Welcome back to Kaleela where we continue learning all about Arabic grammar and more. Today we’re going to take you on a journey through time and place.
Don’t worry, however, as we won’t need roads or rocket ships where we’re going as we take you through adverbs of time and place.
So, if you’re ready, buckle up, and let’s get going!
As in English, adverbs modify or describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or whole sentences.
In Arabic, adverbs of time (ظُروف الزَّمان/DHuroof izzamaan/) tell when an action happened.
For example the Arabic adverb أَمس /’ams/ means “yesterday”.
By the way, adverbs can be placed just about anywhere in the sentence – at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end.
Some adjectives can play the adverb role and can be masculine or feminine depending on the context:
الماضي
/almaadhee/
last/previous (m.)
which becomes
الماضِيَة
/almaadhiyah/
last/previous (f.)
Other adverbs of time in Arabic include:
كُلَّ يَوم
/kulla yawm/
everyday
دائِمًا
/daa’iman/
always
عادَةً
/ʻaadatan/
usually
القادِم
/alqaadim/
القادِمَة
/alqaadimah/
next
بَعْدَ
/baʻda/
after a…/In a…
Here are a couple of examples:
الأُسبوعُ القادِم
/al’usboo‘u ilqaadim/
next week
بَعْدَ شَهْرٍ
/baʻda shahrin/
after a month/In a month
One final adverb of time is غَدًا/ghadan/ or “tomorrow”.
ظُروف المَكان/DHuroof ilmakaan/ or “adverbs of place” tell where something happens. For example:
أَمام
/’amaam/
in front of
بَيتي أَمامَ المَدرَسَة.
/baytee ’amaama ilmadrasah/
My house is in front of the school.
Other adverbs of time include:
بِجانِب
/bijaanib/
next to
as in:
المُتْحَفُ بِجانِبِ مَكْتَبِ البَريد
/almutHafu bijaanibi maktabi ilbareed/
The museum is next to the post office
خَلْف
/khalf/
behind
as in:
المَطْعَمُ خَلْفَ المَدْرَسَة
/almaT‘amu khalfa ilmadrasah/
The restaurant is behind the school.
فَوْق
/fawq/
above
as in:
تَطيرُ العَصافيرُ فَوْقَ الجِبال
/taTeeru ilʻaSaafeeru fawqa iljibaal/
The birds are flying above the mountains.
تَحْت
/taHt/
under
as in:
الكُرَةُ تَحْتَ الطّاوِلَة
/alkuratu taHta iTTaawilah/
The ball is under the table.
Well, that wraps up our journey into time and place with Arabic adverbs.
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