Condition Words That Shorten the Verb

Level 5

Conditional sentences in Arabic often use specific words like إِنْ (if) or مَنْ (whoever) that act as 'governors.' They require two parts: the condition and the result. When present tense verbs are used, they must take the jussive mood (shortened form).

How It Works

Conditional sentences consist of three parts: the tool (أداة الشرط), the condition verb (فعل الشرط), and the result verb (جواب الشرط).

1. The Effect on Verbs:
These tools govern the jussive in a directly dependent present condition and result. While they most commonly affect the present tense verb, putting it into the jussive mood, they can also be used with the past tense. In the case of the past tense, the verb remains indeclinable (mabnī) but is considered to be in the place of jussive (fī maḥall jazm).

For present tense verbs, the changes are:

  • Sound Verbs: The final vowel becomes a سكون.
  • Defective Verbs: The final weak letter is dropped.
  • Five Verbs: The final نون is dropped (see Dropping the ن).
  • Hollow Verbs: The long middle vowel shortens before a final consonant with sukun: يَقُلْ. It remains with endings such as ـُوا: إِنْ تَقُولُوا. Feminine plural ن also remains; it is not an indicative ending.

2. Types of Tools:
Tools are divided into particles and nouns. Unlike particles, conditional nouns occupy a specific grammatical position (maḥall) in the sentence, such as a subject or an adverb of time/place.

  • Particles (حروف): إِنْ (If) and إِذْمَا, a rare literary alternative compared with ordinary إِنْ.
  • Nouns (أسماء): مَنْ (Whoever), مَا / مَهْمَا (Whatever), مَتَى / أَيَّانَ (Whenever), أَيْن / أَيْنَمَا / حَيْثُمَا / أَنَّى (Wherever), and كَيْفَمَا (In whatever way). The conventional كيفما teaching pattern matches the two actions, as in كيفما تجلسْ أجلسْ. Its jussive governance is disputed in classical grammar; this is the commonly taught jussive analysis.
  • أَيّ (Whichever): This is the only declinable tool. Its ending changes (أَيُّ / أَيَّ / أَيِّ) depending on its role, and it normally introduces an iḍāfa.

3. The Result Clause and Fā’ al-Jazā’:
If the result cannot be a jussive verb, you must use Linking the Answer With فـ. This is mandatory in cases summarized by the mnemonic: Ismiyyatun, Talabiyyatun, wa bi-Jāmidin, wa bi-Mā, wa bi-Qad, wa bi-Lan, wa bi-t-Tanfīs (تنفيس).

Arabic Checklist for the Linking فـ: اسْمِيَّةٌ، طَلَبِيَّةٌ، وَبِجَامِدٍ، وَبِمَا، وَقَدْ، وَبِلَنْ، وَبِالتَّنْفِيسِ. This lists the same result types explained above. Learn the construction behind each item rather than treating the mnemonic as an extra grammatical rule.

Examples (6)

  1. إِنْ تَدْرُسْ تَنْجَحْ

    If you study, you will succeed.

    Word by Word: If you-study (jussive) you-succeed (jussive)

    Both verbs are sound, so they both end in a sukūn due to the tool 'In'.

  2. مَنْ يَعْمَلْ خَيْراً يَجِدْ خَيْراً

    Whoever does good shall find good.

    Word by Word: Whoever he-does (jussive) good he-finds (jussive) good

    The tool 'Man' (whoever) makes both 'ya'mal' and 'yajid' jussive.

  3. مَتَى تَقُلِ الحَقَّ تَشْعُرْ بِالرَّاحَةِ

    Whenever you speak the truth, you feel relieved.

    Word by Word: Whenever you-say (jussive) the-truth you-feel (jussive) with-the-comfort

    The verb 'taqul' is shortened from 'taqūl' (hollow verb) because of the jussive tool 'Matā'.

  4. إِنْ تَدْعُ اللهَ يَسْتَجِبْ لَكَ

    If you call upon God, He will answer you.

    Word by Word: If you-call (jussive) God He-answers (jussive) to-you

    The verb 'tad'u' is a defective verb; its final weak letter (wāw) is dropped in the jussive mood.

  5. مَهْمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِن خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ اللهُ

    Whatever good you do, God knows it.

    Word by Word: Whatever you-do (plural jussive) from good He-knows-it (jussive) God

    The verb 'taf'alū' is one of the Five Verbs; the final nūn is dropped in the jussive mood.

  6. أَيَّ كِتَابٍ تَقْرَأْ تَسْتَفِدْ مِنْهُ

    Whichever book you read, you will benefit from it.

    Word by Word: Which book you-read (jussive) you-benefit (jussive) from-it

    أيَّ is the fronted object of تقرأ, so it is accusative; كتابٍ is genitive as its iḍāfa complement. Both directly dependent present verbs are jussive.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting to shorten the second verb (the result) when it is in the present tense.

    إنْ تَجْتَهِدْ تَنْجَحُ
    إنْ تَجْتَهِدْ تَنْجَحْ

    The conditional tool governs both verbs if they are in the present tense. Both must be in the jussive mood.

  • Attempting to shorten a past tense verb.

    إنْ دَرَسْتْ نَجَحْتْ
    إنْ دَرَسْتَ نَجَحْتَ

    Past tense verbs are indeclinable (mabnī). They do not change their physical endings in conditional sentences; they are simply considered to be in the position of the jussive.

  • Keeping the weak letter in defective verbs in the present tense.

    إنْ تَمْشِي أَسِيرُ مَعَكَ
    إنْ تَمْشِ أَسِرْ مَعَكَ

    In the jussive mood, the final weak letter must be dropped from present tense verbs like 'tamshī', and the middle vowel dropped from 'asīru'.

How It Connects

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Condition Words That Shorten the VerbLevel 5

Learn This First

To learn 'أدوات الشرط الجازمة', a learner must first understand the jussive mood (المضارع المجزوم) because these tools specifically function by shortening the verbs that follow them. Additionally, familiarity with the basic conditional structure (using 'إن') and the rules for dropping the 'noon' in plural verb endings is necessary to correctly conjugate the verbs in a conditional sentence.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

إنمنمامهمامتىأيانأينماحيثماكيفماأيإذما