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### Past Possibility: "Could have"

To express that something was possible in the past but didn't happen—such as a missed opportunity in a sports match—use the fixed phrase **كان يمكن أن** followed by a present tense verb.

Just like the structure for past obligation, the phrase **كان يمكن أن** remains entirely fixed. It does not conjugate to match the subject. Only the present tense verb that follows **أن** changes to indicate who or what could have done the action.

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### The Subjunctive Mood

Because the main action verb follows the particle **أن** (that), it must be placed in the subjunctive mood. For most singular subjects, as well as the "we" form, this simply changes the final short vowel to a *fatha* (though it is often unwritten in daily use).

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However, for verb forms that usually end in **ون** or **ين** (such as the plural "they"), the subjunctive mood requires dropping the final **ن** and adding a silent *alif* at the end of plural masculine verbs.

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### In the Heat of the Match

You will frequently use these structures to describe close calls, decisive referee decisions, or major turning points in sports matches. 

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### 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:

| present | after كان يمكن أن |
|---|---|
| نَفُوزُ | كَانَ يُمْكِنُ أَنْ **نَفُوزَ** |
| تَدْخُلُ | كَانَ يُمْكِنُ أَنْ **تَدْخُلَ** التَّسْدِيدَةُ |
| يَتَأَهَّلُونَ | كَانَ يُمْكِنُ أَنْ **يَتَأَهَّلُوا** |

As after every أن, the verb is subjunctive: *-u* becomes *-a* (heard only), and the plural loses its ن (visible: يتأهلوا).

Past possibilities (كان يمكن أن)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

interrogative

noun

numeral

particle

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite article and locatives (الـ)

Basic noun gender (ة)

Sun and moon letters

Singular subject pronouns (أنا، أنت، هو، هي)

Indefinite nouns and nominal sentences (ـٌ)

Demonstrative pronouns for 'this' (هذا / هذه)

Separate prepositions (في، من، إلى، على)

Attributive adjectives

Predicative adjectives

Yes/No questions (هل، أ)

Basic questions (من، ما، أين)

Singular possessive pronouns (ـي، ـك، ـه، ـها)

Plural subject pronouns (نحن، أنتم، هم)

Plural possessive pronouns (ـنا، ـكم، ـهم)

Noun possession

Attached prepositions (بـ، لـ، كـ)

Pronouns with prepositions

Having and possessing (عند، لـ، مع)

Regular plural nouns (ـون، ـين، ـات)

Broken plurals

Dual nouns (ـان / ـين)

Plural and distant demonstratives (هؤلاء، ذلك، تلك)

Non-human plural agreement

Present tense singular verbs

Verbal sentences (VSO)

Present tense plural verbs

Topicalized sentences (SVO)

The indefinite accusative case (ـاً)

Verb object pronouns (-ني، -ك، -ه)

Present tense negation (لا)

Question words with verbs (متى، كيف...)

Adverbs of time and place

The future tense (سـ / سوف)

Intentions and desires (أن)

Negating states and possession (ليس)

Past tense singular suffixes

Past tense plural suffixes

Negating past events (ما)

Singular commands

Numbers 1 to 10

Number agreement for 1 and 2 (واحد، اثنان)

Asking how many (كم)

Numbers 3 to 10 (ثلاثة إلى عشرة)

Ordinal numbers 1 to 10 (الأول، الثاني)

Basic conjunctions (فـ، أو، لكن)

Ordering at a café (واحد، اثنان)

Food and drink with conjunctions (و، ف، أو، لكن)

There is and there are (هناك / ليس هناك)

Direct address (يا)

Giving reasons (لأنّ)

Relative pronouns (الذي / التي)

Quantifiers (كل / بعض)

The past tense of 'to be' (كان)

Past possession

Numbers 11 to 19 and tens to 80

Telling time (الساعة)

This book vs this is a book (هذا الكتاب، هذا كتاب)

Greetings (مرحبا، السلام عليكم)

How are you? and goodbye (كيف حالك، مع السلامة)

Nationalities (مصري، مصرية)

Roots and patterns (كتب، كتاب، مكتب)

Politeness (من فضلك، آسف)

Complex possession chains

Colors and traits (أفعل / فعلاء)

Plural colors and traits (فُعْل)

Comparative adjectives (أفعل من)

Superlative adjectives (أفعل)

Adverbs of manner (ـاً)

The nominative case (ـُ)

The genitive case (ـِ)

The accusative case (ـَ)

Dual noun cases (ـان / ـين)

Masculine plurals and 'the best of' (أفضل النجارين)

Emphasizing sentences (إنّ)

Connecting clauses (أنّ)

Reporting speech (قال إنّ)

Expressing contrast (لكنّ)

Comparison and probability (كأنّ, لعلّ)

Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Plural relative pronouns (الذين, اللواتي)

Past habits (كان + present)

Ongoing actions (ما زال)

Masculine plurals online (مبرمجون، مؤثرون)

Perfective past (قد)

Probability (قد)

The subjunctive mood (أن)

Question	Answer
referee	حكمhakam
decisive	حاسمhâsim
The referee's decision was decisive in the match.	كان قرار الحكم حاسما في المباراة.kâna qarâru l-hakami hâsiman fî l-mubârâh
to waste	أهدرahdara
kick	ركلةraklah
Do not waste this kick, Tariq!	لا تهدر هذه الركلة يا طارق!lâ tuhdir hâdhihi r-raklata yâ târiq!
crossbar	عارضةâridah
goal	مرمىmarmâ
The ball is above the crossbar and far from the goal.	الكرة فوق العارضة وبعيدة عن المرمى.al-kuratu fawqa al-ʿâriḍati wa baʿîdatun ʿani al-marmâ
to block	صدsadda
shot	تسديدةtasdîda
The goalkeeper blocked a powerful shot like a lion.	صد حارس المرمى تسديدة قوية كالأسد.sadda hârisu al-marmâ tasdîdatan qawiyyatan kal-asad
could have	كان يمكن أنkâna yumkinu an
to qualify	تأهلta'ahhala
Maryam could have qualified.	كان يمكن أن تتأهل مريم.kâna yumkinu an tata'ahhala maryamu
We could have won, but he wasted the kick.	كان يمكن أن نفوز، لكنه أهدر الركلة.kâna yumkinu an nafûza, lâkinnahu ahdara ar-raklata.
The shot could have gone in, but it hit the crossbar.	كان يمكن أن تدخل التسديدة، لكنها ضربت العارضة.kâna yumkinu an tadkhula at-tasdîdatu, lâkinnahâ darabati al-âridata.
They could have qualified without the referee's injustice.	كان يمكن أن يتأهلوا بدون ظلم الحكم.kâna yumkinu an yata'ahhalû bidûni dhulmi al-hakami.
He could have blocked the ball before it entered the goal.	كان يمكن أن يصد الكرة قبل دخولها المرمى.kâna yumkinu an yaṣudda alkurata qabla dukhûlihâ almarmâ.
This kick is crucial so that Aisha qualifies.	هذه الركلة حاسمة لكي تتأهل عائشة.hâdhihi ar-raklatu hâsimatun likay tata'ahhala 'â'ishatu
possible	ممكنmumkin
Everything is possible in football.	كل شيء ممكن في كرة القدم.kullu shay'in mumkinun fî kurati l-qadam
That's possible, but it's hard.	هذا ممكن، لكنه صعب.hâdhâ mumkinun, lâkinnahu sa'bun

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