The Accusative Case and Adverbs (ـاً)
In Arabic, nouns and adjectives can change their endings depending on their grammatical role. One of these roles is the accusative case.
For indefinite words (words without "the"), the accusative case is highly visible. It appears as an Alif topped with a double stroke (ـاً) at the end of the word.
One of its main functions is to create adverbs—words that describe how, when, or to what degree something happens. Some of the most common conversational Arabic expressions are simply accusative words!
| This tea is very hot. | هذا الشاي حار جدا.hâdhâ ash-shây hârrun jiddan |
| Thank you, this food is very delicious. | شكرا، هذا الطعام لذيذ جدا.shukran, hâdhâ at-taâmu ladhîdhun jiddan. |
| You are welcome, no problem. | عفوا، لا مشكلة.afwan, lâ mushkilata. |
Adverbs of Time and Frequency
You can use the ـاً suffix to turn time-related nouns into adverbs that describe when an action takes place. For example, the noun ليل (night) becomes ليلا (at night), and نهار (daytime) becomes نهارا (during the day).
| She reads during the day and writes at night. | هي تقرأ نهارا وتكتب ليلا.hiya taqra'u nahâran wa taktubu laylan. |
Many words describing frequency natively use this accusative ending, such as دائما (always) and أحيانا (sometimes).
| I always walk in the garden. | أنا أمشي دائما في الحديقة.ana amshi dâ'iman fil-hadîqah. |
| The dog sometimes plays with the cat. | الكلب يلعب أحيانا مع القط.al-kalbu yalabu ahyânan maa al-qitti. |
Adjectives Used as Adverbs
Finally, you can add the ـاً suffix to standard adjectives to describe how or to what extent an action is performed.
For example, taking adjectives like قليل (little), مبكر (early), or متأخر (late) turns them into the adverbs قليلا (a little), مبكرا (early), and متأخرا (late).
| I am a little tired now. | أنا متعب قليلا الآن.ana mut'abun qalîlan al-ân |
| The doctor goes to the hospital early. | الطبيب يذهب إلى المستشفى مبكرا.at-tabîbu yadh-habu ilâ al-mustashfâ mubakkiran |
| My colleague returns from the office late. | زميلي يرجع من المكتب متأخرا.zamîlî yarji'u minal maktabi muta'akhkhiran |
