Special converters to accusative




Introduction


There are three categories of words that shift what follows into the accusative case (المنصوب).

But first, let's pick a simple nominal sentence (جملة اسمية) to work with as an example:

الولدُ طويلٌ (al-waladu Tawiilun)
The boy is tall.

Each part of this sentence — the subject (المبتدأ), al-walad, and the predicate (الخبر), Tawiil — is in the "default" nominative case (المرفوع). Now, if we put a word like كان or إنّ at the beginning of this sentence, it will shift a part of the sentence into the accusative case (المنصوب).



كان وأخواتها (kāna wa-axawātuha)


to beكان (kāna)
to not be; used for negationليس (laysa)
to becomeأصبح (aSbaHa)صار (Sāra)بات (bāta)أمسى (amsa)
to remainظل (Zalla)بقى (baqiya)
to continue to be/still beما زال (ma zāla)دام | ما دام (dāma/ma dāma)

If you put any of these words in a sentence, it will change the predicate (الخبر) from the nominative case (المرفوع) to the accusative case (المنصوب).

الولدُ طويلٌ (al-waladu Tawiilun)كان الولدُ طويلا (kaana l-waladu Tawiilan)
The boy is tall.The boy was tall.
 
هذا الكتابُ جيدٌ (haada l-kitaabu jayyidun)هذا الكتابُ ليسَ جيدا (haada l-kitaabu laysa jayyidan)
This book is good.This book is not good.
 
الطالبةُ ناجحةٌ (aT-Taalibatu naajiHatun)أصبحت الطالبةُ ناجحةَ (aSbaHat aT-Taalibatu naajiHatan)
The student is successful.The student became successful.
 
الشعبُ متفائلُ (aš-ša3bu mutafaa'ilun)ما زالَ الشعبُ متفائلا (ma zaala š-ša3bu mutafaa'ilan)
The people are optimistic.The people are still optimistic.



إنّ وأخواتها (inna wa-axawātuha)


indeed — used for emphasis — or that*إنّ (inna)
that*أنّ (anna)
butلكنّ (laakinna)
becauseلأن (li'anna)
as ifكأن (ka'anna)
perhapsلعلّ (la3alla)

If you put any of these words in a sentence, it will change the subject (المبتداء) from the nominative case (المرفوع) to the accusative case (المنصوب).

الولدُ طويلٌ (al-waladu Tawiilun)إنّ الولدَ طويلٌ (inna l-walada Tawiilun)
The boy is tall.[Indeed] the boy is tall.
 
البنتُ مريضةٌ (al-bintu muriiDatun)قالت البنتَ إنها مريضهٌ (qaalat al-binta innaha muriiDatun)
The girl is sick.The girl said [that] she is sick.
 
النجاحُ قريبٌ (an-najaaHu qariibun)لعل النجاحَ قريبٌ (la3alla an-najaaHa qariibun)
Success is near.Perhaps success is near.

* The difference between إنّ and أنّ:

Uses of إنّ (inna):
  1. Follows قال to mean "to say that"
  2. May come at the beginning of a sentence, for emphasis; like "indeed"

Uses of أنّ (anna):
  1. Reports factual information after a verb of perception — اعتقد أنّ (to believe that); سمع أنّ (to hear that) — or a verb of communication — أعلن أنّ (to announce that); ذكر أنّ (to mention that).


ظنّ وأخواتها (Zanna wa-axawātuha)


These verbs include verbs of perception and verbs of transformation:

to believe, supposeظنّ (Zanna)
to considerاعتبر (i3tabara)
to see, perceive, deemرأى (ra'a)
to find, deemوجد (wajada)
to consider, deemعدّ (3adda)
to convertصيّر (Sayyara)
to makeجعل (ja3ala)
to to take, adopt (as)اتخذ (ittaxada)
to leaveترك (taraka)

If you put any of these words in a sentence, it will change both the subject (المبتداء) and the predicate (الخبر) to the accusative case (المنصوب).

الاجتماعُ ضروريٌ (al-ijtimaa3u Daruuriyyun)نعتبرٌ الاجتماعَ ضروريا (na3atabiru l-ijtimaa3a Daruuriyyan)
The meeting is necessary.We consider the meeting [to be] necessary.
 
البابُ مفتوحٌ (al-baabu maftuuHun)تركَ البابَ مفتوحاٌ (taraka l-baaba maftuuHan)
The door is open.He left the door open.
 
القيادةُ سهلةٌ (al-qiyaadatu sahlatun)ظن أحمد القيادةَ سهلةَ (Zanna aHmad al-qiyaadata sahlatan)
Driving is easy.Ahmed believed driving was easy.


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