المصادر المعينة على فهم كتب المدينة
الْكِتَابُ الثَّانِي مِنْ سِلْسِلَةِ تَعْلِيمِ اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ لِغَيْرِ النَّاطِقِينَ بِهَا - الْمُسْتَوَى الْمُتَوَسِّطُ
The second book in the Arabic language learning series for non-native speakers - Intermediate level
الدَّرْسُ الْخَامِسُ وَالْعِشْرُونَ
Lesson 25
يُقَارِنُ هَذَا الدَّرْسُ بَيْنَ "كَانَ" وَ "مَازَالَ" وَعَمَلِهِمَا. كَمَا يُعِيدُ النَّظَرَ فِي إِعْرَابِ "الْأَبُ" وَ "الْأَخُ" مِنَ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْخَمْسَةِ.
This lesson compares "كَانَ" (kāna - was) and "مَازَالَ" (māzāla - still is/continues to be) and their function. It also revisits the declension of "الْأَبُ" (father) and "الْأَخُ" (brother) from the Five Nouns.
كَانَ: فِعْلٌ مَاضٍ نَاقِصٌ، يَرْفَعُ الِاسْمَ، وَيَنْصِبُ الْخَبَرَ. مَا زَالَ: مِثْلُ كَانَ (مِنْ أَخَوَاتِ كَانَ)، وَتُفِيدُ اسْتِمْرَارَ الْحَالِ. يَعْمَلَانِ فِي الْمَاضِي وَالْمُضَارِعِ (يَكُونُ، لَا يَزَالُ).
"كَانَ" (was/were) and "مَا زَالَ" (still is/continues to be) are defective verbs. They make their subject nominative and predicate accusative. "مَا زَالَ" indicates continuation. They function in both past and present (يَكُونُ - is, لَا يَزَالُ - still is).
الطَّالِبُ مَرِيضٌ. كَانَ الطَّالِبُ مَرِيضًا أَمْسِ. مَا زَالَ الطَّالِبُ مَرِيضًا (إِلَى الْآنَ).
Example: "The student is sick." -> "The student was sick yesterday." -> "The student is still sick (until now)."
مِنَ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْخَمْسَةِ: تُرْفَعُ بِالْوَاوِ (أَبُوكَ، أَخُوكَ)، وَتُنْصَبُ بِالْأَلِفِ (أَبَاكَ، أَخَاكَ)، وَتُجَرُّ بِالْيَاءِ (أَبِيكَ، أَخِيكَ) عِنْدَ إِضَافَتِهَا لِغَيْرِ يَاءِ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ.
"الْأَبُ" and "الْأَخُ" are from the Five Nouns when annexed to any pronoun other than "my" (يَاءُ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ) or to an explicit noun. They are nominative with "wāw" (e.g., أَبُوكَ - your father), accusative with "alif" (e.g., أَبَاكَ), and genitive with "yāʾ" (e.g., أَبِيكَ).
الْأَسْمَاءُ الْخَمْسَةُ: أَبٌ، أَخٌ، حَمٌ، ذُو، فُو. تُضَافُ إِلَى كُلِّ الضَّمَائِرِ مَا عَدَا يَاءَ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ (فَإِذَا قُلْتَ: أَبِي، أَخِي فَهِيَ لَيْسَتْ مِنَ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْخَمْسَةِ).
The Five Nouns are: أَبٌ (father), أَخٌ (brother), حَمٌ (father-in-law), ذُو (owner of), فُو (mouth - usually فَمٌ, but فُو in this construction). They follow special declension when annexed, except when annexed to "my" (يَاءُ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ), in which case they decline with estimated vowels (e.g., أَبِي).