The Waw of Accompaniment
The letter و usually means "and," but it can also mean "along with" or "alongside." In this case, it is known as the waw of accompaniment (واو المعية).
| with, alongside (accompaniment) | وwa |
This structure is perfect for describing paths that run parallel to a physical landmark.
The Accusative of Accompaniment
When و is used this way, the noun immediately following it is called the object of accompaniment (المفعول معه). Like other objects in Arabic, this noun must take the accusative case (منصوب).
For singular nouns, the accusative case is marked by a fatha (ـَ) on the final letter. Notice how the words for "bank" (ضفة) and "foot" (سفح) take the accusative case in these examples:
| We walked alongside the river bank for half an hour. | مشينا وضفة النهر لمدة نصف ساعة.mashaynâ wa dhiffata an-nahri limuddati nisfi sâ'atin |
| The travelers walked alongside the foot of the mountain. | مشى المسافرون وسفح الجبل.mashâ al-musâfirûna wa-safha al-jabali |
Physical Landmarks and Time
You will frequently see this structure when talking about moving alongside natural boundaries, such as streams or springs.
| I took the gear and walked alongside the water spring. | أخذت العتاد ومشيت ونبع الماء.akhadhtu al'atâda wa mashaytu wa nab'a al-mâ'. |
| The train moved alongside the river bank. | تحرك القطار وضفة النهر.taharraka al-qitâru wa dhiffata an-nahri. |
The concept of accompaniment also applies to time. You can use it to express an action happening alongside a period of time, such as dusk.
| The journey extended along with the dusk. | امتدت الرحلة وغسق الليل.imtaddati r-rihlatu wa ghasaqa l-layli |
Seeing the endings
This course writes Arabic the way books and newspapers print it, without the short-vowel marks, so the ending this lesson is about is usually something you hear in the audio but cannot see in the drills. Here are some of them with every vowel written out:
| as written | fully vocalized | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| مشينا وضفة النهر لمدة نصف ساعة. | مَشَيْنَا وَضِفَّةَ النَّهْرِ لِمُدَّةِ نِصْفِ سَاعَةٍ. | We walked alongside the river bank for half an hour. |
| مشى المسافرون وسفح الجبل. | مَشَى المُسَافِرُونَ وَسَفْحَ الجَبَلِ. | The travelers walked alongside the foot of the mountain. |
| سار المسافر والجبل في الغابة. | سَارَ المُسَافِرُ وَالجَبَلَ فِي الغَابَةِ. | The traveler walked alongside the mountain in the forest. |
The noun after this و is accusative, and here the fatha is only heard: وَضِفَّةَ, وَسَفْحَ, وَالجَبَلَ. A second noun in an idafa stays genitive: النَّهْرِ, الجَبَلِ. The ending carries the meaning. With a damma, وَالجَبَلُ would make the mountain a second subject, walking along too.
