What is i’rob?
الإِعْرَابُ هُوَ تَغْيِيْرُ أَوَاخِرِ الْكَلِمَ لِاِخْتِلَافِ الْعَوَامِلِ الدَّاخِلَةِ عَلَيْهَا لَفْظًا أَوْ تَقْدِيْرًا
Al-i‘robu huwa taghyīru awākhiril kalima li-ikhtilāfil ‘awāmili d-dākhilati ‘alayhā lafẓan aw taqdīran.
I’rob is the change at the end of a word due to the influence of grammatical factors (amil) that enter upon it, either explicitly or implicitly. The factors affecting a word can be amil nawāṣib, causing the word to take the fatḥah vowel, which is called i’rob naṣob. If the factor entering is a preposition (ḥarf jar), then the word becomes kasroh, and this change is called i’rob jar.
How many types of i’rob exist in Arabic?
Based on the definition above—that i’rob is the change of a word either explicitly or implicitly—the poem of Imrithi states:
الْمُعْرَبَاتُ كُلُّهَا قَدْ تُعْرَبُ بِالْحَرَكَاتِ أَوْ حُرُوفٍ تَقْرُبُ
Meaning: “Declinable words have two forms of i’rob: i’rob with vowel signs or i’rob with letters.”
Thus, there are two major forms of i’rob:
- i’rob with vowel signs
- i’rob with letters
As for the categories of i’rob, there are four:
- i’rob Rofa‘
- i’rob Naṣob
- i’rob Jar
- i’rob Jazm
I’rab Using Vowel Changes
I’rab using vowel changes occurs in four types of words: singular nouns, broken plurals, sound feminine plurals, and imperfect verbs that are not attached to any ending. As mentioned in Jurumiyah:
فَالَّذِيْ يُعْرَبُ بِالْحَرَكَاتِ أَرْبَعَةُ أَنْوَاعٍ …
Meaning: “Those that undergo i’rab with vowel signs are four types: singular nouns, broken plurals, sound feminine plurals, and imperfect verbs that have no attachment.”
In these four, you may find:
- Fatḥah → sign of Naṣob
- Kasroh → sign of Jar
- Ḍommah → sign of Rofa‘.
- Sukūn → sign of Jazm
Signs of I’rab:
- Rofa‘ → Ḍommah ( ُ )
- Naṣob → Fatḥah ( َ )
- Jar → Kasroh ( ِ )
- Jazm → Sukūn ( ْ )
Not all nouns and verbs can accept every sign.
Examples of Vowel-Based I’rob
1. In Singular Nouns, Broken Plurals, and Sound Feminine Plurals
• Singular noun:
- جَاءَ مُحَمَّدٌ — Muhammad came.
- رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا — I saw a man.
- مَرَرْتُ بِرَجُلٍ — I passed by a man.
• Broken plural:
- جَاءَ رِجَالٌ
- رَأَيْتُ رِجَالًا
- مَرَرْتُ بِرِجَالٍ
• Sound feminine plural:
- جَاءَتِ الْمُسْلِمَاتُ
- رَأَيْتُ الْمُسْلِمَاتِ
- مَرَرْتُ بِالْمُسْلِمَاتِ
I’rab in Imperfect Verbs (Fi’il Mudhari’)
• Rofa’ :
أَنْتَ تَرْجِعُ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ — You return home.
• Naṣob (due to amil nāṣib an):
أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ
Aqra’a is in naṣb due to an.
• Jazm (due to lam):
أَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ
Ya‘lam becomes jazm with sukun.
I’rob Using Letter Changes
I’rob using letters occurs in four types: dual nouns, sound masculine plural, the five special nouns, and the five special verbs. As stated:
وَالَّذِيْ يُعْرَبُ بِالْحُرُوفِ أَرْبَعَةُ أَنْوَاعٍ …
Meaning: “Those that are parsed using letters are four types: the dual form, the sound masculine plural, the five nouns, and the five verbs.”
Examples:
• Rofa’ in dual nouns:
دَخَلَ مُسْلِمَانِ — Two Muslims entered.
The sign of raf‘ is alif.
• Jar in the five nouns:
زُرْتُ إِلَى أَخِيكَ — I visited your brother.
The sign of jar is yā’.
• Naṣob in the five verbs:
نَحْنُ لَنْ نَكْتُبُوْا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ
The sign of naṣb is the omission of nun.
• Jazm in the five verbs with weak endings:
لَمْ يَخْشَ
(from يَخْشَى by dropping the weak letter).
