When building a tech setup, configuring software, or choosing hardware components, you often want to say that "whichever" option someone picks, a certain result will follow. In Arabic, to express "whichever" or "any," we use the conditional particle أيّ.
The Structure of أيّ (Whichever)
The particle أيّ sits at the beginning of the sentence and connects two clauses: the condition (the choice made) and the result (what happens consequently).
Immediately following أيّ, you must place a noun. Because they form an idafa (possession) structure, this noun is indefinite and takes the genitive case (typically ending in a kasra).
You can use past-tense verbs in conditional sentences with أيّ. In this case, the verbs keep their regular forms.
| Whichever computer you bought, you can customize its interface. | أي حاسوب اشتريت، يمكنك أن تخصص واجهته.ayya hâsûbin ishtarayta, yumkinuka an tukhassisa wâjihatahu. |
The Jussive Mood in the Present Tense
If the verbs in the condition or the result are in the present tense, the conditional particle أيّ forces them into the Jussive mood (majzoom).
Here is how the jussive mood changes the end of present-tense verbs:
- For standard singular forms, the final vowel changes to a silent sukoon (ـْ).
- For forms ending in the letter nuun (ن) — such as the feminine "you" and all plurals — the nuun is dropped.
- If the verb has a long vowel right before the last letter, that long vowel is shortened to prevent two silent letters from sitting together (for example, تختار becomes تختر).
| Whichever format you choose, you can change it later. | أي صيغة تختر، يمكنك أن تغيرها لاحقا.ayya sîghatin takhtar, yumkinuka an tughayyiraha lâhiqan. |
| Whichever button you click on, it opens a new window for you. | أي زر تنقر عليه، يفتح لك نافذة جديدة.ayyu zirrin tanqur 'alayhi, yaftah laka nâfidhatan jadîdatan |
Attaching فـ to the Result Clause
Sometimes, the result clause is not a simple past or present tense verb. In Arabic conditional sentences, you must attach the prefix فـ (then/in that case) to the beginning of the result clause if it falls into certain categories, such as:
1. Nominal Sentences If the result clause begins with a noun or a pronoun (making it a nominal sentence), you must attach فـ.
| Whichever port you use, it is very fast. | أي منفذ تستخدم، فهو سريع جدا.ayya manfadhin tastakhdim, fahuwa sarî'un jiddan. |
2. Commands (Imperatives) If the result clause is a command instructing someone what to do, it must begin with فـ.
| Whichever adapter you find, take it. | أي محول تجد، فخذه.ayya muhawwilin tajid, fakhudhhu |
3. Future Actions If the result is a future action starting with the prefix سـ (will), you attach the فـ directly to it, creating فسـ.
Notice in the following example how the verb for "you prefer" (feminine singular) normally ends in a nuun (تفضلين), but drops it in the jussive to become تفضلي.
| Whichever graphic design you prefer, we will print it. | أي تصميم رسومي تفضلي، فسنطبعه.ayya tasmîmin rusûmiyyin tufaddilî, fasanatba'uhu. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| أي زر تنقر عليه، يفتح لك نافذة جديدة. | أَيُّ زِرٍّ تَنْقُرْ عَلَيْهِ، يَفْتَحْ لَكَ نَافِذَةً جَدِيدَةً. | Whichever button you click on, it opens a new window for you. |
| أي محول تجد، فخذه. | أَيَّ مُحَوِّلٍ تَجِدْ، فَخُذْهُ. | Whichever adapter you find, take it. |
| أي تصميم رسومي تفضلي، فسنطبعه. | أَيَّ تَصْمِيمٍ رُسُومِيٍّ تُفَضِّلِي، فَسَنَطْبَعُهُ. | Whichever graphic design you prefer, we will print it. |
The noun after أيّ is genitive: زِرٍّ, مُحَوِّلٍ, تَصْمِيمٍ. A present-tense verb in the condition, or in a result with no ف, is jussive, and on most verbs that is a sukun, which the letters never show: تَنْقُرْ, يَفْتَحْ, تَجِدْ. A result that starts with ف keeps its normal ending: فَسَنَطْبَعُهُ. The feminine you shows it in writing: تفضلين → تُفَضِّلِي. أيّ itself takes a fatha when it is the object of the verb after it (أَيَّ مُحَوِّلٍ تَجِدْ), and a damma when that verb already has its own pronoun for it (أَيُّ زِرٍّ تَنْقُرْ عَلَيْهِ).
