Rule 1: 1. The two kinds of sentence
A verbal sentence (اَلْجُمْلَةُ الْفِعْلِيَّةُ) begins with the verb; the subject follows it. A nominal sentence (اَلْجُمْلَةُ الِاسْمِيَّةُ) begins with a noun or pronoun; if it contains a verb, that verb follows the subject. The verbal sentence is the normal order for narrating events; the nominal sentence puts the subject in focus, as in answers and contrasts.
دَخَلَتْ أُمِّي الْمَطْبَخَ.
dakhalat ummi-l-maṭbakha
My mother entered the kitchen.
Verbal: verb first.
أُمِّي دَخَلَتِ الْمَطْبَخَ.
ummī dakhalati-l-maṭbakha
My mother entered the kitchen.
Nominal: subject first.
غَسَلَ الْخَادِمُ الصُّحُونَ.
ghasala-l-khādimu-ṣ-ṣuḥūna
The servant washed the plates.
Verbal.
اَلْخَادِمُ غَسَلَ الصُّحُونَ.
al-khādimu ghasala-ṣ-ṣuḥūna
The servant washed the plates.
Nominal.