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A generic framework for Arabic to English machine ... - Acsu Buffalo

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2.4.1.1 Verb and noun<br />

2.4. SENTENCE TYPES IN ARABIC<br />

Table 2.23: Nominal sentence<br />

<strong>Arabic</strong> <strong>English</strong> Translation<br />

zaydun t.aālibun Zaid is (a) student.<br />

zaydun krym Zaid is generous.<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

zaydun fy ālbyt Zaid is in the house.<br />

Verb and noun. such as: s֓al ֓ah. md Ahmad asked.<br />

2.4.1.2 Verb and two nouns<br />

It only occurs in one construct <br />

kān w ֓ah ˘ wāthā kan and its sisters. The<br />

verb kna kān and its sister verbs mark the time or duration of actions, states, and<br />

events. Sentences that use these verbs are considered <strong>to</strong> be a type of nominal sentence<br />

according <strong>to</strong> <strong>Arabic</strong> grammar, not a type of verbal sentence. The word order resembles<br />

Verb Subject Object when there is no other verb in the sentence,<br />

They are kān was, s. ār <strong>to</strong> become, ֓as. bh. <strong>to</strong> become, ֓ad. h. ā <strong>to</strong><br />

become, ֓amsā <strong>to</strong> become, z . l <strong>to</strong> remain, bāt <strong>to</strong> be, lys it is not.<br />

<strong>English</strong> can not express the punctual and telic aspectual differences encoded within the<br />

<strong>Arabic</strong> examples just mentioned.<br />

Table 2.24: Kan and its sisters <br />

kān w ֓ah ˘ wthā<br />

<strong>Arabic</strong> <strong>English</strong> Translation<br />

<br />

<br />

kān āl֓aklu ld¯ ydāan The food was delicious.<br />

¯<br />

With these verbs the subject is in the nominative case and the predicate is in the accusative<br />

case, an example is shown in Table 2.24.<br />

23

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