Lesson 111: Workers and Budgets

Step 1 of 5: Learn

Every verb has its verbal noun, مَصْدَرٌ, and from lesson 82 onward you have learned one with each form: عَقْدٌ from عَقَدَ, تَحْدِيدٌ from حَدَّدَ, مُوَافَقَةٌ from وَافَقَ, إِتْمَامٌ from أَتَمَّ, اِنْتِخَابٌ from اِنْتَخَبَ, تَأْسِيسٌ from أَسَّسَ. In the press these nouns do the work that clauses do in speech. Three uses account for nearly all of them: the headline, which is a verbal noun with its object; the object of a verb of deciding, requesting or agreeing; and the phrase of purpose with لِـ. Learn to unfold each verbal noun into the verb it stands for, and the long sentences of a news item fall into short pieces.

Rule 1: 1. Verbal nouns in headlines

A headline is a noun phrase, not a sentence. The verbal noun stands first, and what would be the object of the verb follows it in the genitive as the second term of an iḍāfa: اِفْتِتَاحُ الْمَعْرِضِ opening of the exhibition for اُفْتُتِحَ الْمَعْرِضُ; اِنْتِخَابُ هَيْئَةٍ إِدَارِيَّةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ election of a new administrative committee. If the agent is named too, the agent takes the genitive and the object is attached with لِـ: مُوَافَقَةُ الْمُحَافِظِ عَلَى تَأْسِيسِ نِقَابَةٍ the governor's approval of the founding of a union; زِيَارَةُ الْوَزِيرِ لِلْمِينَاءِ the minister's visit to the port. A verb that governs a preposition keeps it after its verbal noun: بَحْثُ الْمِيزَانِيَّةِ but اَلْمُوَافَقَةُ عَلَى الطَّلَبَاتِ, اَلْحُصُولُ عَلَى الْمَوَادِّ.

اِنْتِخَابُ هَيْئَةٍ إِدَارِيَّةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ لِنِقَابَةِ الْعُمَّالِ
intikhābu hayʾatin idāriyyatin jadīdatin li-niqābati l-ʿummāli
Election of a new administrative committee for the workers' union
Unfold: اُنْتُخِبَتْ هَيْئَةٌ إِدَارِيَّةٌ جَدِيدَةٌ.
عَقْدُ اجْتِمَاعٍ لِبَحْثِ مِيزَانِيَّةِ الْبَلَدِيَّةِ
ʿaqdu jtimāʿin li-baḥthi mīzāniyyati l-baladiyyati
Meeting held to discuss the municipal budget
Two verbal nouns: عَقْدٌ and بَحْثٌ.
مُوَافَقَةُ الْمُحَافِظِ عَلَى تَأْسِيسِ نِقَابَةِ أَصْحَابِ الْمَخَابِزِ
muwāfaqatu l-muḥāfiẓi ʿalā taʾsīsi niqābati aṣḥābi l-makhābizi
Governor approves founding of bakers' union
Agent in the genitive, the preposition عَلَى kept.
تَكْرِيمُ الطَّلَبَةِ الْفَائِزِينَ فِي نَادِي الشَّبِيبَةِ
takrīmu ṭ-ṭalabati l-fāʾizīna fī nādi sh-shabībati
Winning students honoured at the youth club
تَوْجِيهُ الدَّعْوَةِ إِلَى مُمَثِّلِي الْبَلَدِيَّاتِ
tawjīhu d-daʿwati ilā mumaththili l-baladiyyāti
Invitation sent to the representatives of the municipalities

Rule 2: 2. The verbal noun as object and after لِـ

After verbs of deciding, requesting, agreeing and refusing, the verbal noun replaces a clause with أَنْ: قَرَّرَتِ النِّقَابَةُ عَقْدَ جَلْسَةٍ = قَرَّرَتْ أَنْ تَعْقِدَ جَلْسَةً the union decided to hold a session; وَافَقَ عَلَى تَأْسِيسِ نِقَابَةٍ he agreed to the founding of a union; طَلَبُوا زِيَادَةَ الْأُجُورِ they asked for a rise in wages. After لِـ the verbal noun expresses purpose, like لِـ with the subjunctive: اِجْتَمَعُوا لِإِتْمَامِ التَّرْتِيبَاتِ وَتَحْدِيدِ مَوْعِدِ الِانْتِخَابَاتِ they met to complete the arrangements and fix the date of the elections. Nouns of manner and quantity take the verbal noun in iḍāfa too: كَيْفِيَّةُ سَدِّ الْعَجْزِ the way of covering the deficit, how to cover the deficit.

قَرَّرَتِ النِّقَابَةُ عَقْدَ جَلْسَتِهَا الْأُولَى يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ.
qarrarati n-niqābatu ʿaqda jalsatiha l-ūlā yawma s-sabti
The union decided to hold its first session on Saturday.
وَافَقَ الْمُجْتَمِعُونَ عَلَى الطَّلَبَاتِ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ.
wāfaqa l-mujtamiʿūna ʿala ṭ-ṭalabāti bi-l-ijmāʿi
Those present agreed to the demands unanimously.
بِالْإِجْمَاعِ: with the verbal noun of أَجْمَعَ عَلَى 'to agree together on'.
اِجْتَمَعَ الْمُمَثِّلُونَ لِبَحْثِ الْمِيزَانِيَّةِ وَكَيْفِيَّةِ سَدِّ الْعَجْزِ فِيهَا.
ijtamaʿa l-mumaththilūna li-baḥthi l-mīzāniyyati wa-kayfiyyati saddi l-ʿajzi fīhā
The representatives met to discuss the budget and how to cover its deficit.
سَدٌّ is the verbal noun of the doubled verb سَدَّ.
وُجِّهَتِ الدَّعْوَةُ إِلَى الْأُسَرِ لِحُضُورِ الْحَفْلَةِ.
wujjihati d-daʿwatu ila l-usari li-ḥuḍūri l-ḥaflati
An invitation was sent to the families to attend the celebration.
غَايَةُ النِّقَابَةِ الْمُحَافَظَةُ عَلَى مَصَالِحِ أَعْضَائِهَا.
ghāyatu n-niqābati l-muḥāfaẓatu ʿalā maṣāliḥi aʿḍāʾihā
The aim of the union is the protection of its members' interests.
A verbal noun as the predicate of a nominal sentence.

An indefinite noun described by a clause with a returning pronoun

In lesson 108 you saw جَلْسَةٌ عُقِدَتْ أَمْسِ a session (that was) held yesterday, where the noun is the subject of the describing clause. When the noun is the object inside that clause, a pronoun referring back to it must appear: اِجْتِمَاعٌ يَحْضُرُهُ مُمَثِّلُو الْبَلَدِيَّاتِ a meeting (which) the representatives of the municipalities attend, literally a meeting, the representatives attend it; تَقْرِيرٌ قَدَّمَهُ الْعُمَّالُ a report (which) the workers submitted. Grammarians call this pronoun اَلْعَائِدُ, the one that returns. Nothing else marks the clause as an adjective: no comma, no relative word, only the fact that it follows an indefinite noun.

Vocabulary

Why do words end with “-un”?

The -un ending is called tanween (nunation). It marks indefinite nouns — similar to “a/an” in English.

كِتَابٌ (kitaabun) = a bookvsكِتَاب (kitaab) = book (base word)

To find the base word, simply remove the final “-un” sound (the double-stacked damma بٌ on the last letter).

نِقَابَةٌ

niqābatun

trade union, syndicate

هَيْئَةٌ

hayʾatun

committee, body, board

إِدَارِيٌّ

idāriyyun

administrative

اِنْتِخَابٌ

intikhābun

election

مِيزَانِيَّةٌ

mīzāniyyatun

budget

عَجْزٌ

ʿajzun

deficit; inability

وَافَقَ يُوَافِقُ عَلَى

wāfaqa, yuwāfiqu ʿalā

to agree to, approve

بِالْإِجْمَاعِ

bi-l-ijmāʿi

unanimously

طَلَبٌ

ṭalabun

request, demand; application

تَقْرِيرٌ

taqrīrun

report

مُمَثِّلٌ

mumaththilun

representative, delegate; actor

أَسَّسَ يُؤَسِّسُ

assasa, yuʾassisu

to found, establish

نَادٍ

nādin

club

حَفْلَةٌ

ḥaflatun

celebration, party, ceremony

دَعْوَةٌ

daʿwatun

invitation; call

وَجَّهَ يُوَجِّهُ

wajjaha, yuwajjihu

to direct, address, send (to)

Step 2 of 5: Read

Various news

أَخْبَارٌ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ

Tap any word to look it up.

Notes

Comprehension

1.What were the most important demands of the electricity workers?
2.For how long was the new committee elected?
3.What will the municipal representatives discuss this morning?
4.What is the aim of the bakery owners' union?
5.In whose honour is the youth club holding its celebration?

In the Quran

فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ
Surah Al-Balad · 90:13
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ: the verbal noun of the doubled verb فَكَّ 'to free' with its object in the genitive, exactly the headline construction, 'the freeing of a slave'.
- فَكُّfakku(It is) freeing
- رَقَبَةٍraqabatina neck
Read in context
إِطْعَـٰمٌۭ
Surah Al-Balad · 90:14
إِطْعَامٌ: the verbal noun of Form IV أَطْعَمَ 'to feed' standing as a noun in its own right, 'feeding (on a day of hunger)'.
- إِطْعَـٰمٌۭiṭ'ʿāmunfeeding
Read in context
وَإِقَامِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَإِيتَآءِ ٱلزَّكَوٰةِ ۙ
Surah An-Nur · 24:37
إِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ: two verbal nouns of Form IV (أَقَامَ, آتَى) each with its object in the genitive, 'the establishing of prayer and the giving of zakāt', after the preposition عَنْ.
- وَإِقَامِwa-iqāmiand (from) establishing
- ٱلصَّلَوٰةِl-ṣalatithe prayer
- وَإِيتَآءِwaītāiand giving
- ٱلزَّكَوٰةِ ۙl-zakatizakah
Read in context

Step 3 of 5: Practice

Exercises

Strict harakat

Exercise 1 of 60/0 correct

Transform

Turn the sentence into a headline built on the verbal noun:

اُفْتُتِحَ الْمَعْرِضُ الصِّنَاعِيُّ.

Step 4 of 5: Quiz

Translate from Arabic to English

Type your translation, then check it. Spelling and vowel marks are graded leniently.

1.

جَرَى انْتِخَابُ هَيْئَةٍ إِدَارِيَّةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ لِنِقَابَةِ الْعُمَّالِ.

2.

وَافَقَ الْمُجْتَمِعُونَ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ عَلَى الطَّلَبَاتِ الْمُقَدَّمَةِ إِلَى الْإِدَارَةِ.

3.

سَتُبْحَثُ فِي الِاجْتِمَاعِ مِيزَانِيَّةُ الْبَلَدِيَّةِ وَكَيْفِيَّةُ سَدِّ الْعَجْزِ فِيهَا.

4.

قَرَّرَتِ النِّقَابَةُ عَقْدَ جَلْسَةٍ لِتَحْدِيدِ مَوْعِدِ الِانْتِخَابَاتِ.

5.

يُقِيمُ النَّادِي حَفْلَةً تَكْرِيمًا لِلطَّلَبَةِ الْفَائِزِينَ.

6.

وُجِّهَتِ الدَّعْوَةُ إِلَى عَدَدٍ مِنْ رِجَالِ التَّعْلِيمِ لِحُضُورِ الْحَفْلَةِ.

Translate from English to Arabic

Type your translation, then check it. Spelling and vowel marks are graded leniently.

1.

The workers held a general meeting in the union hall.

2.

The governor approved the founding of a new union.

3.

Its aim is the protection of the interests of its members.

4.

The representatives submitted a report on the budget.

5.

A meeting will be held tomorrow which the heads of the municipalities will attend.

6.

Election of a new committee for the youth club (headline).

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

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