Clarifying Where the Quality Sits

Level 5

تمييز النسبة (Specification of Relationship) is an indefinite noun ending in -an (accusative) that answers the question 'In what regard?' for a whole sentence rather than just one word.

How It Works

تمييز النسبة (Tamyīz al-Nisba), also known as التمييز الملحوظ (al-Tamyīz al-Malḥūẓ), is a vital tool in Modern Standard Arabic for precision. It functions as a 'specification' that removes ambiguity from a proposition.

1. Grammatical Requirements:

  • It must be indefinite (no الـ).
  • It must be in the accusative case (usually ending in -an).
  • It is typically a 'solid' noun (masdar) rather than a derived adjective.

2. Common Contexts:

  • After Comparatives: When using comparative adjectives like 'more' (أكثر) or 'better' (أفضل), you use this pattern to specify the area of comparison. For example: 'He is more than me in knowledge.'
  • After Verbs of Increase/Fullness: Verbs like 'increased' (ازداد), 'filled' (امتلأ), or 'became good' (طاب) often require a specification to clarify what exactly increased or filled.
  • Expressions of Wonder: It is used in formal praise or blame, such as with نعم (what a good...) or expressions of wonder.

3. The 'Transformed' Logic:
In many cases, the specification can be logically rephrased as the subject or object. For example, 'The man's character improved' becomes 'The man improved in character' (طاب الرجلُ خُلُقاً). This shift places the focus on the person while specifying the attribute.

Examples (4)

  1. أنا أَكْثَرُ مِنْكَ مالاً

    I am more than you in wealth.

    Word by Word: I more than-you wealth.

    Here, 'wealth' (مالاً) clarifies in what regard the speaker is 'more' than the other person.

  2. ازْدادَ الطّالِبُ عِلْماً

    The student increased in knowledge.

    Word by Word: Increased the-student knowledge.

    The verb 'increased' is ambiguous; 'knowledge' (عِلْماً) specifies what exactly increased.

  3. امْتَلأَ القَلْبُ سُروراً

    The heart filled with joy.

    Word by Word: Filled the-heart joy.

    In Arabic, you don't need a preposition like 'with'; the accusative noun 'joy' (سُروراً) specifies the filling.

  4. المَدينَةُ أَجْمَلُ واجِهَةً

    The city is more beautiful in appearance (facade).

    Word by Word: The-city more-beautiful facade.

    This specifies that the beauty refers to the 'facade' or 'appearance' specifically.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the specification definite by adding 'Al-'.

    طابَ الرَّجُلُ النَّفْسَ
    طابَ الرَّجُلُ نَفْساً

    In Modern Standard Arabic the Tamyiz is indefinite (nakira). A definite form such as النفس is not used in standard writing, even though a few classical grammarians allowed it.

  • Using the nominative case instead of the accusative.

    أنا أَقْوى مِنْكَ جِسْمٌ
    أنا أَقْوى مِنْكَ جِسْماً

    Tamyiz is one of the 'Mansubat' (accusative nouns). It must take the fatḥa or tanwīn fatḥ ending.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Clarifying Where the Quality SitsLevel 5

Learn This First

To understand 'tamyiz al-nisba' (clarification of a relationship/ratio), you must first be familiar with the general concept of clarification (tamyiz) and how it uses an indefinite noun in the accusative case (mansub) to remove ambiguity from a preceding sentence or relationship.