Let's look at some foundational programming terminology in action:
| The developer called the function. | استدعى المطور الدالة.istad'aa al-mutawwiru ad-daallah |
| The algorithm repeated a random array. | كررت الخوارزمية مصفوفة عشوائية.karraratil-khawârizmiyyatu masfûfatan 'ashwâ'iyyatan |
The Conditional "Whatever" (ما)
In Arabic, the particle ما functions as a generalizing conditional particle meaning "whatever".
ما links two present tense verbs—the condition and the result—forcing both into the jussive mood (المجزوم).
To form the jussive mood:
- For regular verbs, change the final vowel to a sukun (ـْ).
- For verbs ending in a weak vowel (like يستدعي or تتلقى), drop the final weak letter entirely (becoming يستدع and تتلق).
To specify the target of your condition, add من plus a noun after the first verb to mean "whatever [noun]".
| Whatever variable the function receives, it processes it. | ما تتلق الدالة من متغير، تعالجه.mâ tatalaqqa ad-dâllatu min mutaghayyirin, tuâlijhu. |
Notice how the condition verb تتلق drops its final weak letter, and the result verb تعالجه takes a sukun on its final root letter (before the attached pronoun).
Here are more examples of algorithmic logic governed by the conditional ما:
| Whatever output the function returns, the loop repeats it. | ما ترجع الدالة من ناتج، تكرره الحلقة.mâ turji'i ad-dâllatu min nâtijin, tukarrirhu al-halqatu. |
| Whatever the developer calls, the system executes it. | ما يستدع المطور، ينفذه النظام.mâ yastadi' al-muṭawwiru, yunaffidh-hu an-niẓâmu |
| Whatever random array you read, you find an error. | ما تقرأ من مصفوفة عشوائية، تجد خطأ.mâ taqra' min masfoofatin ashwâ'iyyatin, tajid khata'an. |
This strict conditional structure perfectly mirrors programming logic, ensuring that the second verb universally executes whenever the first verb triggers.
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 usually something you hear in the audio but cannot see in the drills. Here are some of them with every vowel written out:
| as written | fully vocalized | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ما تقرأ من مصفوفة عشوائية، تجد خطأ. | مَا تَقْرَأْ مِنْ مَصْفُوفَةٍ عَشْوَائِيَّةٍ، تَجِدْ خَطَأً. | Whatever random array you read, you find an error. |
| ما تتلق الدالة من متغير، تعالجه. | مَا تَتَلَقَّ الدَّالَّةُ مِنْ مُتَغَيِّرٍ، تُعَالِجْهُ. | Whatever variable the function receives, it processes it. |
| ما يستدع المطور، ينفذه النظام. | مَا يَسْتَدْعِ المُطَوِّرُ، يُنَفِّذْهُ النِّظَامُ. | Whatever the developer calls, the system executes it. |
Both verbs are jussive. On a regular verb that is a sukun, which no unvoweled text can show: تَقْرَأْ, تَجِدْ. Before an attached pronoun the sukun sits on the last root letter: تُعَالِجْهُ, يُنَفِّذْهُ, where the ordinary verb would be تُعَالِجُهُ. A verb ending in a weak letter shows the change in writing, because it drops that letter: تَتَلَقَّ, يَسْتَدْعِ.
