1. Constructing Simple Sentences

1.1 Basic Sentence Structure:

• Structure: The basic structure of an Arabic sentence typically follows the pattern of Subject + Predicate.
• Examples:
  • الولد يقرأ. (al-walad yaqra’) – “The boy reads.”
  • الكتاب جديد. (al-kitaab jadiid) – “The book is new.”

1.2 Sentence Components:

• Subject (فاعل – faa’il): The person or thing performing the action.
• Predicate (مفعول – maf‘ool or خبر – khabar): The action or description related to the subject.

1.3 Examples:

• الطفل يلعب. (at-tifl yal‘ab) – “The child plays.”
• المدرسة كبيرة. (al-madrasa kabiirah) – “The school is big.”

2. Affirmative and Negative Sentences

2.1 Affirmative Sentences:

• Structure: Simple statements that convey a positive action or fact.
• Examples:
  • الطعام لذيذ. (at-ta‘aam laziz) – “The food is delicious.”
  • أنا ذاهب إلى السوق. (ana dhaahib ila as-suq) – “I am going to the market.”

2.2 Negative Sentences:

• Structure: To make a sentence negative, use لا (la) for verbs in the present tense and لم (lam) for verbs in the past tense.
• Examples:
  • الطعام ليس لذيذًا. (at-ta‘aam laysa laziz) – “The food is not delicious.”
  • أنا لم أذهب إلى السوق. (ana lam adhhab ila as-suq) – “I did not go to the market.”

2.3 Common Negative Words:

• ليس (laysa): “not” (for present tense or adjectives)
• لم (lam): “did not” (for past tense verbs)
• لا (la): “not” (for present tense verbs)

3. Formulating Questions

3.1 Yes/No Questions:

• Structure: Start with هل (hal) for yes/no questions.
• Examples:
  • هل أنت طالب؟ (hal anta taalib?) – “Are you a student?”
  • هل السيارة جديدة؟ (hal as-sayyaarah jadiidah?) – “Is the car new?”

3.2 Question Words:

• ما (ma): “What”
  • ما هذا؟ (ma haadha?) – “What is this?”
• من (man): “Who”
  • من هو؟ (man huwa?) – “Who is he?”
• أين (ayna): “Where”
  • أين المدرسة؟ (ayna al-madrasa?) – “Where is the school?”
• متى (mataa): “When”
  • متى تبدأ الدروس؟ (mataa tabda’ ad-duroos?) – “When do the classes start?”
• كيف (kayfa): “How”
  • كيف حالك؟ (kayfa haalik?) – “How are you?”

3.3 Examples:

• هل تحب القهوة؟ (hal tuḥibb al-qahwa?) – “Do you like coffee?”
• ما اسمك؟ (ma ismuka?) – “What is your name?”

4. Practice Exercises

4.1 Construct Simple Sentences:

• Write five sentences using the basic Subject + Predicate structure.
  • Example: الطبيب يعالج المرضى. (at-tabeeb yu‘aalej al-marḍa) – “The doctor treats the patients.”

4.2 Affirmative and Negative Sentences:

• Convert the following affirmative sentences to negative:
  • الولد يلعب في الحديقة. (al-walad yal‘ab fi al-hadeeqa) – “The boy plays in the park.”
  • الطعام طيب. (at-ta‘aam ṭayyib) – “The food is good.”
• Write the negative versions of these sentences.

4.3 Formulate Questions:

• Formulate yes/no questions and questions with question words using the given sentences:
  • القطط نائمة. (al-qiṭṭaat naa’imah) – “The cats are sleeping.”
  • الأستاذ هنا. (al-ustadh huna) – “The teacher is here.”

5. Additional Resources

5.1 Practice Tools:

• Apps: Arabic grammar and writing practice apps such as “Duolingo” and “Rosetta Stone.”
• Websites: Resources like Madinah Arabic and ArabicPod101 for interactive practice.

5.2 Reference Material:

• Books: Easy Arabic Grammar by Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar.
• Videos: YouTube tutorials on Arabic sentence construction and question formation.

This lesson provides foundational skills in constructing basic sentences, using affirmative and negative forms, and formulating questions in Arabic. Mastery of these elements is essential for effective communication and further language development.