نِعْمَ / بِئْسَ
Praise and Blame
نِعْمَ (What an excellent...) and بِئْسَ (What a wretched...) are 'frozen' verbs used in formal Arabic to evaluate a person, thing, or concept. They are followed by a subject and then the specific noun being praised or blamed.
How It Works
The pattern of praise and blame consists of three distinct parts:
1. The Verb: Either نِعْمَ (Praise) or بِئْسَ (Blame). These are frozen verbs that stay in the past tense form. You may add the feminine suffix ـَت if the subject is feminine. Note that if the following word starts with الـ, the suffix takes a temporary kasra (ـَتِ) to avoid the meeting of two silent consonants.
2. The Subject (al-fā‘il): This must be one of four types:
- A noun with the definite article الـ.
- A noun in an Idafa construction where the second term is prefixed with الـ (e.g., بِئْسَ مَصِيرُ الـكافرين).
- A hidden pronoun explained by an indefinite noun in the accusative case acting as a clarifying noun (tamyīz).
- The relative pronouns ما or مَنْ.
3. The Specified Noun (al-makhṣūṣ): This is the specific thing you are praising or blaming. It must be in the nominative case. While it usually comes last, it can be moved to the front for emphasis or omitted entirely if it is already clear from the context.
Alternative Patterns: You can also use حَبَّذا (How fine...) and لا حَبَّذا (How wretched...). These are simpler because the subject (ذا) is built into the word and never changes, regardless of the gender or number of the noun that follows.
Examples (6)
- نِعْمَ الصديقُ الكتابُ.
What an excellent friend the book is.
Word by Word: Excellent [the] friend [the] book.
Here, 'the friend' is the definite subject, and 'the book' is the specified noun being praised.
- بِئْسَ مَصِيرُ الظالمينَ النارُ.
How wretched a fate for the oppressors is the Fire.
Word by Word: Wretched fate [of] the oppressors [the] Fire.
The subject is an Idafa construction where the second term has the definite article, and 'the Fire' is the noun being blamed.
- نِعْمَ خُلُقاً الأمانةُ.
What an excellent trait honesty is.
Word by Word: Excellent [as a] trait [the] honesty.
In this version, the subject is hidden, and 'khuluqan' is a clarifying noun in the accusative case.
- حَبَّذا الصدقُ.
How wonderful is truthfulness.
Word by Word: Loved-this [the] truthfulness.
This uses the 'habba-dha' pattern, where 'habba' is the verb and 'dha' (this) is the fixed subject.
- نِعْمَتِ المَرْأَةُ خديجةُ.
What an excellent woman Khadija is.
Word by Word: Excellent [fem.] the woman Khadija.
The feminine suffix ـَت is added here; the kasra is a helping vowel to avoid two sukūns meeting.
- الصبرُ نِعْمَ الخُلُقُ.
Patience is an excellent trait.
Word by Word: The patience excellent [the] trait.
The specified noun (al-makhṣūṣ) can be moved to the beginning of the sentence for emphasis.
Common Mistakes
Using the nominative case for the clarifying noun (tamyīz).
نعم رجلٌ خالدٌ.نعم رجلاً خالدٌ.When the subject is hidden, the noun following ni'ma/bi'sa must be in the accusative case (tamyīz), not the nominative.
Attempting to use these verbs in the present tense.
يَنْعَمُ الرجلُ خالدٌ.نِعْمَ الرجلُ خالدٌ.These are 'frozen' verbs (af'al jamida). They only exist in the past tense form for this specific grammatical function.
Putting the specified noun in the accusative case.
نعم القائدُ خالداً.نعم القائدُ خالدٌ.The specific person being praised (the makhṣūṣ) must be in the nominative case because it is grammatically a 'delayed subject'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the 'Praise and Blame' pattern, you need to understand how verbs and subjects interact in Arabic. Specifically, you must be comfortable identifying the 'Doer' (الفاعل) and applying the correct nominative case endings (المرفوع), as this pattern involves a fixed verb followed by a subject and the specific noun being highlighted.
Related Patterns
- حبذا / لا حبذاHow Fine and How Wretched
Another set of verbs for praise and blame that are more rigid in structure but share the same purpose.
Level 6 - The Clarifying Noun
The clarifying noun in the accusative case used when the subject of ni'ma or bi'sa is a hidden pronoun.
Level 3 - ما أفعلهHow Wonderful It Is
The standard way to express exclamation and wonder, often used in less formal contexts than ni'ma/bi'sa.
Level 4 - Verbs That Never Change
The category of 'frozen' verbs to which ni'ma and bi'sa belong, meaning they do not conjugate for different tenses.
Level 6 - The Subject Ending
The case required for both the subject and the specified noun (makhṣūṣ) in this construction.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice نِعْمَ / بِئْسَ in Bubblegum
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