The Cognate Accusative for Quantity
To specify exactly how many times an action was performed, use the المفعول المطلق المبين للعدد (Cognate Accusative Expressing Quantity). Place a noun derived from the same root as the verb after it. As an accusative object, it takes accusative endings.
To show an action happened exactly twice, use the dual accusative suffix ـتين.
| The boxer punched his opponent twice. | لكم الملاكم خصمه لكمتين.lakama almulâkimu khasmahu lakmatayni |
| No sooner had the opponent attacked than the boxer blocked the attack twice. | ما إن هاجم الخصم حتى صد الملاكم الهجوم صدتين.mâ in hâjama al-khasmu hattâ sadda al-mulâkimu al-hujûma saddatayn |
Expressing a Single Action
To emphasize that an action happened exactly once, use the singular form of the derived noun, which typically ends in ـة. You can add the adjective واحدة (one) for extra emphasis.
| Boxing is a dangerous sport, so the female champion struck just one fierce blow. | الملاكمة رياضة خطيرة، لذلك ضربت البطلة ضربة واحدة عنيفة.al-mulaakamatu riyaadatun khateeratun, lithaalika darabati l-batalatu darbatan waahidatan 'aneefatan |
Expressing Multiple Actions
When an action occurs three or more times, use the plural form of the derived noun, usually the regular feminine plural ending ـات. You can follow this noun with adjectives to describe the actions.
| The female player made quick dodges because the opponent is very strong. | راوغت اللاعبة مراوغات سريعة لأن الخصم قوي جدا.râwaghati l-lâ'ibatu murâwaghâtin sarî'atan li'anna l-khasma qawiyyun jiddan |
| Because the boxer is angry, he punched the door many times. | لأن الملاكم غاضب، لكم الباب لكمات كثيرة.li'anna al-mulâkima ghâdibun, lakama al-bâba lakamâtin katheeratan |
Combining Quantities
You can combine different quantities in a single sentence to describe a sequence of actions.
| The boxer dodged once and threw light punches at the coach. | راوغ الملاكم مراوغة واحدة ولكم المدرب لكمات خفيفة.râwagha al-mulâkimu murâwaghatan wâhidatan wa lakama al-mudarriba lakamâtin khafîfatan |
Seeing the endings
This course writes Arabic the way books and newspapers print it, without the short-vowel marks, so on a singular or a feminine plural the ending this lesson is about is something you hear in the audio but cannot see in the drills. A dual shows it in writing: لكمتين, not لكمتان. Here are some of them with every vowel written out:
| as written | fully vocalized | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| لكم الملاكم خصمه لكمتين. | لَكَمَ المُلَاكِمُ خَصْمَهُ لَكْمَتَيْنِ. | The boxer punched his opponent twice. |
| الملاكمة رياضة خطيرة، لذلك ضربت البطلة ضربة واحدة عنيفة. | المُلَاكَمَةُ رِيَاضَةٌ خَطِيرَةٌ، لِذَلِكَ ضَرَبَتِ البَطَلَةُ ضَرْبَةً وَاحِدَةً عَنِيفَةً. | Boxing is a dangerous sport, so the female champion struck just one fierce blow. |
| لأن الملاكم غاضب، لكم الباب لكمات كثيرة. | لِأَنَّ المُلَاكِمَ غَاضِبٌ، لَكَمَ البَابَ لَكَمَاتٍ كَثِيرَةً. | Because the boxer is angry, he punched the door many times. |
The dual shows the accusative in writing, as the ـتين of لَكْمَتَيْنِ. On the single action in ة it is only heard: ضَرْبَةً وَاحِدَةً. The ـات plural takes -in where other nouns take -an, so لَكَمَاتٍ sounds like a genitive, while the adjective after it has the ordinary accusative: كَثِيرَةً.
