The genitive case (ـِ)

The Genitive Case (المجرور)

In the previous lesson, we saw how the Nominative case (marked with a Damma) indicates the subject of a sentence. Now, we will look at the second major grammatical case: the Genitive case.

The Genitive case is marked by the short vowel ـِ (Kasra). Just like with the Nominative case, if a noun is indefinite, the ending is doubled, written as ـٍ (Tanwin Kasra).

A noun is placed in the Genitive case primarily in two situations: when it follows a preposition, and when it is the second part of a possession chain.

Nouns After Prepositions

Whenever a noun comes directly after a preposition—such as في (in), إلى (to), or على (on)—it takes the Genitive case.

If the noun has an attached adjective, that adjective must match its grammatical case. In the second example below, notice how both the indefinite noun and its adjective take the ـٍ ending:

Possession Chains (Idafa)

Arabic expresses possession or creates compound concepts (like "city center" or "police station") by placing two nouns side by side. This grammatical structure is called an Idafa (إضافة).

In an Idafa, the first noun's case depends on its role in the larger sentence. However, the second noun (which specifies or "possesses" the first) is always in the Genitive case.

Notice how the first word in the following sentence is the subject, while the second noun takes the Genitive case:

Combining Prepositions and Idafa

Often, an Idafa structure will follow a preposition. When this happens, both nouns take the Kasra vowel, but for two different reasons:

• The first noun is Genitive because it immediately follows a preposition.
• The second noun is Genitive because it is the second part of the Idafa.

Notice how the preposition forces the entire possession chain into the Genitive case, creating a rhythmic sequence of Kasra endings:

Seeing the endings

The drills are written without vowel marks, as everyday Arabic is, so the kasra is something you hear rather than see. Written out in full: