Hobbies and Free Time
When discussing your hobbies and free time, you will often want to express your desires, choices, and intentions.
The Particle أن (to)
To connect two verbs—such as saying "I want to buy" or "He decided to play"—Arabic uses the particle أن. The first verb is conjugated normally, followed by أن, and then the second action is expressed as a present tense verb.
The Subjunctive Mood
Placing أن before a present tense verb changes its grammatical state to the subjunctive mood (المضارع المنصوب).
For singular verbs (I, you, he, she), the subjunctive mood changes the verb's final short vowel from a standard Damma (u) to a Fatha (a). Even when the short vowels are not fully written out, this Fatha is pronounced.
The main verb in the sentence (like "decided" or "refused") behaves normally. Only the present tense verb directly following أن takes the subjunctive Fatha ending.
Multiple Subjunctive Verbs
If you link multiple verbs to the same أن using "and" (و) or "or" (أو), the subjunctive mood carries over. Every linked verb takes the same Fatha ending!
Seeing the endings
In the drills, a verb after أن looks exactly like the ordinary present: أقرأ and أن أقرأ are spelled the same, because the course writes Arabic without vowel marks. The difference is the final vowel, which you hear in the audio:
| present | after أن | |
|---|
| أَقْرَأُ | أَنْ أَقْرَأَ | I read / to read |
| يَلْعَبُ | أَنْ يَلْعَبَ | he plays / to play |
| أَشْتَرِي | أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَ | I buy / to buy |
The -u becomes -a. On a verb ending in ي, such as أشتري, the fatha is pronounced and the ي stays.
