منذ أن

Ever Since

Level 4

Use منذ أن (mundhu 'an) to say 'ever since' followed by a verb. It marks the starting point of a period of time that continues to the present or affects the current situation.

How It Works

The expression منذ أن is a staple of formal Modern Standard Arabic. It is composed of the temporal particle منذ and the subordinating particle أن.

1. Usage with Verbs:
In the vast majority of cases, it is followed by a past tense verb. This verb represents the 'anchor' event. Even though the event is in the past, the result or the state described in the main clause continues.

2. The Variant 'Mudh':
You may occasionally see مذ أن (mudh 'an). This is a shorter, more classical variant. In Modern Standard Arabic, mundhu is the standard choice, but mudh is perfectly correct and often used for stylistic variety.

3. Grammatical Mood:
If a present tense verb follows, the particle 'an technically triggers the subjunctive mood (al-manṣūb). However, using the present tense after this pattern is rare and usually implies a habitual action that started in the past and continues.

4. Sentence Structure:
The clause starting with منذ أن can appear at the beginning of the sentence (often followed by a 'wa' of state) or in the middle of the sentence to provide context.

Examples (4)

  1. منذ أن تخرجتُ من الجامعة وأنا أبحث عن عمل.

    Ever since I graduated from university, I have been looking for a job.

    Word by Word: Since that I graduated from the university, and I search for work.

    Here, the past tense verb 'graduated' follows the pattern to set the starting point.

  2. تغيرت حياته تماماً منذ أن انتقل إلى المدينة.

    His life changed completely ever since he moved to the city.

    Word by Word: Changed life-his completely since that he moved to the city.

    The pattern is used here in the middle of the sentence to explain when the change began.

  3. لم نلتقِ منذ أن سافر إلى الخارج.

    We haven't met since he traveled abroad.

    Word by Word: Not we-meet since that he traveled to the outside.

    This shows the pattern used with a negative main clause to show a lack of action since a specific event.

  4. أشعر بالوحدة منذ أن غادرتْ صديقتي.

    I have been feeling lonely ever since my friend left.

    Word by Word: I-feel with-the-loneliness since that left friend-my.

    The feminine past tense verb follows the pattern to mark the departure as the starting point.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a noun directly after 'mundhu 'an'.

    منذ أن الصباح وأنا أعمل.
    منذ الصباح وأنا أعمل.

    If you are followed by a noun (like 'morning'), use the simple preposition 'mundhu'. Use 'mundhu 'an' only when a verb/clause follows.

  • Thinking منذ needs أن before a verb.

    Different Meaningمنذ سافرنا لم نره.
    منذ أن سافرنا لم نره.

    منذ can take a past verb directly, so منذ سافرنا لم نره is correct. Adding أن, as in منذ أن سافرنا, is also common and makes the clause more explicit.

How It Connects

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

منذ أنLevel 4Ever Since

Learn This First

To understand 'منذ أن' (ever since), you first need to know the basic preposition 'منذ' used with nouns. You also need to understand how the particle 'أن' functions to turn a verbal sentence into a clause that can follow a preposition, and be familiar with the past tense verbs that usually follow this expression.

Words in This Pattern

منذمنذأن