Chinese (Mandarin)

Spanish

English

Hindi

Arabic (Modern Standard)

Portuguese

Bengali

Russian

Japanese

Punjabi

German

Javanese

Malay

Telugu

Vietnamese

Korean

French

Marathi

Tamil

Urdu

Turkish

Italian

Chinese, Yue / Cantonese

Thai

Gujarati

Chinese, Jin

Chinese, Min Nan

Dari

Farsi

Polish

Pashto

Kannada

Chinese, Xiang

Malayalam

Sundanese

Hausa

Odia

Burmese

Chinese, Hakka

Ukrainian

Bihari, Bhojpuri

Tagalog

Yoruba

Bihari, Maithili

Uzbek

Sindhi

Amharic

Fula

Romanian

Oromo

Igbo

Azerbaijani

Chinese, Gan

Dutch

Kurdish, Central

Kurdish, Northern

Kurdish, Southern

Malagasy

Lahnda, Saraiki

Nepali

Sinhalese

Chittagonian

Zhuang

Khmer

Turkmen

Assamese

Madurese

Somali

Marwari

Bihari, Magahi

Haryanvi

Hungarian

Chhattisgarhi

Greek

Chewa

Dakhini

Akan, Twi

Akan, Fante

Kazakh

Chinese, Min Bei

Sylheti

Zulu

Czech

Kinyarwanda

Marwari, Dhundhari

Haitian Creole

Chinese, Min Dong

Ilocano

Quechua

Kirundi

Swedish

Hmong

Shona

Uyghur

Hiligaynon

Mossi

Xhosa

Belarusian

Balochi

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.

{{item:1166423}}

### 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).

{{item:1166450}}

{{item:1166447}}

### 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**.

{{item:1166426}}

**2. Commands (Imperatives)**
If the result clause is a command instructing someone what to do, it must begin with **فـ**.

{{item:1166429}}

**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.

{{item:1166441}}

### 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**).

Whichever (أيّ)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

interrogative

noun

numeral

particle

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite article and locatives (الـ)

Basic noun gender (ة)

Sun and moon letters

Singular subject pronouns (أنا، أنت، هو، هي)

Indefinite nouns and nominal sentences (ـٌ)

Demonstrative pronouns for 'this' (هذا / هذه)

Separate prepositions (في، من، إلى، على)

Attributive adjectives

Predicative adjectives

Yes/No questions (هل، أ)

Basic questions (من، ما، أين)

Singular possessive pronouns (ـي، ـك، ـه، ـها)

Plural subject pronouns (نحن، أنتم، هم)

Plural possessive pronouns (ـنا، ـكم، ـهم)

Noun possession

Attached prepositions (بـ، لـ، كـ)

Pronouns with prepositions

Having and possessing (عند، لـ، مع)

Regular plural nouns (ـون، ـين، ـات)

Broken plurals

Dual nouns (ـان / ـين)

Plural and distant demonstratives (هؤلاء، ذلك، تلك)

Non-human plural agreement

Present tense singular verbs

Verbal sentences (VSO)

Present tense plural verbs

Topicalized sentences (SVO)

The indefinite accusative case (ـاً)

Verb object pronouns (-ني، -ك، -ه)

Present tense negation (لا)

Question words with verbs (متى، كيف...)

Adverbs of time and place

The future tense (سـ / سوف)

Intentions and desires (أن)

Negating states and possession (ليس)

Past tense singular suffixes

Past tense plural suffixes

Negating past events (ما)

Singular commands

Numbers 1 to 10

Number agreement for 1 and 2 (واحد، اثنان)

Asking how many (كم)

Numbers 3 to 10 (ثلاثة إلى عشرة)

Ordinal numbers 1 to 10 (الأول، الثاني)

Basic conjunctions (فـ، أو، لكن)

Ordering at a café (واحد، اثنان)

Food and drink with conjunctions (و، ف، أو، لكن)

There is and there are (هناك / ليس هناك)

Direct address (يا)

Giving reasons (لأنّ)

Relative pronouns (الذي / التي)

Quantifiers (كل / بعض)

The past tense of 'to be' (كان)

Past possession

Numbers 11 to 19 and tens to 80

Telling time (الساعة)

This book vs this is a book (هذا الكتاب، هذا كتاب)

Greetings (مرحبا، السلام عليكم)

How are you? and goodbye (كيف حالك، مع السلامة)

Nationalities (مصري، مصرية)

Roots and patterns (كتب، كتاب، مكتب)

Politeness (من فضلك، آسف)

Complex possession chains

Colors and traits (أفعل / فعلاء)

Plural colors and traits (فُعْل)

Comparative adjectives (أفعل من)

Superlative adjectives (أفعل)

Adverbs of manner (ـاً)

The nominative case (ـُ)

The genitive case (ـِ)

The accusative case (ـَ)

Dual noun cases (ـان / ـين)

Masculine plurals and 'the best of' (أفضل النجارين)

Emphasizing sentences (إنّ)

Connecting clauses (أنّ)

Reporting speech (قال إنّ)

Expressing contrast (لكنّ)

Comparison and probability (كأنّ, لعلّ)

Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Plural relative pronouns (الذين, اللواتي)

Past habits (كان + present)

Ongoing actions (ما زال)

Masculine plurals online (مبرمجون، مؤثرون)

Perfective past (قد)

Probability (قد)

The subjunctive mood (أن)

Question	Answer
to customize	خصصkhassasa
Can you customize the system settings?	هل يمكنك أن تخصص إعدادات النظام؟hal yumkinuka an tukhassisa i'dâdâti an-nizâmi?
whichever (conditional)	أيayy
Whichever computer you bought, you can customize its interface.	أي حاسوب اشتريت، يمكنك أن تخصص واجهته.ayya hâsûbin ishtarayta, yumkinuka an tukhassisa wâjihatahu.
port (computer, outlet)	منفذmanfadh
This computer contains only one port.	يحتوي هذا الحاسوب على منفذ واحد فقط.yahtawî hâdhâ al-hâsûbu 'alâ manfadhin wâhidin faqat
Whichever port you use, it is very fast.	أي منفذ تستخدم، فهو سريع جدا.ayya manfadhin tastakhdim, fahuwa sarî'un jiddan.
adapter	محولmuhawwil
Either you use an adapter or you buy a new wire.	إما أن تستخدم محولا أو تشتري سلكا جديدا.immâ an tastakhdima muhawwilan aw tashtariya silkan jadîdan.
Whichever adapter you find, take it.	أي محول تجد، فخذه.ayya muhawwilin tajid, fakhudhhu
built-in	مدمجmudmaj
The screen has a built-in speaker.	للشاشة مكبر صوت مدمج.lishshâshati mukabbiru sawtin mudmajun
Is the camera built-in to this model?	هل الكاميرا مدمجة في هذا الطراز؟hal al-kâmîrâ mudmajatun fî hâdhâ at-tirâz?
to enhance	عزز'azzaza
This update will enhance the network's performance.	هذا التحديث سيعزز أداء الشبكة.hâdhâ at-tahdîthu sayu'azzizu adâ'a ash-shabakati
software program	برنامجbarnâmaj
to merge	دمجdamaja
Whichever program you integrated, it enhances efficiency.	أي برنامج دمجت، فهو يعزز الكفاءة.ayya barnâmajin damajta, fahuwa yu'azzizu al-kafâ'ata.
The female engineer merged this system with the server.	دمجت المهندسة هذا النظام مع الخادم.damajatil muhandisatu hâdha an-nizâma ma'a al-khâdim
graphic	رسوميrusûmiyy
The graphical user interface is excellent here.	واجهة المستخدم الرسومية ممتازة هنا.wâjihatu al-mustakhdimi ar-rusûmiyyatu mumtâzatun hunâ
Whichever graphic design you prefer, we will print it.	أي تصميم رسومي تفضلي، فسنطبعه.ayya tasmîmin rusûmiyyin tufaddilî, fasanatba'uhu.
computer mouse	فأرةfa'rah
Where do I put the computer mouse and the keyboard, Tariq?	أين أضع الفأرة ولوحة المفاتيح يا طارق؟ayna ada'u al-fa'rata wa-lawhata al-mafâtîhi yâ târiq
This is a very comfortable wireless computer mouse.	هذه فأرة لاسلكية مريحة جدا.hâdhihi fa'ratun lâsilkiyyatun murîhatun jiddan
to click	نقرnaqara
Click on this link to download the program, Maryam.	انقري على هذا الرابط لتحميل البرنامج يا مريم.unqurî alâ hâdhâ r-râbiti litahmîli l-barnâmaji yâ maryamu.
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
format	صيغةsigha
What is the format that you are requesting?	ما الصيغة التي تطلبها؟ma assighatu allati tatlubuha?
Whichever format you choose, you can change it later.	أي صيغة تختر، يمكنك أن تغيرها لاحقا.ayya sîghatin takhtar, yumkinuka an tughayyiraha lâhiqan.
These settings enhanced the computer's speed.	عززت هذه الإعدادات سرعة الحاسوب.'azzazat hâdhihi al-i'dâdâtu sur'ata al-hâsûbi

Contributors