Possible Conditions with إن
To express a possible or likely condition, Arabic uses the particle إن (if). It places both the condition verb (the "if") and the result verb (the "then") into the jussive mood (مجزوم).
The Jussive Mood: Regular and Weak Verbs
For most regular present-tense verbs, the jussive mood replaces the final short vowel with a silent sukun. If a verb ends in a weak letter (like ي or ا), that letter is dropped entirely. For example, يشتري (he buys) becomes يشتر.
| If you bargain, you will buy the old sword. | إن تساوم تشتر السيف القديم.in tusâwim tashtari s-sayfa l-qadîm. |
| If Fatima reduces the price, we will buy the metal. | إن تخفض فاطمة السعر نشتر المعدن.in takhfid fâtimato s-sira nashtari l-ma'dina |
Dropping the Final ن
For present-tense verbs ending in a ن suffix—such as the masculine plural (ـون), dual (ـان), and feminine singular "you" (ـين)—the jussive mood drops the final ن.
Note: When dropping the ن from a masculine plural verb, an unpronounced alif (ا) is added after the final و.
| If you agree to this price, you will take a rare vase. | إن توافقوا على هذا السعر تأخذوا مزهرية نادرة.in tuwâfiquu 'alâ hâdhâ as-si'ri ta'khudhuu mizhariyyatan nâdiratan |
| Maryam, if you bargain well, you will find a beautiful coin. | يا مريم، إن تساومي جيدا تجدي عملة جميلة.yâ maryamu, in tusâwimî jayyidan tajidî 'umlatan jamîlatan. |
| If the two men bargain, they will buy a rare book. | إن يساوم الرجلان يشتريا كتابا نادرا.in yusâwimi r-rajulâni yashtariyâ kitâban nâdiran. |
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 something you hear in the audio but never see in the drills. Here are some of them with every vowel written out:
| as written | fully vocalized | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| إن تساوم تشتر السيف القديم. | إِنْ تُسَاوِمْ تَشْتَرِ السَّيْفَ القَدِيمَ. | If you bargain, you will buy the old sword. |
| إن يسقط هذا الخزف، ينكسر. | إِنْ يَسْقُطْ هَذَا الخَزَفُ، يَنْكَسِرْ. | If this pottery falls, it will break. |
| إن يخفضوا السعر نشتر العملة. | إِنْ يَخْفِضُوا السِّعْرَ نَشْتَرِ العُمْلَةَ. | If they reduce the price, we will buy the coin. |
Both verbs, the condition and the result, are jussive. On a regular verb that is a sukun, which no unvocalized text can show: تُسَاوِمْ, يَسْقُطْ, يَنْكَسِرْ. Before ال the sukun is pronounced as a linking -i (تَشْتَرِ السَّيْفَ). Two changes are visible: a verb ending in ي loses it (تشتري → تشتر), and the plural loses its ن (يخفضون → يخفضوا).
