Lesson 136: Kāna and Its Sisters

Step 1 of 5: Learn

You have met كَانَ with an accusative predicate since lesson 70: كَانَ الْجَوُّ بَارِدًا the weather was cold. The rule is a family rule. A whole group of verbs, كَانَ وَأَخَوَاتُهَا kāna and its sisters, are placed before a nominal sentence (subject + predicate) to add time, change, duration or negation. Their 'subject', which the grammarians call اِسْمُ كَانَ, stays in the nominative; their predicate, خَبَرُ كَانَ, goes into the accusative. Compare إِنَّ and its sisters (lesson 125), which do exactly the reverse: accusative subject, nominative predicate.

Nominal sentence and the same sentence after كَانَ

اَلسُّوقُ مُزْدَحِمٌ.

as-sūqu muzdaḥimun

The market is crowded.

Subject and predicate both nominative.

كَانَ السُّوقُ مُزْدَحِمًا.

kāna s-sūqu muzdaḥiman

The market was crowded.

Subject still nominative; predicate accusative.

With إِنَّ the same sentence becomes إِنَّ السُّوقَ مُزْدَحِمٌ: the case changes on the other word.

Rule 1: 1. The accusative predicate and word order

After any verb of this family the predicate takes the accusative: an indefinite singular ends in ـًا (مَرِيضًا), a sound masculine plural in ـِينَ (مُجْتَهِدِينَ), a sound feminine plural in ـَاتٍ with kasra (مُجْتَهِدَاتٍ), a dual in ـَيْنِ. The usual order is verb, subject, predicate, and the verb agrees with its subject as any verb does: singular when the subject follows, full agreement when the subject is a pronoun (كَانُوا, كُنْتُ). A predicate that is a prepositional phrase or a whole clause has no visible case: كَانَ الْمُدِيرُ فِي مَكْتَبِهِ, كَانَ الْوَلَدُ يَبْكِي. A short predicate may come before the subject: كَانَ فِي الْقَاعَةِ رِجَالٌ كَثِيرُونَ.

كَانَ الْعُمَّالُ مُتْعَبِينَ.
kāna l-ʿummālu mutʿabīna
The workers were tired.
Sound masculine plural predicate in ـِينَ.
كَانَتِ الْمُعَلِّمَاتُ حَاضِرَاتٍ.
kānati l-muʿallimātu ḥāḍirātin
The women teachers were present.
Feminine plural predicate: accusative ـَاتٍ with kasra.
كُنَّا صَغِيرَيْنِ يَوْمَ مَاتَ جَدُّنَا.
kunnā ṣaghīrayni yawma māta jaddunā
We two were small on the day our grandfather died.
Dual predicate in ـَيْنِ; كُنَّا is the pronoun form 'we'.
كَانَ الطَّبِيبُ يَفْحَصُ الْمَرْضَى.
kāna ṭ-ṭabību yafḥaṣu l-marḍā
The doctor was examining the patients.
A verbal clause as predicate: no case ending to show.
كَانَ فِي الْمَعْرِضِ زُوَّارٌ كَثِيرُونَ.
kāna fi l-maʿriḍi zuwwārun kathīrūna
There were many visitors at the exhibition.
Prepositional predicate first, indefinite subject after: 'there was/were'.

Rule 2: 2. Verbs of becoming and of time of day: صَارَ، أَصْبَحَ، أَمْسَى، أَضْحَى

صَارَ، يَصِيرُ (hollow, ي) means to become. أَصْبَحَ means first to be in the morning, أَمْسَى to be in the evening, أَضْحَى to be in the forenoon; but all three, and especially أَصْبَحَ, are used simply for to become, to come to be, with no thought of the hour. All take the accusative predicate. صَارَ shortens like any hollow verb: صِرْتُ I became, صِرْنَا, لَمْ يَصِرْ.

صَارَ الْوَلَدُ نَجَّارًا مَاهِرًا.
ṣāra l-waladu najjāran māhiran
The boy became a skilled carpenter.
Predicate and its adjective both accusative.
أَصْبَحَتِ الْمَدِينَةُ نَظِيفَةً بَعْدَ الْمَطَرِ.
aṣbaḥati l-madīnatu naẓīfatan baʿda l-maṭari
The city became clean after the rain.
أَصْبَحَ = 'became'.
أَمْسَى الْمَرِيضُ هَادِئًا.
amsa l-marīḍu hādiʾan
By evening the patient was calm.
أَمْسَى keeps its time-of-day sense here.
صِرْتُ أَفْهَمُ الْأَخْبَارَ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ.
ṣirtu afhamu l-akhbāra bi-l-ʿarabiyyati
I have come to understand the news in Arabic.
صَارَ + imperfect: 'began to, came to'.
أَضْحَى السُّوقُ فَارِغًا.
aḍḥa s-sūqu fārighan
By mid-morning the market was empty.
Rare in speech, common in literature.

Rule 3: 3. Verbs of duration: ظَلَّ، بَاتَ، بَقِيَ

ظَلَّ، يَظَلُّ (doubled; ظَلِلْتُ I remained) means to remain, keep on (all day); بَاتَ، يَبِيتُ (hollow) to spend the night and, in modern prose, to have become; بَقِيَ، يَبْقَى to remain. With an imperfect as predicate ظَلَّ means to keep doing: ظَلَّ يَعْمَلُ he kept on working.

ظَلَّ الْخَبَّازُ وَاقِفًا أَمَامَ الْفُرْنِ سَاعَاتٍ.
ẓalla l-khabbāzu wāqifan amāma l-furni sāʿātin
The baker stayed standing before the oven for hours.
ظَلَّ + accusative participle.
ظَلِلْنَا نَنْتَظِرُ الْحَافِلَةَ حَتَّى الْمَسَاءِ.
ẓalilnā nantaẓiru l-ḥāfilata ḥatta l-masāʾi
We kept waiting for the bus until evening.
Doubled verb opened up before ـنَا.
بَاتَ الْأَطْفَالُ جَائِعِينَ.
bāta l-aṭfālu jāʾiʿīna
The children went to bed hungry.
بَاتَ in its original sense, 'spent the night'.
بَاتَ الْحَاسُوبُ ضَرُورِيًّا فِي كُلِّ مِهْنَةٍ.
bāta l-ḥāsūbu ḍarūriyyan fī kulli mihnatin
The computer has become essential in every profession.
Modern press sense: 'has become'.
بَقِيَ الدُّكَّانُ مُغْلَقًا شَهْرًا.
baqiya d-dukkānu mughlaqan shahran
The shop remained closed for a month.
بَقِيَ with an accusative predicate.

Rule 4: 4. لَيْسَ 'is not'

لَيْسَ negates a nominal sentence in the present: لَيْسَ الْعَمَلُ سَهْلًا the work is not easy. It is a verb with only one tense, a perfect in form and present in meaning, and it conjugates like a perfect whose ي drops before consonant endings: لَيْسَ، لَيْسَتْ, but لَسْتُ، لَسْنَا. Its predicate is accusative, or is introduced by بِـ with the genitive, which is very common and emphatic: لَسْتُ بِغَنِيٍّ I am not rich (at all). لَيْسَ + لِـ expresses not to have: لَيْسَ لِي وَقْتٌ I have no time, and لَيْسَ هُنَاكَ there is not.

لَيْسَ الْعَمَلُ بِالْيَدِ عَيْبًا.
laysa l-ʿamalu bi-l-yadi ʿayban
Working with one's hands is no disgrace.
Accusative predicate عَيْبًا.
لَسْتُ طَالِبًا، أَنَا مُعَلِّمٌ.
lastu ṭāliban, ana muʿallimun
I am not a student; I am a teacher.
لَسْتُ: the ي drops before ـتُ.
لَسْنَا بِخَائِفِينَ.
lasnā bi-khāʾifīna
We are not afraid.
بِـ + genitive instead of the accusative.
لَيْسَتِ الْمُمَرِّضَاتُ مَسْؤُولَاتٍ عَنْ ذٰلِكَ.
laysati l-mumarriḍātu masʾūlātin ʿan dhālika
The nurses are not responsible for that.
لَيْسَتْ before a feminine subject; ـَاتٍ accusative.
لَيْسَ لِهٰذَا الْعَامِلِ بَيْتٌ.
laysa li-hādha l-ʿāmili baytun
This worker has no house.
لَيْسَ لِـ 'not to have'; بَيْتٌ is the subject, nominative.

Rule 5: 5. مَا زَالَ / لَا يَزَالُ 'still' and مَا دَامَ 'as long as'

زَالَ، يَزَالُ means to cease; negated, it means not to cease being, that is, to be still. In the past it is negated with مَا (مَا زَالَ، مَا زِلْتُ) or لَمْ (لَمْ يَزَلْ); in the present with لَا (لَا يَزَالُ، لَا نَزَالُ). Both مَا زَالَ and لَا يَزَالُ mean is still in ordinary prose. The rarer لَا يَبْرَحُ and مَا بَرِحَ mean the same. مَا دَامَ as long as (from دَامَ، يَدُومُ to last) is used only in the perfect, and it introduces a condition of duration: مَا دُمْتَ هُنَا as long as you are here. All of them take the accusative predicate.

مَا زَالَ الْمَصْنَعُ مُغْلَقًا.
mā zāla l-maṣnaʿu mughlaqan
The factory is still closed.
Past form, present meaning.
لَا تَزَالُ الْأَسْعَارُ مُرْتَفِعَةً.
lā tazālu l-asʿāru murtafiʿatan
Prices are still high.
Feminine verb for a non-human plural.
مَا زِلْتُ أَتَعَلَّمُ الْخِيَاطَةَ.
mā ziltu ataʿallamu l-khiyāṭata
I am still learning tailoring.
زِلْتُ: shortened hollow verb; imperfect clause as predicate.
لَنْ أُسَافِرَ مَا دَامَ أَبِي مَرِيضًا.
lan usāfira mā dāma abī marīḍan
I will not travel as long as my father is ill.
مَا دَامَ + nominative subject + accusative predicate.
سَأُسَاعِدُكَ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا.
sa-usāʿiduka mā dumtu ḥayyan
I will help you as long as I live.
دُمْتُ: hollow و verb shortened before ـتُ.

Kāna and its sisters

All take a nominative subject and an accusative predicate.
Perfect	Imperfect	Meaning	Example	Translation
كَانَ	يَكُونُ	to be, was	كَانَ الْجَوُّ حَارًّا.	The weather was hot.
صَارَ	يَصِيرُ	to become	صَارَ الْوَلَدُ رَجُلًا.	The boy became a man.
أَصْبَحَ	يُصْبِحُ	to be in the morning; to become	أَصْبَحَ الشَّارِعُ هَادِئًا.	The street became quiet.
أَمْسَى	يُمْسِي	to be in the evening; to become	أَمْسَى الْجَوُّ بَارِدًا.	In the evening the weather turned cold.
أَضْحَى	يُضْحِي	to be in the forenoon; to become	أَضْحَى الطَّرِيقُ مُزْدَحِمًا.	By mid-morning the road was crowded.
ظَلَّ	يَظَلُّ	to remain, keep on (by day)	ظَلَّ الْبَابُ مَفْتُوحًا.	The door stayed open.
بَاتَ	يَبِيتُ	to spend the night; to have become	بَاتَ الْأَمْرُ وَاضِحًا.	The matter has become clear.
لَيْسَ	—	not to be	لَيْسَ الْمَاءُ بَارِدًا.	The water is not cold.
مَا زَالَ	لَا يَزَالُ	to be still	مَا زَالَ الْمَطَرُ شَدِيدًا.	The rain is still heavy.
مَا دَامَ	—	as long as	مَا دَامَ الدُّكَّانُ مَفْتُوحًا	as long as the shop is open
بَقِيَ	يَبْقَى	to remain	بَقِيَ الْبَيْتُ فَارِغًا.	The house remained empty.

The conjugation of لَيْسَ

Only one tense exists. Before a consonant ending the ي drops and the vowel is a: لَسْتُ.
Person	Singular	Dual	Plural
3rd m.	لَيْسَ	لَيْسَا	لَيْسُوا
3rd f.	لَيْسَتْ	لَيْسَتَا	لَسْنَ
2nd m.	لَسْتَ	لَسْتُمَا	لَسْتُمْ
2nd f.	لَسْتِ	لَسْتُمَا	لَسْتُنَّ
1st	لَسْتُ	—	لَسْنَا

Conjugations: "To Have"

Person	Singular			Plural
	Arabic	Transliteration	English	Arabic	Transliteration	English
3rd m. (he / they)	لَيْسَ	laysa	he is not	لَيْسُوا	laysū	they (m.) are not
3rd f. (she / they)	لَيْسَتْ	laysat	she is not	لَسْنَ	lasna	they (f.) are not
2nd m. (you)	لَسْتَ	lasta	you (m.) are not	لَسْتُمْ	lastum	you (m. pl.) are not
2nd f. (you)	لَسْتِ	lasti	you (f.) are not	لَسْتُنَّ	lastunna	you (f. pl.) are not
1st (I / we)	لَسْتُ	lastu	I am not	لَسْنَا	lasnā	we are not
dual 3rd m. (they two)	-	-	-	لَيْسَا	laysā	they two (m.) are not
dual 3rd f. (they two)	-	-	-	لَيْسَتَا	laysatā	they two (f.) are not
dual 2nd (you two)	-	-	-	لَسْتُمَا	lastumā	you two are not

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).

صَارَ، يَصِيرُ

ṣāra, yaṣīru

to become

أَصْبَحَ، يُصْبِحُ

aṣbaḥa, yuṣbiḥu

to be in the morning; to become

أَمْسَى، يُمْسِي

amsā, yumsī

to be in the evening; to become

ظَلَّ، يَظَلُّ

ẓalla, yaẓallu

to remain, keep on

بَاتَ، يَبِيتُ

bāta, yabītu

to spend the night; to have become

لَيْسَ

laysa

is not

مَا زَالَ، لَا يَزَالُ

mā zāla, lā yazālu

to be still

مَا دَامَ

mā dāma

as long as

بَقِيَ، يَبْقَى

baqiya, yabqā

to remain, stay

مَاهِرٌ

māhirun

skilled, expert

عَاطِلٌ عَنِ الْعَمَلِ

ʿāṭilun ʿani l-ʿamali

unemployed

عَيْبٌ

ʿaybun

fault, shame, disgrace

رِزْقٌ

rizqun

livelihood, sustenance

مَعْرِضٌ

maʿriḍun

exhibition, fair

مُتَطَوِّعٌ

mutaṭawwiʿun

volunteer

إِسْعَافٌ

isʿāfun

aid, first aid; ambulance

Step 2 of 5: Read

Certificates for new craftsmen

شَهَادَاتٌ لِلْحِرَفِيِّينَ الْجُدُدِ

Tap any word to look it up.

Notes

Comprehension

1.How many young people received certificates?
2.What were most of them a year earlier?
3.What does the lady graduate have now?
4.How long will the exhibition stay open?
5.Who may join the Red Crescent course for free?

In the Quran

كُنتُمْ أَعْدَآءًۭ فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓ إِخْوَٰنًۭا
Surah Ali 'Imran · 3:103
إِذْ كُنْتُمْ أَعْدَاءً … فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا 'when you were enemies … and you became, by His grace, brothers': كَانَ and أَصْبَحَ each with an accusative predicate (أَعْدَاءً, إِخْوَانًا).
- كُنتُمْkuntumyou were
- أَعْدَآءًۭaʿdāanenemies
- فَأَلَّفَfa-allafathen He made friendship
- بَيْنَbaynabetween
- قُلُوبِكُمْqulūbikumyour hearts
- فَأَصْبَحْتُمfa-aṣbaḥtumthen you became
- بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓbiniʿ'matihiby His Favor
- إِخْوَٰنًۭاikh'wānanbrothers
Read in context
وَجَعَلَنِى مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُ وَأَوْصَـٰنِى بِٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَٱلزَّكَوٰةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّۭا
Surah Maryam · 19:31
مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا 'as long as I live' (literally 'as long as I remain alive'): مَا دَامَ with the accusative predicate حَيًّا.
Read in context
وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ
Surah Hud · 11:118
وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ 'and they will not cease to differ': لَا يَزَالُ with a sound plural predicate in ـِينَ.
- وَلَاwalābut not
- يَزَالُونَyazālūnathey will cease
- مُخْتَلِفِينَmukh'talifīnato differ
Read in context
فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًۭا وَمِنَ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ أَزْوَٰجًۭا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌۭ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
Surah Ash-Shuraa · 42:11
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ 'there is nothing like Him': لَيْسَ with its prepositional predicate placed first and the indefinite subject شَيْءٌ after it.
Read in context

Step 3 of 5: Practice

Exercises

Strict harakat

Exercise 1 of 90/0 correct

Fill in the blank

Put the predicate in the correct case:

Step 4 of 5: Quiz

Translate from Arabic to English

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

1.

كَانَ الْخَبَّازُ مَشْغُولًا طُولَ النَّهَارِ.

2.

أَصْبَحَ أَخِي مُهَنْدِسًا فِي شَرِكَةٍ كَبِيرَةٍ.

3.

لَسْنَا عَاطِلِينَ عَنِ الْعَمَلِ.

4.

مَا زَالَتِ الْمَدْرَسَةُ مُغْلَقَةً.

5.

ظَلَّ الْمُتَطَوِّعُونَ يَعْمَلُونَ حَتَّى اللَّيْلِ.

6.

لَا تَخَفْ مَا دُمْتُ مَعَكَ.

Translate from English to Arabic