Imperative and kāna

اُكْتُبْ دَرْسَكَ يَا وَلَدُ.

uktub darsaka yā waladu

Write your lesson, boy.

اُدْخُلُوا الْبَيْتَ وَاجْلِسُوا.

udkhulu l-bayta wa-jlisū

Enter the house and sit down.

After وَ the hamza of اجْلِسُوا is not pronounced.

اِفْتَحِي النَّافِذَةَ يَا أُخْتِي.

iftaḥi n-nāfidhata yā ukhtī

Open the window, my sister.

اِحْمِلْ هٰذَا الصُّنْدُوقَ إِلَى الْمَطْبَخِ.

iḥmil hādha ṣ-ṣundūqa ila l-maṭbakhi

Carry this box to the kitchen.

اِغْسِلِ الصُّحُونَ بَعْدَ الْعَشَاءِ.

ighsili ṣ-ṣuḥūna baʿda l-ʿashāʾi

Wash the plates after supper.

The final sukūn of اِغْسِلْ becomes kasra before the hamzat al-waṣl of the article.

اُكْنُسِ الْغُرْفَةَ.

uknusi l-ghurfata

Sweep the room.

يَكْنُسُ: second radical u, hamza u.

اُطْبُخِي الْأَرُزَّ يَا فَاطِمَةُ.

uṭbukhi l-aruzza yā fāṭimatu

Cook the rice, Fāṭima.

يَطْبُخُ: hamza u.

اِمْسَحِ الْمَائِدَةَ.

imsaḥi l-māʾidata

Wipe the table.

يَمْسَحُ: second radical a, hamza i.

اِقْفِلِ الْبَابَ قَبْلَ اللَّيْلِ.

iqfili l-bāba qabla l-layli

Lock the door before nightfall.

يَقْفِلُ: second radical i, hamza i.

اُفْرُشُوا السَّجَّادَةَ فِي الْغُرْفَةِ الْكَبِيرَةِ.

ufrushu s-sajjādata fi l-ghurfati l-kabīrati

Spread the carpet in the big room.

يَفْرُشُ: hamza u.

اِجْلِسْ عَلَى السَّرِيرِ.

ijlis ʿala s-sarīri

Sit on the bed.

يَجْلِسُ: hamza i.

لَا تَكْتُبْ عَلَى الْجِدَارِ.

lā taktub ʿala l-jidāri

Do not write on the wall.

لَا تَفْتَحُوا الْبَابَ لِلْغَرِيبِ.

lā taftaḥu l-bāba li-l-gharībi

Do not open the door to the stranger.

لَا تَجْلِسِي عَلَى السُّلَّمِ يَا بِنْتِي.

lā tajlisī ʿala s-sullami yā bintī

Do not sit on the ladder, my daughter.

لَا تَتْرُكِ الْمِفْتَاحَ فِي الْبَابِ.

lā tatruki l-miftāḥa fi l-bābi

Do not leave the key in the door.

لَا تَسْكُبْنَ الْمَاءَ عَلَى السَّجَّادَةِ.

lā taskubna l-māʾa ʿala s-sajjādati

Do not pour (f. pl.) the water on the carpet.

كَانَ أَبِي قَدْ قَفَلَ الْبَابَ.

kāna abī qad qafala l-bāba

My father had locked the door.

كُنْتُ قَدْ غَسَلْتُ الصُّحُونَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَرْجِعَ أُمِّي.

kuntu qad ghasaltu ṣ-ṣuḥūna qabla an tarjiʿa ummī

I had washed the plates before my mother came back.

لَمَّا دَخَلْتُ كَانَتْ أُخْتِي قَدْ كَنَسَتِ الْغُرْفَةَ.

lammā dakhaltu kānat ukhtī qad kanasati l-ghurfata

When I came in, my sister had swept the room.

كَانَ الضُّيُوفُ قَدْ جَلَسُوا حَوْلَ الْمَائِدَةِ.

kāna ḍ-ḍuyūfu qad jalasū ḥawla l-māʾidati

The guests had sat down around the table.

كَانَ stays singular before its plural subject; the second verb agrees in full.

كُنَّا قَدْ فَرَشْنَا السَّرِيرَ لِلضَّيْفِ.

kunnā qad farashna s-sarīra li-ḍ-ḍayfi

We had made up the bed for the guest.

كَانَ جَدِّي يَجْلِسُ أَمَامَ الْبَيْتِ كُلَّ مَسَاءٍ.

kāna jaddī yajlisu amāma l-bayti kulla masāʾin

My grandfather used to sit in front of the house every evening.

كَانَتْ أُمِّي تَطْبُخُ الْعَشَاءَ لَمَّا رَجَعْنَا.

kānat ummī taṭbukhu l-ʿashāʾa lammā rajaʿnā

My mother was cooking supper when we came back.

كُنَّا نَكْنُسُ الْمَطْبَخَ كُلَّ يَوْمِ جُمُعَةٍ.

kunnā naknusu l-maṭbakha kulla yawmi jumuʿatin

We used to sweep the kitchen every Friday.

كَانَ الْأَوْلَادُ يَلْعَبُونَ تَحْتَ السُّلَّمِ.

kāna l-awlādu yalʿabūna taḥta s-sullami

The boys were playing under the ladder.

هَلْ كُنْتِ تَغْسِلِينَ الثِّيَابَ بِنَفْسِكِ؟

hal kunti taghsilīna th-thiyāba bi-nafsiki

Did you (f.) use to wash the clothes yourself?

يَكُونُ أَخِي قَدْ رَجَعَ قَبْلَ الْمَغْرِبِ.

yakūnu akhī qad rajaʿa qabla l-maghribi

My brother will have come back before sunset.

سَتَكُونُ أُمِّي قَدْ طَبَخَتِ الْعَشَاءَ قَبْلَ الْعِشَاءِ.

sa-takūnu ummī qad ṭabakhati l-ʿashāʾa qabla l-ʿishāʾi

My mother will have cooked supper before the night prayer.

نَكُونُ قَدْ غَسَلْنَا الصُّحُونَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَرْجِعِي.

nakūnu qad ghasalna ṣ-ṣuḥūna qabla an tarjiʿī

We shall have washed the plates before you (f.) come back.

يَكُونُ الْعُمَّالُ قَدْ فَرَشُوا السَّجَاجِيدَ غَدًا.

yakūnu l-ʿummālu qad farashu s-sajājīda ghadan

The workmen will have laid the carpets by tomorrow.