عند

At and Having

Level 1

ʿinda (عِنْدَ) is a locative and temporal adverb (ẓarf) used for location (at/near), time (at/upon), and possession (to have). It is manṣūb (accusative) by default, though it can change case if preceded by a preposition.

How It Works

The word عِنْدَ (ʿinda) functions in four primary ways:

1. Location ('At', 'By', or 'Chez'): It describes being near an object or at a person's place, similar to the French 'chez'. For example, عِنْدَ البَابِ (at the door). Unlike في (in), it implies being in the general vicinity.

2. Time ('At' or 'Upon'): It can indicate a specific time or event, such as عِنْدَ الغُرُوبِ (at sunset).

3. Possession ('To Have'): This is the most common way to express ownership of objects. Literally 'At me is a book' (عِنْدِي كِتَابٌ) means 'I have a book'.

4. Opinion ('In my view'): It is used to express a perspective, such as عِنْدِي هَذَا أَفْضَل (In my opinion, this is better).

Grammar Rules:

  • Technical Classification: It is classified as a ظَرْف (ẓarf), which is a locative or temporal adverb. This explains why it is manṣūb (ending in -a) by default.
  • The Fronted Predicate Rule: In possession sentences, عِنْدَ acts as a phrase-based comment. Because the thing possessed is usually indefinite, it moves to the end of the sentence (e.g., عِنْدَكَ قَلَمٌ).
  • Case: It is manṣūb by default, but becomes majrūr (عِنْدِ) after prepositions like مِنْ. The phrase مِنْ عِنْدِ is common and means 'from' or 'from the presence of'.
  • Following Noun: The noun after it must be in the genitive case because it functions as an المُضَاف إِلَيْه.
  • Suffixes: It frequently attaches to pronoun suffixes. When the 1st person singular suffix '-ī' is added, the fatha on the dāl changes to a kasra to harmonize with the long vowel, becoming عِنْدِي (ʿindī).
  • ʿinda vs. lِ: Generally, عِنْدَ is used for physical objects you have with you. For family members or body parts, لِ is the standard pattern (e.g., لِي أُخْت), though عِنْدَ can be used when referring to someone being 'at your place'.
  • Negation: Use لَيْسَ for the present. For the past, use مَا كَانَ عِنْدِي or the formal لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدِي.

Examples (5)

  1. عِنْدَ البابِ

    At the door

    Word by Word: At the door

    Shows physical proximity to a location.

  2. عِنْدِي سُؤالٌ

    I have a question

    Word by Word: At-me (is) a question

    Uses the attached pronoun 'ī' (me) to express abstract possession.

  3. الاجْتِماعُ عِنْدَ المَدِيرِ

    The meeting is at the manager's [office]

    Word by Word: The meeting (is) at the manager

    Indicates a location associated with a specific person.

  4. هَلْ عِنْدَكَ سَيّارَةٌ؟

    Do you have a car?

    Word by Word: Question-particle at-you (is) a car?

    A common way to ask about tangible possession.

  5. عِنْدَنا وَقْتٌ كَثيرٌ

    We have a lot of time

    Word by Word: At-us (is) time much

    Shows possession of an abstract concept (time) using the 'nā' (we) suffix.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ʿinda' as an auxiliary verb for perfect tenses (like English 'have eaten').

    عندي أكلت
    أكلت

    In Arabic, 'ʿinda' is only for possession, location, or time. To say 'I have eaten', simply use the past tense verb.

  • Using a suffix that does not match the one who has.

    Different Meaningعندهن بنت
    عندها بنت

    عندهن بنت is correct, but it means 'they (f.) have a daughter'. The suffix on عند must match the possessor (the person who has), not the thing possessed. If one woman has a daughter, use عندها بنت.

  • Using 'lā' to negate possession in the present tense.

    لا عندي كتاب
    ليس عندي كتاب

    To negate 'to have' in the present, use ليس before عند (ليس عندي كتاب), or put لا before the noun (لا كتاب عندي). لا cannot sit directly before عندي.

How It Connects

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عندLevel 1At and Having

Learn This First

To learn 'عند', a learner needs to understand how Arabic forms sentences without verbs, how to attach personal pronouns to particles to indicate possession, and how prepositions affect the case ending of the following noun.

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عند