حتى

Up Until

Level 2

حتى الجارّة (Hatta al-Jārrah) is a preposition used to mark the end point of a goal in time or space. It translates to 'until' or 'as far as' and forces the noun after it into the genitive case (al-majrūr).

How It Works

In Modern Standard Arabic, حتى الجارّة is used to define a specific boundary or limit. To become proficient in its use, you must understand these specific rules:

  • The Boundary Rule: Unlike the general preposition إلى, hatta is more restricted. The noun following it must be a "ghaya" (a final limit) that is either the last part of the preceding entity or its immediate successor. For example, you can say 'I read the book until the last page' (قرأتُ الكتابَ حتى الصفحةِ الأخيرةِ) because the page is part of the book.
  • Gradual Process: Hatta often implies a gradual action reaching a significant or extreme end point. While إلى is a neutral marker of direction, hatta emphasizes the extent of the journey or effort.
  • Case Ending: The noun following it must be genitive. This distinguishes it from other uses of hatta that might function as a conjunction.
  • Verbal Goals: Hatta can also precede a verb to indicate a goal or result. In these cases, it triggers the subjunctive mood because of a hidden 'an'.
  • Restriction: You cannot attach pronouns directly to this preposition; use إلى instead for meanings like 'until you'.

Examples (4)

  1. سَهِرْتُ حَتَّى الصَّبَاحِ

    I stayed up until the morning.

    Word by Word: I-stayed-up until the-morning.

    Here, 'hatta' acts as a preposition of time, and 'al-sabah' takes the genitive kasra.

  2. مَشَيْنَا حَتَّى نِهَايَةِ الشَّارِعِ

    We walked until the end of the street.

    Word by Word: We-walked until end (of) the-street.

    This demonstrates 'hatta' used for a spatial limit (distance).

  3. سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ

    Peace it is until the break of dawn.

    Word by Word: Peace she until break (of) the-dawn.

    A famous Quranic example showing 'hatta' marking the end of a time period.

  4. قَرَأْتُ الكِتَابَ حَتَّى الصَّفْحَةِ الأخِيرةِ

    I read the book up to the last page.

    Word by Word: I-read the-book until the-page the-last.

    This implies the last page was also read (inclusion).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative or accusative case after 'hatta' when it means 'until'.

    سهرتُ حتى الصباحُ
    سهرتُ حتى الصباحِ

    When 'hatta' is a preposition (meaning 'until'), the following noun must be genitive (majrūr).

  • Attaching a pronoun suffix directly to 'hatta'.

    انتظرتُ حتَّاكَ.
    انتظرتُ حتى وصلتَ.

    In Standard Arabic, "hatta" does not take attached pronouns. Use a clause after it, such as حتى وصلتَ (until you arrived).

How It Connects

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حتىLevel 2Up Until

Learn This First

To understand 'حتى' as a marker for an endpoint, you need to know how prepositions function in Arabic, specifically how they change the ending of the following noun to the genitive case (al-jarr).

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حتى