Verbs with Two Objects
Some Arabic verbs take two direct objects, typically those involving giving or granting, such as منح (to grant), وهب (to bestow), or أعطى (to give). In an active sentence like "The university granted the professor a medal," the recipient ("the professor") is the first object, and the item given ("a medal") is the second.
The Double Passive
When forming the passive voice (e.g., "The professor was granted a medal"):
- The first object (the recipient) becomes the proxy subject and takes the nominative case.
- The second object (the item given) remains an accusative object.
| The professor was awarded a medal for merit. | منح الأستاذ وساما عن جدارة.muniha al-ustâdhu wisâman 'an jadâratin. |
| The hardworking academic was granted an honorary doctorate. | منح الأكاديمي المجتهد دكتوراه فخرية.muniha al-akâdîmiyyu al-mujtahidu duktûrâh fakhriyyatan. |
| The smart student was awarded an academic fellowship. | وهب الطالب الذكي زمالة أكاديمية.wuhiba at-tâlibu adh-dhakiyyu zamâlatan akâdîmiyyatan |
Gender Agreement
Like all passive verbs, these agree in gender with their new proxy subject. If the recipient is feminine, the verb takes a feminine marker (like منحت or أعطيت), regardless of the award's gender.
| The female engineers were given a degree of distinction. | أعطيت المهندسات مرتبة الامتياز.u'tiyati al-muhandisâtu martabata al-imtiyâz |
| Were the female students granted an academic fellowship after the doctorate? | هل منحت الطالبات زمالة أكاديمية بعد الدكتوراه؟hal munihati t-tâlibâtu zamâlatan akâdîmiyyatan ba'da d-duktûrâh? |
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