صار

To Turn into

Level 3

صار (ṣāra) is a verb used to describe a change of state or transformation. It is one of the 'Sisters of Kāna,' meaning it affects the grammar of the sentence by making the predicate take the accusative ending (-a/-an).

How It Works

The verb صار is the primary way to express 'becoming' in Modern Standard Arabic. It is a hollow verb (root: ṣ-y-r), meaning its middle letter is a weak vowel that changes during conjugation.

1. Syntactic Effect:
When صار is used, the sentence structure follows the rules of Kāna and its Sisters:

  • The Subject (اسم صار) stays nominative (usually ending in -u).
  • The Predicate (خبر صار) becomes accusative (usually ending in -a or -an).

2. Morphological Changes:
Because it is a hollow verb, the middle alif disappears in the past tense when attached to suffixes starting with a consonant (like 'I' or 'you'):

  • ṣāra (He became)
  • ṣirtu (I became)
  • yaṣīru (He becomes - present tense)

3. Usage Nuance:
While often translated as 'became,' صار specifically emphasizes the result of a transformation or a process. It can be used with nouns, adjectives, or even present-tense verbs to indicate that someone has 'started to' or 'reached the point of' doing something.

Examples (4)

  1. صارَ الجوُّ بارداً.

    The weather became cold.

    Word by Word: Became the weather cold.

    Notice how 'cold' (bāridan) takes the accusative -an ending because of the verb ṣāra.

  2. صارَ الطفلُ رجلاً.

    The child became a man.

    Word by Word: Became the child a man.

    This shows a transformation of identity; 'man' is the predicate in the accusative case.

  3. صِرتُ طالباً في الجامعةِ.

    I became a student at the university.

    Word by Word: I-became a-student in the-university.

    In the first person 'I', the middle alif of ṣāra drops, resulting in 'ṣirtu'.

  4. يصيرُ البرتقالُ عصيراً.

    The orange turns into juice.

    Word by Word: Turns-into the-orange juice.

    The present tense 'yaṣīru' is used here to describe a physical transformation.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the predicate in the nominative case.

    صار الولدُ طبيبٌ.
    صار الولدُ طبيباً.

    Learners often forget that 'Sisters of Kāna' like صار require the predicate to be in the accusative case (ṭabīban, not ṭabībun).

  • Incorrect conjugation of the hollow verb in the past tense.

    صارتُ مشغولاً.
    صِرتُ مشغولاً.

    When conjugating hollow verbs in the past tense for 'I' or 'you', the middle alif must be dropped.

How It Connects

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

صارLevel 3To Turn into

Learn This First

To understand صار, you need to be familiar with how 'sister' verbs of كان function, specifically how they change the case of the predicate to the accusative (mansub). You also need a basic understanding of past-tense verb forms.

Words in This Pattern

صار