وَ | wa | and — a particle that joins two words, phrases, or sentences; written attached to the following word | HARF |
| عَلِيمٌ | 'aliim | all-knowing (one of the names of Allah) | ISM |
| حَكِيمٌ | hakiim | all-wise (one of the names of Allah) | ISM |
Introduction
In Lesson 1 we established that every Arabic word is either an ism, a fi'l, or a harf, and that Arabic has two types of sentences — the nominal (Jumla Ismiyya) and the verbal (Jumla Fi'liyya). In this lesson we put that knowledge to immediate practical use by forming nominal sentences.
The Jumla Ismiyya is the most accessible starting point for the Quranic Arabic student because it can be built entirely from isms — no verbs required. Two words, both following clear, learnable rules, produce a complete Arabic sentence. By the end of this lesson you will be able to form, read, and translate a wide range of nominal sentences drawn from the language of the Quran.
The Concept
### Definition and structure
A Jumla Ismiyya (جُمْلَةٌ اِسْمِيَّة) is a sentence that begins with an ism. It has two compulsory parts:
Every Jumla Ismiyya has two parts: Part 1 — Mubtada' (مُبْتَدَأ): the subject — must be DEFINITE and in RAFA' Part 2 — Khabar (خَبَر): the predicate — must be INDEFINITE and in RAFA' The Khabar must match the Mubtada' in gender and number. There is no Arabic word for "is," "am," or "are." Supply it in English translation between the Mubtada' and the Khabar.
Why is there no "is" in Arabic?
Unlike English, Arabic does not need the verb "to be" (is / am / are) to form a present-tense nominal sentence. The juxtaposition of a definite subject and an indefinite predicate, both in rafa', carries that meaning by itself. When translating into English, simply place "is," "am," or "are" between the two parts, following normal English grammar.
### The rules in detail
Mubtada' (Subject)
- Must be definite — this can be achieved through a proper noun, the definite article أَلْ, a pronoun, a pointing word, or another of the seven categories of definite isms.
- Must be in rafa' — expressed by the damma (-u) or tanwiin rafa' (-un).
Khabar (Predicate)
- Is normally indefinite — it describes what category, quality, or attribute the subject belongs to.
- Must be in rafa' — expressed by the tanwiin rafa' (-un) on indefinite words.
- Must match the Mubtada' in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/dual/plural).
Multiple predicates
A single Mubtada' can have more than one Khabar. In the Quran, Allah's names and attributes frequently appear in pairs. Each Khabar independently satisfies the conditions above.
### Forming sentences: step by step
With a proper noun as Mubtada':
Proper nouns are always definite. Make them rafa' (add -un for regular proper nouns) and pair them with an indefinite rafa' Khabar.
| Arabic | Word-for-word | Translation | |---|---|---| | حَامِدٌ مُعَلِّمٌ | Hamid / a-teacher | Hamid is a teacher. | | نُوحٌ رَسُولٌ | Nuh / a-messenger | Nuh is a messenger. | | شُعَيْبٌ نَبِيٌّ | Shu'ayb / a-prophet | Shu'ayb is a prophet. |
With أَلْ making the Mubtada' definite:
Adding أَلْ makes any ism definite. The tanwiin disappears and the rafa' is shown by a single damma (-u).
| Arabic | Word-for-word | Translation | |---|---|---| | اَلْمَسْجِدُ كَبِيرٌ | the-mosque / big | The mosque is big. | | اَلْوَلَدُ حَكِيمٌ | the-boy / wise | The boy is wise. | | اَلْبَيْتُ جَمِيلٌ | the-house / beautiful | The house is beautiful. |
With two Khabars (multiple predicates):
A nominal sentence may have one Mubtada' and more than one Khabar. Each Khabar is indefinite and in rafa'. They follow one after the other.
| Arabic | Translation | |---|---| | اَللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ | Allah is all-knowing, all-wise. | | اَللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ | Allah is all-hearing, all-seeing. |
The connector وَ (and):
The particle وَ (wa) means "and." As a single-letter word, it is always written attached to the word that follows it — never separated by a space. It can join two words, two phrases, or two complete sentences.
| Arabic | Translation | |---|---| | أَنْتَ وَأَنَا | you and I | | حَامِدٌ طَالِبٌ وَمَرْيَمُ مُعَلِّمَةٌ | Hamid is a student and Maryam is a teacher. |
Quranic Evidence
Summary
- A Jumla Ismiyya is a sentence that begins with an ism. It consists of a Mubtada' (subject) and a Khabar (predicate).
- The Mubtada' must be definite and in rafa'. The Khabar must be indefinite and in rafa'.
- The Khabar must match the Mubtada' in gender and number.
- There is no Arabic word for "is," "am," or "are." Supply the appropriate English form in translation between the Mubtada' and the Khabar.
- A nominal sentence can have one Mubtada' and more than one Khabar. This is especially frequent in Quranic descriptions of Allah's names and attributes.
- The particle وَ (and) joins words, phrases, and sentences. It is always written attached to the word that follows.
- Learning to form and recognise the Jumla Ismiyya is the first step toward reading and translating complete Quranic sentences independently.