Accusative Case (النَّصْب)

Arabic nouns are flexible. They change their endings based on their role in the sentence. The Accusative Case usually marks the direct object. This is the person or thing that gets "vibe-checked" by the verb. Imagine you are at a cafe in Dubai. You want to tell the waiter you want a juice. The word for juice is aseer. Because the juice is what you are ordering, it needs to be in the accusative case. It becomes aseeran. This change signals to the listener: "Hey, this noun is the one being acted upon!" It’s like a grammar traffic light. It keeps the flow of the sentence moving in the right direction.

1. 1Changing a noun into the accusative case follows a predictable rhythm. You just need to look at the end of the word.
2. 2For definite nouns (words starting with al-), add a single fatha (a). Example: al-kitaba.
3. 3For indefinite nouns (no al-), add fat-hatayn (an). Example: kitaban.
4. 4If the word is indefinite, you usually add an extra alif at the end. This alif acts like a kickstand for the double fatha. Example: waladan.
5. 5If the word ends in a taa marbuuta (ة), do NOT add the extra alif. Just put the fat-hatayn on top. Example: sayyara-tan.
6. 6For words ending in a hamza preceded by an alif (like maa'), just add the fat-hatayn. No extra alif needed here either.

Knowing when to use An-Nasb is half the battle. Here are the most common scenarios you will face at the A2 level:

• Direct Objects: This is the big one. If you see it, read it, or eat it, it’s probably accusative. Example: Ra'aytu al-mu'allima (I saw the teacher).
• Adverbs of Time and Place: Words telling us "when" or "where" often take this case. Example: yawman (one day) or sabahan (in the morning).
• After Inna and its sisters: These little words change the noun that follows them into the accusative. Example: Inna al-jawwa jameelun (Truly, the weather is beautiful).
• Expressing "to be" with Kaana: The *result* of what someone became is accusative. Example: Kaana al-waladu tabeeban (The boy was a doctor).
• Absolute Objects: Used for emphasis. It’s like saying "I ran a real run." Example: Namtu nawman (I slept a [good] sleep).

Don't get too fatha-happy! There are times when the accusative case is definitely off-limits.

• The Subject: The person doing the action stays in the Nominative case (Damma). Example: Al-mudarrisu kataba (The teacher wrote). Here, the teacher is the boss, so no fatha.
• After Prepositions: If a word follows min, fi, or ila, it takes the Genitive case (Kasra). Example: Fi al-bayti (In the house).
• Possession: The second word in an Idafa (possessive) structure usually takes a Kasra.
• Start of a Sentence: If you are just naming something to start a thought, use the Nominative case.

Everyone makes mistakes, so don't sweat it. The most common slip-up is forgetting that extra alif on indefinite nouns. Writing walad-an without the alif is like wearing one shoe. It just looks unfinished! Another classic is putting the fatha on the subject of the sentence. Remember, the person *doing* the action is the "Damma-person." Only the one *receiving* it gets the fatha. Also, watch out for words ending in taa marbuuta. Learners often try to force an alif onto sayyara, but it doesn't need the help. It’s strong enough to hold the fat-hatayn on its own.

You might confuse An-Nasb with Al-Jarr (the Genitive case). They both happen at the end of words, but their jobs are totally different. Think of An-Nasb as the "Action Recipient" and Al-Jarr as the "Location/Owner." If you say A-kaltu fi al-mat'ama, you used the wrong case. Since it’s after fi, it should be al-mat'ami. However, if you say ra'aytu al-mat'ama (I saw the restaurant), the fatha is correct. It’s all about the word's relationship to what comes before it. Use the Damma for the hero, the Fatha for the target, and the Kasra for the owner.