كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الرِّسَالَةَ.
→
The student wrote the message.الطَّالِبُ is the doer, so it is nominative.
1
Why case endings matter
Case endings are small signals that show what each noun is doing in the sentence.
The practical question: Who performs the action? What is the sentence about? What information is given about it? The nominative ending helps mark these central roles.
الطَّالِبُ مُجْتَهِدٌ.
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The student is hardworking.The topic and simple predicate are nominative.
كَانَ الطَّالِبُ مُجْتَهِدًا.
→
The student was hardworking.After كَانَ, the noun remains nominative but the predicate changes.
Communication before parsing: you do not need to label every word in a long classical sentence. You do need to recognise the main role and keep endings and agreement consistent in supported grammar work.
2
Choose your route
Build security first, then add the wider plural markers and editing decisions.
Core
- Recognise the nominative subject in a verbal sentence.
- Build a basic nominal sentence with a nominative topic and predicate.
- Use ـُ and ـٌ accurately in supported examples.
Develop
- Make adjectives match nominative nouns.
- Use dual and sound-plural nominative endings.
- Connect the rule to verbal and non-verbal sentence lessons.
Stretch
- Explain what changes after كَانَ and إِنَّ.
- Read reduced-vowel text while mentally tracking grammatical roles.
- Edit a connected paragraph for role, case and agreement.
D
Starter diagnostic
Retrieve sentence roles before learning the endings.
🔎 Readiness Check
0/61. Which noun is the subject/doer in كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الرِّسَالَةَ؟
The student performs the action, so الطَّالِبُ is the nominative subject.
2. Choose the correct nominal sentence.
The topic and simple predicate are nominative in a basic nominal sentence.
3. Which ending normally marks a definite singular nominative noun?
A single ḍamma is the usual nominative marker for a regular definite singular noun.
4. Which ending normally marks an indefinite singular nominative noun?
Ḍammatan marks a regular indefinite singular noun in the nominative.
5. Choose the sentence with correct noun–adjective agreement.
The adjective follows the noun in case as well as gender, number and definiteness.
6. Which form is nominative dual?
The regular dual nominative ending is ـَانِ.
3
The three-case map
Arabic case is a role system—not three decorative vowels.
| Case | Core question | Usual singular marker | High-frequency roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| الرَّفْعُ · nominative | Who/what is the subject or topic? | ـُ / ـٌ | فاعل، مبتدأ، خبر |
| النَّصْبُ · accusative | Who/what receives the action? | ـَ / ـً | مفعول به، some adverbials |
| الْجَرُّ · genitive | What follows a preposition or completes an iḍāfa? | ـِ / ـٍ | after حروف الجر، مضاف إليه |
Do not choose by word position alone. The first noun is not automatically nominative, and the last noun is not automatically genitive. First identify the relationship.
In ordinary unvowelled Arabic, these short final vowels are often not written. The grammar still controls agreement and becomes visible in fully supported examples, duals, sound plurals and many fixed structures.
4
The subject of a verbal sentence
The doer of the action is nominative.
فَتَحَ الْحَارِسُ الْبَابَ.
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The guard opened the door.الْحَارِسُ performs the action.
وَصَلَتْ حَافِلَةٌ جَدِيدَةٌ.
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A new bus arrived.The indefinite subject and its adjective take ـٌ.
حَضَرَ الطَّالِبَانِ الْجَدِيدَانِ.
→
The two new pupils attended.Dual subject and adjective take ـَانِ.
| Noun type | Nominative form | Contrast to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Definite singular | الطَّالِبُ | single ḍamma |
| Indefinite singular | طَالِبٌ | ḍammatan |
| Dual | طَالِبَانِ | ـَانِ |
| Sound masculine plural | مُعَلِّمُونَ | ـُونَ |
| Sound feminine plural definite | طَالِبَاتُ | ـَاتُ |
| Sound feminine plural indefinite | طَالِبَاتٌ | ـَاتٌ |
✅ Mini-check: subjects
0/41. Choose the correct VSO sentence.
The explicit subject after the verb is nominative.
2. Choose the correct feminine subject.
Gender affects the verb; the subject remains nominative.
3. Choose the correct indefinite subject.
An indefinite singular subject normally takes ḍammatan.
4. Choose the correct subject with its adjective.
Both the dual subject and its adjective are nominative.
5
Topic and predicate in a nominal sentence
A present equational sentence normally begins with a nominative topic and gives a nominative predicate.
الْمُدِيرُ مَشْغُولٌ.
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The headteacher is busy.Definite topic + indefinite predicate.
هَذِهِ مَدْرَسَةٌ كَبِيرَةٌ.
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This is a large school.The predicate noun and its adjective are nominative.
الطُّلَّابُ مُسْتَعِدُّونَ.
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The students are ready.Human masculine plural predicate uses ـُونَ.
Phrase or sentence? الْبَيْتُ الْكَبِيرُ means “the large house”; الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ means “The house is large.” Definiteness and case work together to show the relationship.
✅ Mini-check: nominal sentences
0/41. Choose the complete nominal sentence.
The basic topic and single-word predicate are nominative.
2. Choose the correct human masculine plural predicate.
Subject-first human masculine plural uses the nominative sound-plural ending ـُونَ.
3. Choose the correct sound feminine plural.
Nominative sound feminine plurals normally show ـَاتُ / ـَاتٌ.
4. Choose the correct non-human plural statement.
The subject is nominative; a non-human plural normally takes a feminine singular predicate.
6
Noun–adjective case agreement
An adjective copies the noun’s case as well as its gender, number and definiteness.
| Noun role | Noun + adjective | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative definite | الطَّالِبُ الْمُجْتَهِدُ | both definite, both nominative |
| Nominative indefinite | طَالِبٌ مُجْتَهِدٌ | both indefinite, both nominative |
| Dual nominative | طَالِبَانِ مُجْتَهِدَانِ | both carry ـَانِ |
| Human plural nominative | مُعَلِّمُونَ جَدِيدُونَ | both carry ـُونَ |
| Non-human plural nominative | كُتُبٌ جَدِيدَةٌ | noun nominative; adjective feminine singular nominative |
Common partial correction: changing the noun ending but leaving the adjective unchanged still produces an agreement error. Check the pair as one unit.
7
Connections to كَانَ and إِنَّ
The basic nominal sentence is the reference point for later particles.
| Structure | Subject/topic | Predicate |
|---|---|---|
| الطَّالِبُ مُجْتَهِدٌ. | nominative | nominative |
| كَانَ الطَّالِبُ مُجْتَهِدًا. | nominative | accusative |
| إِنَّ الطَّالِبَ مُجْتَهِدٌ. | accusative | nominative |
These contrasts are useful because they show that case changes for a reason. The noun has not changed meaning; the particle has changed its grammatical job.
Editing shortcut: circle كَانَ or one of its sisters, underline its noun, and box its predicate. With إِنَّ, reverse the two expected cases.
E
Misconception clinic
Repair the role before repairing the vowel.
| Draft | Improved version | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| قَرَأَ الطَّالِبَ الْكِتَابُ. | قَرَأَ الطَّالِبُ الْكِتَابَ. | Doer nominative; receiver accusative. |
| الْمَدْرَسَةَ كَبِيرَةً. | الْمَدْرَسَةُ كَبِيرَةٌ. | Basic topic and predicate are nominative. |
| جَاءَ طَالِبٌ جَدِيدًا. | جَاءَ طَالِبٌ جَدِيدٌ. | The adjective copies the nominative subject. |
| حَضَرَ الْمُعَلِّمِينَ. | حَضَرَ الْمُعَلِّمُونَ. | Sound masculine plural subject uses ـُونَ. |
| كَانَ الْجَوَّ بَارِدٌ. | كَانَ الْجَوُّ بَارِدًا. | The noun of كَانَ remains nominative. |
G
Game: Find the nominative signal
Choose the sentence whose subject/topic and agreement are accurate.
🧭 Role Finder
Use meaning, role and ending together.
Press Start.
S
Skills workshop
Use nominative roles in a school update and a spoken description.
Reading and noticing
وَصَلَ مُعَلِّمٌ جَدِيدٌ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ. الْمُعَلِّمُ خَبِيرٌ، وَالطُّلَّابُ سَعِيدُونَ.
- Underline every nominative subject or topic.
- Circle the predicates.
- Explain why جَدِيدٌ matches مُعَلِّمٌ.
Speaking frame
Describe your class or school using four nominative patterns:
- وَصَلَ / حَضَرَ + فَاعِلٌ
- الْمَدْرَسَةُ + خَبَرٌ
- الطُّلَّابُ + خَبَرٌ جَمْعٌ
- الْكُتُبُ + صِفَةٌ مُؤَنَّثَةٌ مُفْرَدَةٌ
Write a school update
Write 90–110 Arabic words describing a school day, new person or class event.
Success checklist: Include two verbal-sentence subjects, two nominal sentences, one dual or sound plural, and four noun–adjective pairs. Add final case endings to the target nouns only.
Paper route: Plan the target nouns in a table: role → number → ending. Write the paragraph and highlight the nominative forms.
M
Final mastery check
Show that you can identify and build the main nominative structures.
🏁 Final Mastery
0/101. What is the main communicative job of the nominative?
The nominative identifies central subjects/topics and simple predicates.
2. Choose the correct verbal sentence.
The doer is nominative; the direct object is accusative.
3. Choose the correct nominal sentence.
Topic and single-word predicate are nominative.
4. Choose the correct indefinite pair.
Both noun and adjective are indefinite nominative.
5. Choose the correct dual subject.
The dual nominative ending is ـَانِ.
6. Choose the correct sound masculine plural subject.
The sound masculine plural nominative ending is ـُونَ.
7. Choose the correct sound feminine plural subject.
The sound feminine plural is nominative with ḍamma.
8. Which sentence shows adjective agreement in the nominative?
The adjective copies the noun’s nominative case.
9. After كَانَ, which element remains nominative?
كَانَ keeps its noun nominative and makes a single-word predicate accusative.
10. Best editing strategy?
Case follows grammatical function, not position alone.
What you can now do
- Identify the subject of a verbal sentence.
- Build a basic nominal sentence with nominative topic and predicate.
- Use singular, dual and sound-plural nominative markers.
- Make adjectives agree in case.
- Explain what remains nominative after كَانَ.
Spaced revisit: add full endings to five target nouns in a paragraph you wrote earlier and justify each choice.