To describe events that happen at the same time or trigger one another, Arabic uses temporal clauses. The most common word for "when" is عندما.
Linking Events with (عندما)
عندما connects two actions. Used with past tense verbs, it shows that one action immediately followed or coincided with another.
| When the doorbell rang, I woke up. | عندما رن جرس الباب، استيقظت.indamâ ranna jarasu l-bâbi, istayqaztu |
Using (لمّا) for Past Events
Another common word for "when" is لمّا.
| when (past) | لماlammâ |
Unlike عندما, which can be used in different tenses, لمّا is used strictly with past tense verbs. It functions exactly like عندما when narrating past events.
| When the film ended, we left at the same time. | لما انتهى الفيلم، غادرنا في نفس الوقت.lammâ intahâ l-filmu, ghâdarnâ fî nafsi l-waqti |
Clause Placement
When you start a sentence with عندما or لمّا, separate the two parts of the sentence with a comma.
| When I saw the door open, I realized what happened. | عندما رأيت الباب مفتوحا، أدركت ما حدث.indamâ ra'aytu al-bâba maftûhan, adraktu mâ hadatha |
| When we entered the house, the thief suddenly disappeared. | لما دخلنا البيت، اختفى اللص فجأة.lammâ dakhalnâ al-bayta, ikhtafâ al-lissu faj'atan |
You can also place the "when" clause in the middle of the sentence.
| The thief was surprised when the police arrested him. | تفاجأ اللص عندما قبضت الشرطة عليه.tafâja'a llissu 'indamâ qabadati shshurtatu 'alayhi |
Sudden Realizations and Surprises
These clauses are especially useful for narrating unexpected events, coincidences, and sudden realizations.
| When we met by chance, we realized that we were going to the same place. | لما التقينا صدفة، أدركنا أننا نذهب إلى نفس المكان.lammâ ltaqaynâ sudfatan, adraknâ annanâ nadhhabu ilâ nafsi l-makân. |
| When the connection dropped, I realized that there is a problem. | لما انقطع الاتصال، أدركت أن هناك مشكلة.lammâ inqataʿa al-ittiṣâlu, adraktu anna hunâka mushkilatan. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io
