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Case Endings: MSA Formal

Case endings unlock the flexibility of Arabic sentence structure by marking the function of every word.

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Endings change based on word role.
  • Nominative (u/un) for subjects.
  • Accusative (a/an) for objects.
  • Genitive (i/in) after prepositions.

Quick Reference

Case Name Arabic Term Main Sign (Singular) Typical Role
Nominative Marfu' Damma (-u / -un) Subject (Doer)
Accusative Mansub Fatha (-a / -an) Object (Receiver)
Genitive Majrur Kasra (-i / -in) After Preposition
Nominative (Dual) Marfu' Suffix -ani Two Doers
Acc/Gen (Dual) Mansub/Majrur Suffix -ayni Two Receivers/Followers
Nominative (Plural) Marfu' Suffix -una Many Doers (M)
Acc/Gen (Plural) Mansub/Majrur Suffix -ina Many Receivers (M)

主な例文

3 / 8
1

ذَهَبَ الطَّالِبُ إِلى المَدرَسَةِ

The student went to the school.

2

قَرَأَ المُدِيرُ التَّقْرِيرَ

The manager read the report.

3

كَتَبْتُ رِسَالَةً طَوِيلَةً

I wrote a long letter.

💡

The Pause Trick

If you are reading aloud and get stuck on an ending, just pause! It is perfectly correct to stop on a Sukun (silence) at the end of a sentence.

⚠️

The 'Al' vs Tanween Feud

Never put 'Al-' (The) and 'Tanween' (un/an/in) on the same word. They are like cats and dogs. `Al-baytun` is illegal!

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Endings change based on word role.
  • Nominative (u/un) for subjects.
  • Accusative (a/an) for objects.
  • Genitive (i/in) after prepositions.

Overview

Welcome to the VIP section of Arabic grammar! If you’ve ever wondered why news anchors sound so rhythmic or why poetry feels so musical, the secret sauce is Case Endings (or *I'rab*). Up until now, you might have been treating Arabic words like static blocks. Now, we’re going to animate them. These little vowels at the ends of words are like traffic signals—they tell you exactly who is doing what to whom. Without them, formal Arabic is just a list of words; with them, it’s a precise, high-definition structure. And yes, it makes you sound incredibly sophisticated.

How This Grammar Works

In English, word order rules everything. "The dog ate the homework" is different from "The homework ate the dog" (and much less terrifying). In formal Arabic, word order is flexible because the endings carry the meaning.

Think of case endings like name tags at a chaotic party:

  • Nominative (Al-Raf'): The "Doer" tag. Usually ends in *u* or *un*.
  • Accusative (Al-Nasb): The "Done-to" tag. Usually ends in *a* or *an*.
  • Genitive (Al-Jarr): The "After-party" tag (after prepositions or possession). Usually ends in *i* or *in*.

Formation Pattern

  1. 1Here is your cheat sheet for the main players (Singular Nouns):
  2. 2The Boss (Nominative/Marfu'):
  3. 3Used for the Subject (*Fa'il*) or topic.
  4. 4Sign: Damma (u) or Dammatan (un).
  5. 5Example: Al-mudarrisu (The teacher...)
  6. 6The Receiver (Accusative/Mansub):
  7. 7Used for the Object (*Maf'ul bihi*).
  8. 8Sign: Fatha (a) or Fathatan (an).
  9. 9Example: ...al-kitaba (...the book)
  10. 10The Follower (Genitive/Majrur):
  11. 11Used after prepositions or in possession (*Idafa*).
  12. 12Sign: Kasra (i) or Kasratan (in).
  13. 13Example: ...fi al-maktabi (...in the office)

When To Use It

This is your tuxedo grammar. Wear it when:

  • You are giving a formal presentation or speech.
  • You are reading the news (or pretending to).
  • You are writing a formal essay or university paper.
  • You want to impress your future father-in-law who is a linguistics professor.

When Not To Use It

Do not use fully vocalized case endings when:

  • Asking your roommate where the remote is.
  • Ordering a falafel sandwich (the chef might think you're a time traveler from 800 AD).
  • Texting your friends.
  • Pausing at the end of a sentence (we usually stop on a "sukun"/silence, even in formal speech).

Common Mistakes

  • The "Static" Trap: Pronouncing every word ending with a sukun (silence) because you're scared of making a mistake. It’s safer, but it’s not B2 level!
  • The Tanween Mix-up: Adding the 'n' sound (*un, an, in*) to words that have Al- (The).
  • *Wrong:* Al-baytun ✗
  • *Right:* Al-baytu ✓ (They are enemies; they can't be in the same room).
  • Ignoring the Object: Making the object Nominative just because it comes first in a flipped sentence.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

In Spoken Dialects (Ammiya), case endings are totally deleted. They effectively don't exist.

  • MSA: Raytu al-rajula (I saw the man).
  • Dialect: Shuft el-rajul.

The transition from Dialect to Formal MSA is basically just "turning the vowels back on."

Quick FAQ

Q: Do I really need this?

For fluency in reading and high-level listening? Absolutely. For street survival? No.

Q: What if I guess the wrong vowel?

90% of the time, people will still understand you. But you might sound like Yoda.

Reference Table

Case Name Arabic Term Main Sign (Singular) Typical Role
Nominative Marfu' Damma (-u / -un) Subject (Doer)
Accusative Mansub Fatha (-a / -an) Object (Receiver)
Genitive Majrur Kasra (-i / -in) After Preposition
Nominative (Dual) Marfu' Suffix -ani Two Doers
Acc/Gen (Dual) Mansub/Majrur Suffix -ayni Two Receivers/Followers
Nominative (Plural) Marfu' Suffix -una Many Doers (M)
Acc/Gen (Plural) Mansub/Majrur Suffix -ina Many Receivers (M)
💡

The Pause Trick

If you are reading aloud and get stuck on an ending, just pause! It is perfectly correct to stop on a Sukun (silence) at the end of a sentence.

⚠️

The 'Al' vs Tanween Feud

Never put 'Al-' (The) and 'Tanween' (un/an/in) on the same word. They are like cats and dogs. `Al-baytun` is illegal!

💬

Status Symbol

Using perfect I'rab in a meeting instantly commands respect. It signals education and seriousness, like wearing a tailored suit.

🎯

Word Order Freedom

Because cases mark the meaning, you can flip sentences! `Daraba Zaydun Amran` (Zayd hit Amr) is the same meaning as `Amran daraba Zaydun`. The vowels protect the truth.

例文

8
#1 Basic Subject

ذَهَبَ الطَّالِبُ إِلى المَدرَسَةِ

Focus: الطَّالِبُ

The student went to the school.

Subject takes Damma, Preposition makes the next word Genitive (Kasra).

#2 Basic Object

قَرَأَ المُدِيرُ التَّقْرِيرَ

Focus: التَّقْرِيرَ

The manager read the report.

Manager is doer (u), Report is done-to (a).

#3 Indefinite (Tanween)

كَتَبْتُ رِسَالَةً طَوِيلَةً

Focus: رِسَالَةً

I wrote a long letter.

No 'Al-', so we use double vowels (an). Adjective matches the noun.

#4 Mistake Correction

✗ أَكَلَ الوَلَدَ التُّفَّاحَةُ → ✓ أَكَلَ الوَلَدُ التُّفَّاحَةَ

Focus: الوَلَدُ

The boy ate the apple.

Don't let the apple eat the boy! Swap the vowels.

#5 Dual Case

وَصَلَ المُسَافِرَانِ إِلَى الفُنْدُقِ

Focus: المُسَافِرَانِ

The two travelers arrived at the hotel.

Dual subject uses -ani, not Damma.

#6 Plural Accusative

شَكَرَ الرَّئِيسُ المُوَظَّفِينَ

Focus: المُوَظَّفِينَ

The boss thanked the employees.

Plural object takes -ina, not -una.

#7 Formal Edge Case

إِنَّ الطَّقْسَ بَارِدٌ

Focus: الطَّقْسَ

Indeed, the weather is cold.

'Inna' creates a special case where the subject becomes Accusative (a).

#8 Advanced Variable

رَأَيْتُ أَبَاكَ فِي السُّوقِ

Focus: أَبَاكَ

I saw your father in the market.

One of the 'Five Nouns'—uses Alif for Accusative.

自分をテスト

Choose the correct ending for the object of the sentence.

شَرِبَ الطِّفْلُ ___ (The child drank the milk)

✓ 正解！ ✗ おしい！ 正解: الحَلِيبَ (Al-haliba)

It is the direct object (the thing being drunk), so it must be Accusative (Mansub), taking a Fatha (a).

Identify the correct subject form.

___ المُهَنْدِسُونَ المَشْرُوعَ (The engineers completed the project)

✓ 正解！ ✗ おしい！ 正解: أَنْجَزَ

In verbal sentences starting with the verb, the verb usually remains singular even if the subject is plural.

Select the correct form after a preposition.

تَحَدَّثْتُ مَعَ ___ (I spoke with the new student)

✓ 正解！ ✗ おしい！ 正解: الطَّالِبِ الجَدِيدِ

The word 'ma'a' functions like a preposition here, and 'Talib' is definite, so it and its adjective take the Genitive (Kasra/i).

🎉 スコア： /3

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Singular vs. Plural Endings

Nominative (Subject)
Muslim-u 1 Muslim
Muslim-una 3+ Muslims
Accusative (Object)
Muslim-a 1 Muslim
Muslim-ina 3+ Muslims

Which Vowel Do I Pick?

1

Is there a preposition before it?

YES ↓
NO
Check Role
2

Is it the Doer (Subject)?

YES ↓
NO
Check if Object
3

Is it the Receiver (Object)?

YES ↓
NO
Consult Grammar Book

Special Triggers

⬇️

Triggers Genitive (i)

  • • Min (From)
  • • Fi (In)
  • • Ala (On)
🎯

Triggers Accusative (a)

  • • Inna (Indeed)
  • • Direct Action
  • • Kana (Was - Predicate)

よくある質問

20 問

Because it's overwhelming! Beginners need to survive and ask for water. Case endings are for refining and perfecting your speech.

Rarely. In Ammiya (dialect) or casual MSA, we drop them. You'd say Al-kitab not Al-kitabu.

Yes! Qatala al-rajulu al-asada means 'The man killed the lion.' Swap the vowels to Qatala al-rajula al-asadu and now the lion killed the man.

It's that 'n' sound at the end of indefinite words (*Kitab-un*). It's just a case ending for words without 'The'.

Arab names take case endings too! Marhaban ya Zayd-u. Foreign names (like 'William') often don't change (they are *diptotes* or flexible).

These are rule-breakers. Inna forces the NEXT word to be Accusative (a). Kana forces the PREDICATE to be Accusative. They are special operators.

100%. The Quran is the gold standard for I'rab. Reciting it without proper endings is considered a major error.

Think: **U** is for **U**p (Subject/High). **A** is for **A**ction (Object). **I** is for **I**n/Under (Preposition).

A plural that doesn't follow the -una/-ina rule, like Kitab -> Kutub. These treat their endings just like singular words (u/a/i).

Words ending in Alif (like Mustashfa - hospital) are 'frozen'. The endings are there invisibly, but we don't pronounce them.

Yes! They are copycats. If the noun is Al-baytu (u), the adjective must be Al-kabiru (u). They follow the leader.

The whole list follows the case of the first one. I saw the man (a), the boy (a), and the dog (a).

Usually, but not always. Look for the Damma (u) to find the true subject, no matter where it is hiding in the sentence.

It's called Majzum. It happens to VERBS after certain particles (like Lam). It ends in a Sukun (stop), not a vowel.

Only in frozen phrases like Ahlan wa sahlan (Accusative) or Assalamu alaykum (Nominative). But they don't think about it grammatically.

A fancy term (Al-mamnu' min al-sarf) for words that refuse to take Kasra (i) or Tanween. They are stubborn.

Read fully vocalized texts (children's books or news scripts) aloud. Don't just read with your eyes; your mouth needs to feel the rhythm.

In a casual setting? Yes, very annoying. In a grammar class? No, that's the point.

No! Al- removes the 'n' sound (Tanween) but keeps the vowel. Kitabun becomes Al-kitabu. The case (Nominative) is the same.

Oh, numbers are a nightmare even for natives. They have their own complex I'rab rules. Save those for level C1!

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