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Watch videos  (under 3.32 min each) Possession using the Idaafa.
The idaafa construction is used A LOT in the Arabic language for: 1- Possession: Noun #1 = what is possessed Noun #2 = possessor Example: حَديقَةُ الْبَيْتِ   = garden + house Possession in English is the opposite word order: Noun #1 = possessor Noun #2 = what is possessed Example: The house’s garden = house + garden   An idaafa for possession:
Example: cat + Tom… Meaning Tom’s cat or the cat of Tom. In Arabic: utta + Tom or “uttit Tom” NOTE: Utta = cat and is a feminine noun ending in “a.” This "a" changes to an “it” to express possession.   If the second term in the idaafa is definite then the entire idaafa construction is definite. “Tom” is definite so uttit Tom is definite. Because Tom is definite than it is the cat and not a cat.   2- A phrase: Two or more words belonging to one another. Example: ذاتَ مَرّةٍ - Once upon a time    Beware: Idaafas are phrases and not sentences. Two definite and indefinite idaafa examples:   Example #1 حَديقَةُ الْبَيْتِ جِنينِةِ الْبيتْ 1  giniinit il beet The garden of the house OR/ The house’s garden For the above example the second noun is definite so the entire idaafa construction is definite.     Example #2 حَديقَةُ بَيْتٍ جِنينِة بيتْ  2  giniinit beet A garden of a house OR/ A house’s garden For the above example the second noun is indefinite so the entire idaafa construction is indefinite.   Listen to these idaafa constructions:   Definite Idaafa                 Indefinite Idaafa بَيْتُ الْمُديرِ بيتْ اِلـْمُديرْ  3  beet il modiir   the director’s house بَيْتُ مُديرٍ بيتْ مُديرْ 4  beet modiir    a director’s house شارِعُ الْفُنْدُقِ شارِعْ اِلـْلوكَنْدَةْ  5  shaari3 il lokanda   the street of the hotel شارِعُ فُنْدُقٍ شارِعْ لوكَنْدَةْ   6  shaari3 lokanda   a street of a hotel 🔴 See more examples   GAME: Egyptian Colloquial      GAME: MSA/Classical    GAME: Arabic using English

Be careful: 1- An idaafa construction is different from a noun-adjective phrase. A noun-adjective phrase has nothing to do with possession. And, in a noun-adjective phrase both nouns are definite or both nouns are indefinite. 2- In the idaafa construction if NOUN 2 is definite then NOUN 1 becomes definite too  but without the definite article. In an idaafa construction ONLY the second noun can take the definite article. The second noun determines whether the entire construction is definite or indefinite.   Keep going! You're almost there.

 

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Skip (Not really necessary) The declension of the idaafa construction in MSA/Classical is as follows: #1st term of the idaafa: Can be in the nominative, accusative, or genitive depending on the idaafa's grammatical role in the sentence.  Example:   مُشْكِلَةُ الْبِلادِ كَبيرةٌ. Here the idaafa construction is the subject of the sentence. Therefore, the first term of the idaafa is nominative: مُشْكِلَةُ #2nd term of the idaafa: Is always in the genitive: الْبِلادِ The genitive marker, on the second term of the idaafa, gives possession.  Exception: Most proper nouns and certain indefinite forms of broken plurals will appear in the accusative for the genitive case. End of skip section.        Make up idaafa constructions:     Answers below for drill  Drill 1  Noun #1                Noun #2 moshkila problem il maktab the desk ostaaz professor  bint girl korsi chair il bilaad the countries obaaya cup il fasl the class madrasa school awlaad boys gazma shoe Farida          GAME: Egyptian Colloquial       GAME: MSA/Classical   GAME: Arabic using English    Answers (Drill 1)  مُشْكِلَةُ الْبِلادِ   مُشْكِلِة الْبِلاد  12  moshkilit il bilaad the problem of the countries   🔴 See more answers

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