Mashrabaمشربة

الإِعْرَاب وَالبِنَاءDeclinable and fixed words

al-iʿrāb wa-l-bināʾ

Iʿrāb is the change at the end of words caused by the governing words (ʿawāmil) that come before them, whether the change is heard or only assumed. Most nouns and the imperfect verb are declinable (muʿrab). Pronouns, demonstratives, relatives, most particles and the perfect verb are built (mabnī): their endings never change.

The words behind the terms

Reference

What Ibn Ājurrūm saysChapter of Inflection (Iʿrāb)

بَابُ الإِعْرَابِ

الإِعْرَابُ هُوَ تَغْيِيرُ أَوَاخِرِ الْكَلِمِ، لِاخْتِلَافِ الْعَوَامِلِ الدَّاخِلَةِ عَلَيْهَا لَفْظًا أَوْ تَقْدِيرًا.

Inflection (iʿrāb) is the changing of the endings of words, on account of the difference of the governing elements (ʿawāmil) that enter upon them, whether in actual pronunciation (lafẓan) or in estimation (taqdīran).

وَأَقْسَامُهُ أَرْبَعَةٌ: رَفْعٌ، وَنَصْبٌ، وَخَفْضٌ، وَجَزْمٌ. فَلِلْأَسْمَاءِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّفْعُ، وَالنَّصْبُ، وَالْخَفْضُ، وَلَا جَزْمَ فِيهَا, وَلِلْأَفْعَالِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ: الرَّفْعُ، وَالنَّصْبُ، وَالْجَزْمُ, وَلَا خَفْضَ فِيهَا.

Its divisions are four: the nominative (rafʿ), the accusative (naṣb), the genitive (khafḍ), and the jussive (jazm). Nouns have of these the nominative, the accusative, and the genitive, and there is no jussive in them; and verbs have of these the nominative, the accusative, and the jussive, and there is no genitive in them.

Vowelling and English: Whole chapter and text →

In the classics5 books · why the rule holds · disputed · definitions
  • The ĀjurrūmiyyaIbn ĀjurrūmChapter of Inflection (Iʿrāb)Chapter on Knowing the Signs of Declension (iʿrāb)
  • Qaṭr al-nadāIbn HishāmSection: The kinds of inflection (iʿrāb) are fourSection: Where all the vowels are implied
  • The AlfiyyaIbn MālikThe Declinable and the Indeclinable (vv. 15–51)with Ibn ʿAqīl's commentary under each verse
  • Shudhūr al-dhahabIbn HishāmInflection: its definition and what it affectsImplied inflection: the maqṣūr and manqūṣ nounsIndeclinability: its definition and kinds
  • Sībawayh, al-KitābSībawayhThe endings of words in Arabic
  • Why?al-Zajjājī, al-ĪḍāḥEndings exist because a noun can be doer, done-to or possessor while its shape stays the same. Nouns are declinable by right, verbs and particles fixed; a noun is fixed when it resembles a particle, a verb declinable when it resembles a noun.

    إن الأسماء لما كانت تعتورها المعاني، فتكون فاعلة ومفعولة، ومضافة، ومضافا إليها، ولم تكن في صورها وأبنيتها أدلة على هذه المعاني بل كانت مشتركة، جعلت حركات الإعراب فيها تنبئ عن هذه المعاني

    Since meanings take turns upon nouns, so that they are doer and done-to, annexed and annexed-to, and their forms and patterns carry no sign of these meanings but are shared, the vowels of iʿrāb were put in them to tell these meanings. al-Īḍāḥ, lines 613–615 (vol. 1, p. 69) ↗

    هذا قول جميع النحويين إلا قطربا فإنه عاب عليهم هذا الاعتلال

    This is the view of all the grammarians except Quṭrub, who faulted them for this reasoning. al-Īḍāḥ, line 623 (vol. 1, p. 70) ↗

    المستحق للإعراب من الكلام الأسماء: والمستحق للبناء الأفعال والحروف. هذا هو الأصل، ثم عرض لبعض الأسماء علة منعتها من الإعراب

    [al-Khalīl, Sībawayh and all the Basrans:] What deserves iʿrāb in speech is the noun, and what deserves fixedness is the verb and the particle. That is the root; then some nouns met a cause that kept them from iʿrāb. al-Īḍāḥ, lines 758–760 (vol. 1, p. 77) ↗

    وتلك العلة مشابهة الحرف. وعرض لبعض الأفعال ما أوجب لها الإعراب فأعربت، وتلك العلة مضارعة الأسماء

    That cause is resemblance to the particle. And some verbs met what required iʿrāb of them, so they were declined; that cause is resemblance to nouns. al-Īḍāḥ, lines 760–761 (vol. 1, p. 77) ↗

    English: AI translation The summary lines are ours.

    al-Zajjājī (d. 337/949), al-Īḍāḥ fī ʿilal al-naḥw, ed. Māzin al-Mubārak (Beirut: Dār al-Nafāʾis, 5th ed., 1406/1986). Digital text: 0337IbnIshaqZajjaji.IdahCilalNahw.Sham19Y0143170-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.

  • DisputedIbn al-Anbārī, al-Inṣāf
    • Is the vocative proper name (yā Zaydu) declined or fixed?Kufa: declined, nominative without nunation · Basra: fixed on -u, standing in the place of an accusative · he sides with Basra

      Question 45: مسألة المنادى المفرد العلم معرب أو مبنى

      ذهب الكوفيون إلى أن الاسم المنادى المعرف المفرد معرب مرفوع بغير تنوين

      KufaThe Kufans held that the single, definite noun called upon is declined, nominative without nunation. al-Inṣāf, line 3676 (vol. 1, p. 323) ↗

      وذهب البصريون إلى أنه مبنى على الضم وموضعه النصب لأنه مفعول

      BasraThe Basrans held that it is fixed on the ḍamma and stands in the place of an accusative, because it is an object. al-Inṣāf, line 3678 (vol. 1, p. 323) ↗

      VerdictHe gives the Basran proofs, then answers the Kufans’ arguments one by one; that is how he sides with Basra:

      وأما الجواب عن كلمات الكوفيين

      As for the answer to the Kufans' arguments… al-Inṣāf, line 3749 (vol. 1, p. 327) ↗

      al-Farrāʾ, a Kufan, also held it fixed.

      English: AI translation The summary lines are ours.

      Ibn al-Anbārī (d. 577/1181), al-Inṣāf fī masāʾil al-khilāf bayna al-naḥwiyyīn al-Baṣriyyīn wa-l-Kūfiyyīn, ed. Muḥammad Muḥyī al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd (Damascus: Dār al-Fikr; year not recorded by OpenITI). Digital text: 0577AbuBarakatAnbari.InsafFiMasail.JK001424-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.

    • Is the noun after lā of absolute negation (lā rajula) declined or fixed?Kufa: declined, made accusative by lā · Basra: fixed on -a · he sides with Basra

      Question 53: مسألة اسم لا المفرد النكرة معرب أو مبني

      ذهب الكوفيون إلى أن الاسم المفرد النكرة المنفي بلا معرب منصوب بها نحو لا رجل في الدار

      KufaThe Kufans held that the single indefinite noun negated by lā is declined, made accusative by it, as in lā rajula fī l-dār. al-Inṣāf, lines 4163–4164 (vol. 1, p. 366) ↗

      وذهب البصريون إلى أنه مبني على الفتح

      BasraThe Basrans held that it is fixed on the fatḥa. al-Inṣāf, line 4165 (vol. 1, p. 366) ↗

      VerdictHe gives the Basran proofs, then answers the Kufans’ arguments one by one; that is how he sides with Basra:

      وأما الجواب عن كلمات الكوفيين

      As for the answer to the Kufans' arguments… al-Inṣāf, line 4185 (vol. 1, p. 367) ↗

      English: AI translation The summary lines are ours.

      Ibn al-Anbārī (d. 577/1181), al-Inṣāf fī masāʾil al-khilāf bayna al-naḥwiyyīn al-Baṣriyyīn wa-l-Kūfiyyīn, ed. Muḥammad Muḥyī al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd (Damascus: Dār al-Fikr; year not recorded by OpenITI). Digital text: 0577AbuBarakatAnbari.InsafFiMasail.JK001424-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.

  • al-Jurjānī, al-Taʿrīfāt · 4 definitions

    • الإعراب: هو اختلاف آخر الكلمة باختلاف العوامل لفظا أو تقديرا.

      Declension [al-iʿrāb]: the variation of the end of the word according to the variation of the governing agents [al-ʿawāmil], either overtly [lafẓan] or by assumption [taqdīran].

      OpenITI · Taʿrīfāt, line 590

    • المعرب: هو ما في آخره إحدى الحركات، أو إحدى الحروف، لفظا أو تقديرا بواسطة العامل، صورة أو معنى، وقيل: هو ما اختلف آخره باختلاف العوامل.

      The declinable [al-muʿrab]: that which has at its end one of the vowels or one of the letters, overtly or by assumption, by means of the governing agent [al-ʿāmil], in form or in meaning. It is also said: it is that whose end varies according to the variation of the governing agents [al-ʿawāmil].

      OpenITI · Taʿrīfāt, line 4470

    • المبني: ما كان حركته وسكونه لا بعامل.

      The indeclinable [al-mabnī]: that whose vowel and quiescence are not due to a governing agent [ʿāmil].

      OpenITI · Taʿrīfāt, line 3944

    • العامل: ما أوجب كون آخر الكلمة على وجه مخصوص من الإعراب.

      The governing agent [al-ʿāmil]: that which necessitates that the end of the word be in a specific mode of declension [iʿrāb].

      OpenITI · Taʿrīfāt, line 2886

Arabic texts from OpenITI (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0); English titles and translations are AI. All the classics →

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