3.2 Vocabulary and Grammar: Using Present Tense with Food Vocabulary
In This Section
- You will learn new vocabulary on food and drinks.
- You will study and practice the use of verbs in the present tense.
Vocabulary (1)
Listen and read through the following words and expressions.
Audio Player
Grammar (1)
Present Tense Verbs
Learn the verb conjugations in the present tense.
Notes on Grammar
- There is no indefinite article in Arabic. There is also no (am-is-are). The definite article “the” is expressed by attaching “Al” in the beginning of the noun. For example: Kitaab means “a book”, and Alkitaab means “the book”.
- Verbs in the present tense follow predictable forms that we will discuss in the grammar section.
- Some verbs take certain propositions. One of these is the verb أذهب “AthHab” which must be followed by the propositionإلى “ilaa,” so أذهب إلى means “go to”. Another example is أسكن which should be followed by the proposition في “fee”.
- When you use two verbs side-by-side, they should be split by the infinitive “to” (ann) أن . An example is a sentence like أريد أن أشرب (urid ann ashrab) “I want to drink,” or أحب أن أشاهد التليفزيون (uHibb ann ushahid al telefizyon“I like to watch TV.”
- The question word (hal) is used to initiate yes/no questions.
- If you start a sentence with a verb, you will have جملة فعلية , a verbal sentence. If you start with a noun, you will have جملة إسمية , a nominal sentence.
- Note that a phrase starting with عند is not a verb, but rather a propositional phrase and it is considered a nominal sentence when you say عندي سيارة “I have a car”. The same applies to the هناك there is/are phrases, which count as nominal sentences too.
- The verbal sentence is negated with لا, while the nominal sentence is negated with ليس.
Activity (5): Verb Conjugation
Complete the conjugations of the following verbs, guided by the given examples in each slide.
Activity (6): Ask and Answer Questions
With the teacher and then with the classmates, ask and answer the following questions, then report to class.
Activity (7): Create Sentences
Create basic sentences (either nominal or verbal) using the image clues below. Write your sentences in the box below.
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| __________________________ | __________________________________ |
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| __________________________ | __________________________________ |
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| __________________________ | _____________________________ |
Key Takeaways
- There is a distinction between nominal and verbal sentences in Arabic based on how you start the sentence.
- Verbs in the present tense are formed by the use of prefixes that denote different pronouns.
