The cognate accusative (المفعول المطلق)

The Cognate Accusative (المفعول المطلق)

To describe exactly how an action is performed, Arabic uses a highly common structure called the cognate accusative (المفعول المطلق).

Instead of using a simple adverb, you pair a verb with its own indefinite verbal noun (the masdar), followed by an adjective.

For example, instead of saying "The audience clapped loudly," Arabic says "The audience clapped a loud clapping." Both the verbal noun and the adjective must take the accusative case, which typically means adding the tanwin fatha (-an) ending, often written with an extra alif (ا).

The structure looks like this: Verb + [Subject/Object] + Indefinite Verbal Noun + Indefinite Adjective

Let's see this in action to describe a spectacular magic show:

Notice how English translates these phrases using adverbs like "wondrously" and "astonishingly," but the Arabic literally reads "enchanted... a wondrous enchanting" and "dazzled... an astonishing dazzling."

Translating the Cognate Accusative

Depending on the exact verb and adjective used, this structure can translate to various descriptive English phrases, such as doing something "for a long time" or "continuously."

It can also be used to emphasize that someone "truly" did something, or did it "with great creativity."

Building Rich Descriptions

Because the cognate accusative adds so much emphasis and detail to an action, it is perfect for writing rich, dramatic reviews. You will often see it used multiple times in longer sentences to capture the excitement of a spectacular event.