Verbs With Three Objects

Level 5

In formal Arabic, seven specific verbs (like 'to inform' or 'to show') can take three objects. The first object is the person being informed, while the second and third objects represent the information itself, originally forming a complete sentence.

How It Works

This advanced construction is primarily found in formal Modern Standard Arabic and Classical texts. It involves verbs that describe the transmission of knowledge or perception.

1. The Seven Verbs:
The pattern is traditionally restricted to: أعلم (informed), أرى (showed), أنبأ (informed), نبأ (told), أخبر (informed), خبر (told), and حدث (related).

2. The Syntactic Structure:
The second and third objects must have originally been a Subject and Predicate. For example, in the sentence 'I informed Zaid the news was true':

  • Object 1: Zaid (The person receiving the news)
  • Object 2: The news (Original Subject)
  • Object 3: True (Original Predicate)

All three must be in the accusative case.

3. Passive Transformation:
When these verbs are used in the passive voice, the first object becomes the deputy subject and takes the nominative case. The second and third objects remain accusative.

4. Modern Usage:
While grammatically valid, modern writers often simplify this by using أنّ (that) to replace the second and third objects (e.g., 'I informed Zaid that the news is true').

Examples (4)

  1. أرَيْتُ الطالبَ الحلَّ سهلاً.

    I showed the student (that) the solution was easy.

    Word by Word: I-showed the-student the-solution easy.

    Here, 'the student' is the 1st object, 'the solution' is the 2nd, and 'easy' is the 3rd. Note that 'the solution is easy' could stand alone as a sentence.

  2. أعْلَمَ القائدُ الجنودَ النصرَ قريباً.

    The commander informed the soldiers (that) victory was near.

    Word by Word: Informed the-commander the-soldiers the-victory near.

    All three objects (soldiers, victory, near) are in the accusative case (manṣūb).

  3. يُرِيهِمُ اللهُ أعْمَالَهُمْ حَسَرَاتٍ.

    God shows them their deeds as regrets.

    Word by Word: Shows-them God deeds-their regrets.

    A Quranic example where 'them' (hum) is the 1st object, 'deeds' is the 2nd, and 'regrets' is the 3rd.

  4. أُخْبِرَ الناسُ الأمرَ واقعاً.

    The people were informed (that) the matter was happening.

    Word by Word: Were-informed the-people the-matter happening.

    In this passive construction, 'the people' becomes the deputy subject (nominative), while 'the matter' and 'happening' remain accusative.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the third object in the nominative case.

    أعلمتُ زيداً الخبرُ صحيحٌ.
    أعلمتُ زيداً الخبرَ صحيحاً.

    Learners often treat the 3rd object like a normal predicate (nominative), but in this specific construction, all three objects must be accusative.

  • Adding a third object when you only show something.

    Different Meaningأريتُ زيداً الكتابَ جديداً.
    أريتُ زيداً الكتابَ.

    أريتُ زيداً الكتابَ جديداً is correct, but it means "I made Zayd see that the book is new" (a mental seeing, three objects). To simply show a book, use two objects: أريتُ زيداً الكتابَ.

How It Connects

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

Verbs With Three ObjectsLevel 5

Learn This First

To understand verbs with three objects, you must first be comfortable with the concept of the direct object (Mansub) and how certain verbs of 'perception' or 'knowledge' (Zanna and its sisters) naturally take two objects. Finally, you need to understand how Form IV (Af'ala) functions as a causative, which adds an additional object to the verb's valency.

Words in This Pattern

أرىأعلم