ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبَةِ.
→
I went to the library.The preposition triggers the genitive.
1
Why the genitive matters
It completes relationships: movement to a place, location in a place, and ownership or association between nouns.
هَذَا كِتَابُ الطَّالِبِ.
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This is the pupil’s book.The second noun of the iḍāfa is genitive.
جَلَسْتُ أَمَامَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ.
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I sat in front of the school.The school completes the locator relationship.
Look left for the trigger: a true preposition or a preceding noun in an iḍāfa normally explains the genitive ending.
2
Choose your route
Master common prepositions and iḍāfa, then extend the pattern through number and adjective agreement.
Core
- Recognise the noun after a common preposition.
- Identify the muḍāf ilayh in a two-noun iḍāfa.
- Use ـِ and ـٍ accurately.
Develop
- Make adjectives agree with genitive nouns.
- Use dual and sound-plural genitive endings.
- Build locators such as أَمَامَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ.
Stretch
- Track adjective scope in longer iḍāfa phrases.
- Analyse attached pronouns as genitive complements without over-parsing.
- Edit a connected place description with several genitive triggers.
D
Starter diagnostic
Find the trigger before choosing the ending.
🔎 Readiness Check
0/61. Which noun is genitive in فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ؟
The noun after the preposition فِي is genitive.
2. Which ending normally marks a definite singular genitive noun?
A single kasra is the normal marker for a regular definite singular noun in the genitive.
3. Choose the correct indefinite genitive form.
Kasratan marks a regular indefinite singular genitive noun.
4. Which is the muḍāf ilayh in بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ؟
The second noun completes the iḍāfa and is genitive.
5. Choose the correct adjective agreement.
The adjective follows the genitive noun in case and definiteness.
6. Choose the genitive dual form.
Dual genitive, like dual accusative, uses ـَيْنِ.
3
After prepositions
The noun governed by a preposition is genitive.
| Preposition | Meaning | Model |
|---|---|---|
| فِي | in | فِي الْبَيْتِ |
| إِلَى | to | إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ |
| مِنْ | from | مِنَ الْمَكْتَبِ |
| عَلَى | on | عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ |
| عَنْ | about / away from | عَنِ الرِّحْلَةِ |
| بِـ | with / by | بِالْحَافِلَةِ |
| لِـ | for / to | لِلطَّالِبِ |
| مَعَ | with | مَعَ صَدِيقٍ |
سَافَرْتُ مَعَ صَدِيقٍ قَدِيمٍ.
→
I travelled with an old friend.Noun and adjective are indefinite genitive.
ذَهَبْنَا إِلَى مَدْرَسَتَيْنِ جَدِيدَتَيْنِ.
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We went to two new schools.Dual noun and adjective use ـَيْنِ.
تَحَدَّثْتُ مَعَ الْمُعَلِّمِينَ.
→
I spoke with the teachers.Sound masculine plural genitive uses ـِينَ.
✅ Mini-check: prepositions
0/41. Choose the correct prepositional phrase.
The noun after إِلَى is genitive.
2. Choose the correct indefinite phrase.
The noun and adjective are indefinite genitive.
3. Choose the correct dual after a preposition.
Dual genitive uses ـَيْنِ.
4. Choose the correct sound masculine plural.
Sound masculine plural genitive uses ـِينَ.
4
The second noun of an iḍāfa
The muḍāf ilayh completes possession or close association and is genitive.
بَابُ الْفَصْلِ
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the classroom doorالْفَصْلِ is the genitive possessor/complement.
مَدِيرُ مَدْرَسَةٍ
→
a school headteacherThe indefinite possessor takes kasratan.
مُدِيرُ مَدْرَسَةِ الْبَنَاتِ
→
the headteacher of the girls’ schoolEach link controls the next noun.
The first noun has restrictions: the muḍāf does not take the definite article or tanwīn. Definiteness comes from the final possessor.
| Meaning | Accurate iḍāfa | Error to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| the teacher's house | بَيْتُ الْمُعَلِّمِ | الْبَيْتُ الْمُعَلِّمِ |
| a teacher’s house | بَيْتُ مُعَلِّمٍ | بَيْتٌ مُعَلِّمٌ |
| the two pupils’ books | كُتُبُ الطَّالِبَيْنِ | كُتُبُ الطَّالِبَانِ |
| the female pupils’ classroom | فَصْلُ الطَّالِبَاتِ | فَصْلُ الطَّالِبَاتُ |
5
Adjective scope in an iḍāfa
The adjective’s form reveals which noun it describes.
بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ الْكَبِيرُ
→
the school’s large doorالْكَبِيرُ is masculine nominative, so it describes بَابُ.
بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ الْكَبِيرَةِ
→
the door of the large schoolالْكَبِيرَةِ is feminine genitive, so it describes الْمَدْرَسَةِ.
سَاحَةُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ الْوَاسِعَةُ
→
the school’s spacious yardThe adjective describes the nominative first noun.
Do not guess from proximity. Match gender, number, definiteness and case to identify the intended noun.
✅ Mini-check: iḍāfa and scope
0/41. Choose “the school’s large door.”
الْكَبِيرُ describes بَابُ, so it is masculine nominative; the possessor remains genitive.
2. Choose “the door of the large school.”
The adjective describes the feminine genitive possessor.
3. Choose the correct iḍāfa with an indefinite possessor.
The first noun has no article or tanwīn; the possessor and its adjective are genitive.
4. Choose the correct chain.
Each non-final noun is muḍāf; the following noun is genitive.
6
Genitive markers across number types
The genitive meaning stays the same while the visible marker changes.
| Noun type | Definite genitive | Indefinite genitive |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | الطَّالِبِ | طَالِبٍ |
| Dual | الطَّالِبَيْنِ | طَالِبَيْنِ |
| Sound masculine plural | الْمُعَلِّمِينَ | مُعَلِّمِينَ |
| Sound feminine plural | الطَّالِبَاتِ | طَالِبَاتٍ |
The dual and sound masculine plural share their accusative and genitive endings. The sound feminine plural also uses kasra in both cases. Identify the trigger to know the grammatical case.
Visible clues help: even when short vowels are omitted, endings such as ـَيْنِ and ـِينَ reveal that the form is not nominative.
7
Locators contain two case decisions
Many place expressions combine an accusative locator with a genitive complement.
| Expression | Locator role | Complement |
|---|---|---|
| أَمَامَ الْمَسْجِدِ | أَمَامَ accusative adverbial | الْمَسْجِدِ genitive |
| خَلْفَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ | خَلْفَ accusative adverbial | الْمَدْرَسَةِ genitive |
| بَيْنَ الْبَيْتِ وَالْمَتْجَرِ | بَيْنَ accusative adverbial | both coordinated complements genitive |
| قُرْبَ مَحَطَّةٍ كَبِيرَةٍ | قُرْبَ accusative adverbial | noun and adjective genitive |
This is why a whole phrase cannot be described as “genitive”. Different words inside it have different roles.
8
Attached pronouns as complements
Pronoun endings can replace a genitive noun even though no kasra appears on the pronoun.
| Full noun phrase | Pronoun form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| فِي الْبَيْتِ | فِيهِ | in it |
| إِلَى الطَّالِبَةِ | إِلَيْهَا | to her |
| كِتَابُ الطَّالِبِ | كِتَابُهُ | his book |
| مَعَ الطَّالِبَاتِ | مَعَهُنَّ | with them (f.) |
Stretch terminology: the attached pronoun is described as being in a genitive position (فِي مَحَلِّ جَرٍّ). For functional IGCSE use, concentrate first on selecting and attaching the correct pronoun.
E
Misconception clinic
Repair the trigger, iḍāfa architecture and adjective scope.
| Draft | Improved version | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| فِي الْمَدْرَسَةُ | فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ | Noun after a preposition is genitive. |
| مَعَ صَدِيقٍ قَدِيمٌ | مَعَ صَدِيقٍ قَدِيمٍ | The adjective follows the noun in case. |
| الْبَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ | بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ | The first noun of iḍāfa has no article. |
| بَابٌ الْمَدْرَسَةِ | بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ | The muḍāf has no tanwīn. |
| إِلَى الطَّالِبَانِ | إِلَى الطَّالِبَيْنِ | Dual genitive uses ـَيْنِ. |
| فِي السَّيَّارَاتِ الْجَدِيدَةَ | فِي السَّيَّارَاتِ الْجَدِيدَةِ | The feminine singular adjective must also be genitive. |
G
Game: Follow the genitive trigger
Select the phrase whose trigger, noun form and adjective chain agree.
🔗 Genitive Chain
Look left, find the trigger and follow the chain.
Press Start.
S
Skills workshop
Describe a home, school or neighbourhood using prepositions, locators and iḍāfa.
Reading map
يَقَعُ بَيْتُ عَائِلَتِي قُرْبَ مَدْرَسَةٍ كَبِيرَةٍ، وَأَمَامَ الْبَيْتِ حَدِيقَةُ الْحَيِّ الْجَمِيلَةُ.
- Circle every genitive trigger.
- Underline the genitive noun and any matching adjective.
- Decide which noun الْجَمِيلَةُ describes.
Speaking route
Give directions from your home to a familiar place. Include:
- four true prepositions;
- three locators;
- two iḍāfa phrases;
- one dual or sound plural genitive form.
Write a place description
Write 110–130 Arabic words describing a room, school, route or neighbourhood.
Success checklist: Use six prepositional phrases, three locators, three iḍāfa structures, one plural/dual genitive, and accurate adjective scope. Add full endings to target phrases.
Paper route: Sketch the place first. Label each relationship in Arabic, then turn the labels into a connected paragraph and check every trigger.
M
Final mastery check
Show that you can follow prepositions and iḍāfa chains accurately.
🏁 Final Mastery
0/101. What are the two main genitive triggers in this package?
These are the essential practical genitive assignments.
2. Choose the correct phrase.
Noun and adjective are definite genitive.
3. Choose the correct indefinite phrase.
Noun and adjective take kasratan.
4. Choose the dual after a preposition.
Feminine dual genitive uses ـَتَيْنِ.
5. Choose the sound masculine plural genitive.
The genitive sound masculine plural uses ـِينَ.
6. Choose the sound feminine plural genitive.
Sound feminine plural genitive uses kasra.
7. Choose the correct definite iḍāfa.
The first noun takes no article or tanwīn; the second noun is genitive.
8. Which adjective describes the possessor in بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ الْجَدِيدَةِ؟
Its feminine genitive form matches الْمَدْرَسَةِ.
9. In أَمَامَ الْمَسْجِدِ, why is الْمَسْجِدِ genitive?
Many locators are nouns in an iḍāfa relationship with the following genitive noun.
10. Best editing strategy?
A preposition or iḍāfa relationship triggers the genitive; agreement then carries it forward.
What you can now do
- Use nouns and adjectives after common prepositions.
- Build definite and indefinite iḍāfa structures.
- Use dual and sound-plural genitive forms.
- Interpret adjective scope in an iḍāfa.
- Analyse locator phrases containing both accusative and genitive roles.
Spaced revisit: take a map or photograph and record ten Arabic location phrases, then turn five into full sentences.