Almost and About To
كاد وأخواتها (Kāda and its sisters) are special verbs that describe the status of an action: whether it is almost happening, hoped for, or just starting. They behave like كان وأخواتها by taking a subject in the nominative case, but their 'news' (predicate) must always be a present-tense verb sentence.
How It Works
The 'Sisters of Kāda' are annulling verbs (nawāsikh) that enter a nominal sentence. They change the subject into their ism (in the مرفوع case) and the predicate into their khabar (in the منصوب position). The predicate must be a present-tense verb clause.
1. The Three Categories:
- Proximity (المقاربة): Indicates the action is close to happening. Common verbs: كادَ (almost), أوشَكَ (about to), كَرَبَ.
- Hope (الرجاء): Indicates the action is desired. Common verbs: عسى (perhaps/hopefully), حَرَى، اخلَولَقَ.
- Beginning (الشروع): Indicates the action has commenced. Common verbs: بَدَأَ، أَخَذَ، جَعَلَ، شَرَعَ.
2. The 'أن' (an) Rule:
The particle أن is used according to these rules:
- Mandatory: With حَرَى and اخلَولَقَ (e.g., حرى المطرُ أن ينزلَ).
- Frequent/Preferred: With عسى and أوشَكَ.
- Infrequent/Less Common: With كادَ and كَرَبَ.
- Forbidden: With all 'Verbs of Beginning' (e.g., بَدَأَ يكتبُ).
3. Tense and Conjugation:
Most of these verbs are frozen in the past tense. Traditional descriptions single out كادَ and أوشَكَ for present forms يكادُ and يوشِكُ in this auxiliary class. Do not infer that an ordinary lexical verb such as بدأ has no present: يَبْدَأُ is normal Arabic. When hollow verbs like كادَ are conjugated in the past with a consonant suffix, the middle vowel drops: كِدْتُ (I almost).
Complete and Auxiliary Uses: In بَدَأَ الطَّالِبُ يَقْرَأُ, بدأ introduces the action of beginning and has a verbal predicate. In بَدَأَ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ (the student began the lesson), it is an ordinary complete verb with subject الطالبُ and object الدرسَ. A separate complete construction occurs with عسى، أوشك، اخلولق followed directly by أن and a clause: عَسَى أَنْ يَنْجَحَ الطَّالِبُ. Here the whole أن-clause serves as the complete verb’s subject.
Clause Position Versus Verb Mood: The predicate clause occupies an accusative position, but this does not itself make its verb subjunctive: كادَ يكتبُ has indicative يكتبُ. When أن is present, it governs the subjunctive: عسى أن يكتبَ. This is why the visible endings differ.
Examples (5)
- كادَ المَطَرُ يَنْزِلُ.
It almost rained.
Word by Word: Almost the rain descends.
Here, 'kāda' indicates proximity. The subject 'al-maṭaru' is nominative, and the predicate is the present-tense verb 'yanzilu'.
- عَسى الطّالِبُ أَنْ يَنْجَحَ.
Perhaps the student will succeed.
Word by Word: Perhaps the student that (he) succeeds.
With '‘asā' (hope), it is common and preferred to use 'an' before the present-tense verb.
- أَخَذَ الطِّفْلُ يَبْكِي.
The child started crying.
Word by Word: Took the child (he) cries.
‘Akhaḏa’ here is a verb of beginning. Note that 'an' is strictly forbidden with verbs of beginning.
- أَوْشَكَ الوَقْتُ أَنْ يَنْتَهِيَ.
Time is about to run out.
Word by Word: About to the time that (it) ends.
'Awshaka' is a verb of proximity that, unlike 'kāda', frequently takes 'an'.
- بَدَأَ العُمّالُ يَبْنونَ البَيْتَ.
The workers started building the house.
Word by Word: Started the workers (they) build the house.
A verb of beginning followed by a present-tense verb in the plural form.
Common Mistakes
Using 'an' with verbs of beginning.
بَدَأَ الطّالِبُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ.بَدَأَ الطّالِبُ يَقْرَأُ.Verbs of beginning (ash-shurū‘) like 'bada'a' or 'akhaḏa' never take the particle 'an' before the following verb.
Using a noun as a predicate instead of a verb.
كادَ الوَقْتُ انْتِهاءً.كادَ الوَقْتُ يَنْتَهِي.Unlike 'kāna', the predicate of 'kāda' and its sisters must be a present-tense verbal sentence, not a simple noun or adjective.
Incorrect conjugation of 'kāda' in the past tense.
كادْتُ أَنْسى.كِدْتُ أَنْسى.When adding a subject pronoun like 'tu' (I), the long 'alif' in 'kāda' is dropped, and the 'kāf' takes a kasra.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'كاد وأخواتها', you first need to be familiar with how 'كان' and its sisters affect a sentence by taking a subject and a predicate. Specifically, you must know that for this group of verbs, the predicate must be a present tense verb, which requires knowledge of both the present tense and how sentences can function as predicates.
- كان and Its Sisters
كاد and its sisters function as 'incomplete verbs' (أفعال ناقصة) similar to كان, where they enter a nominal sentence and require a subject (اسم) and a predicate (خبر).
Level 3 - The Present Tense
Unlike كان, the predicate (خبر) of كاد and its sisters must be a present tense verb (فعل مضارع), so understanding this conjugation is essential.
Level 1 - A Whole Sentence as the Comment
The predicate of كاد is always a verbal sentence, so the learner must understand how a whole sentence can function as the 'comment' or predicate of a subject.
Level 4
Related Patterns
- Verbs of Nearly Happening
This is the specific sub-category of 'Kāda' verbs dealing with actions that are 'almost' happening.
Level 5 - Verbs of Hoping
This is the specific sub-category of 'Kāda' verbs dealing with 'hope' (like 'asā).
Level 5 - Verbs of Beginning
This is the specific sub-category of 'Kāda' verbs dealing with 'beginning' an action.
Level 5 - أن + Subjunctive VerbWanting to Do Something
The particle 'an' is frequently used with some sisters of 'Kāda' and changes the following verb to the subjunctive mood.
Level 2 - The Subject Ending
The subject (ism) of 'Kāda' and its sisters must always remain in the nominative case.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice Almost and About To in Bubblegum
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