When detailing specific features of an object, Arabic offers an elegant alternative to standard possessive structures. Using بدل (apposition), you mention the whole object first, followed immediately by the specific part or attribute.
The second noun (the part or attribute) must:
- Have an attached possessive pronoun suffix matching the first noun (the whole) in gender and number.
- Take the exact same grammatical case as the first noun.
Physical Parts (بدل البعض من الكل)
Use this when specifying a tangible, physical component. Notice how the second noun mirrors the case of the first and carries a matching pronoun:
| The inspector inspected the building's basement. | تفقد المفتش المبنى قبوه.tafaqqada al-mufattishu al-mabnâ qabwahu |
| We saw the wall's crack. | رأينا الجدار تصدعه.ra'aynâ al-jidâra tasaddu'ahu |
Attributes and Features (بدل الاشتمال)
Use the exact same structure for attributes or qualities that are not strictly physical pieces (like finishing, dampness, or durability). This is common during inspections or with verbs expressing observation, satisfaction, or concern:
| I liked the apartment's finishing. | أعجبتني الشقة تشطيبها.a'jabatnî ash-shaqqatu tashtîbuhâ |
| The foundation's durability pleased us. | أعجبنا الأساس متانته.a'jabanâ al-asâsu matânatuhu |
Case Agreement
The appositive noun perfectly copies the case of the whole.
When the characterized noun is the subject (nominative), the attribute is also nominative. This frequently happens with verbs like أقلق (to worry), where the thing causing the emotion is the subject:
| The basement's dampness worried the female engineer. | أقلق المهندسة القبو رطوبته.aqlaqa al-muhandisata al-qabwu rutubatuhu |
When the characterized noun is the object (accusative), the attribute is also accusative. This occurs with action verbs like تفقد (to inspect):
| We inspected the property's plumbing. | تفقدنا العقار سباكته.tafaqqadnâ al-'aqâra sibâkatahu |
Finally, the attached pronoun must always match the gender and number of the noun it refers back to, even for plurals:
| The carpenters' finishing pleased us. | أعجبنا النجارون تشطيبهم.ajabanâ an-najjârûna tashtîbuhum. |
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 | case |
|---|---|---|
| أعجبتني الشقة تشطيبها. | أَعْجَبَتْنِي الشَّقَّةُ تَشْطِيبُهَا. | nominative (subject) |
| تفقدنا العقار سباكته. | تَفَقَّدْنَا العَقَارَ سِبَاكَتَهُ. | accusative (object) |
| أقلق المهندسة القبو رطوبته. | أَقْلَقَ المُهَنْدِسَةَ القَبْوُ رُطُوبَتُهُ. | nominative (subject, after the object) |
The part or attribute copies the case of the whole in front of it: الشَّقَّةُ تَشْطِيبُهَا as a subject, العَقَارَ سِبَاكَتَهُ as an object. Only the vowel before the pronoun changes, so you hear the difference but never see it. In the last drill the object comes first (المُهَنْدِسَةَ) and the subject after it (القَبْوُ رُطُوبَتُهُ): the endings (and the masculine verb أَقْلَقَ), not the word order, tell you which is which.
