What Are the Tools for Ascribing the Present Tense Verb?
The present tense verb is considered ascribed when it is preceded by one of the following ascribing tools:
- لن: A particle that signifies negation, ascription, and futurity, indicating a future event—for example: لن تُهزموا (You will not be defeated).
- كي: A source particle that indicates purpose, often paired with the lam of purpose that may either be pronounced or implied—for example: سافرنا لكي نستمتع (We traveled to enjoy). The construction may also occur with a negating ‘lam’ (لكيلا), as in: أخبرتك لكيلا تندم (I told you so that you would not regret). The infinitive representation of “كي لا تندم” (So as not to regret) is considered in the accusative case due to the preposition “لام”.
- لام التعليل: This particle is used to indicate reasoning, so that what follows serves as a reason for what precedes it. An example is found in the Quran: “وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا”.
- إذن: A particle of response, consequence, ascription, and futurity. It serves as a tool for ascription under four conditions:
- It must be at the start of the sentence.
- The verb must indicate a future event.
- There must not be a separation between the particle and its verb, except in cases of swearing.
- It should imply consequence, that is, indicating a result of the verb.
For instance, if a friend informs another that he will visit him, the response may be: إذن أُكرمَك (Then I will honor you), or إذن -والله- أُكرمَك (Then, I swear, I will honor you).
- أن: This is a source particle that indicates purpose and futility. It does not follow verbs of certainty, but rather appears after a verb that is likely to occur, as in: أحبّ أن أسافرَ (I love to travel). It has various scenarios:
- If it directly follows a verb of probability, it is likely influential, such as: ظننتُ أن يُحسنَ إليّ (I thought he would be good to me).
- If “أن” is separated from the subsequent present tense verb by “لا”, both raising and ascribing can be applied: أظنّ ألّا يعاقبَني (I think he will not punish me) or أظنّ أنْ لا يكافئُني (I think that he will not reward me).
- If “أن” is separated by “قد” or “سوف”, it must be a softened form: حسبتُ أن قد تسافرُ (I thought you might travel) or حسبتُ أن قد تحضرُ (I thought you might attend).
- If present in a raising case, it must be softened.
There are two aspects regarding the omission of “أن”:
One can be omitted optionally in two contexts:
- The first context is after the “لام التعليل”, for example: جئنا لنستفيدَ (We came to benefit), which is originally for أن نستفيدَ; however, if “لا النافية” follows it like: جئتُ لأن لا تغضب (I came that you might not be angry), its appearance is obligatory. Yet, it merges with “لا النافية” and becomes: جئت لئلّا تغضبَ (I came so that you would not be angry).
- The second context is after certain conjunctions: الواو, الفاء, أو, ثمَّ, if preceded by an explicit noun, such as: تسرُّني رؤيتُك ثمًّا أتحدثَ إليك (Seeing you makes me happy, then I speak with you), which implies: then أن أتحدثَ إليك (to talk to you), and similarly: أرغبُ في محادثتك أو نخرجَ معًا (I wish to talk to you or to go out together).
It can also be omitted mandatorily in five situations:
- After “لام الجحود”, which precedes a negated “كان”: لم أكن لأكذبَ عليك (I would not lie to you). The inferred infinitive from the hidden “أن” leads to the present tense verb denoting a location in the accusative case marked by the preposition “لام”.
- After “حتى” when it implies completion (in order to): سأنتظرك حتى تعودَ (I will wait for you until you return), and in the sense of reasoning: أخبرتكم حتى أسعدَكم (I informed you to make you happy). Its condition should indicate futurity. Sometimes, it can denote except: سأعطيه الكتاب حتى تثبتَ أنّه لك (I will give him the book until you prove that it belongs to you).
- After “أو”, when it indicates purpose (until): يُسجَن المذنبُ أو تثبتَ براءتُه (The culprit will be imprisoned unless his innocence is proven), meaning until his innocence is established; thus, the present tense verb (تثبتَ) is in the accusative case.
- After “واو المعية,” meaning ‘with’: لا تأكل وتتكلمَ (Do not eat while speaking); thus, (تتكلمَ) is an ascribed present tense verb.
- After “فاء السببية,” which implies causality; for example: لا تظلمْ فتُظلَمَ (Do not wrong others, or you will be wronged). This appears after:
- A negation, such as: لم تتدرّب جيداً فتفوزَ (If you did not train well, you will not win).
- A prohibition, for example: لا تقصِّرْ فتندمَ (Do not fall short, or you will regret).
- A supplication, such as: ربِّ يسرّ لي أمري فأفوزَ (O Lord, make my affairs easy for me, so I may succeed).
- An inquiry, like: هل تسمعُني فأُحدّثَك؟ (Do you hear me so I can speak to you?).
- An offer, such as: ألا تمرّ بنا فتنالَ خيرًا (Would you not come by so that you may receive good?).
- An exhortation like: هلّا أعنتَ المحتاج فتؤجرَ (Would you help the needy for a reward?).
- A wish, for example: ليتك رافقتني فتعرفَ (I wish you had accompanied me so you would know).
- A wishful thinking like: لعلك معافًى فترافقَني (May you be healthy so you can accompany me).
- A request that includes the imperative form, such as: احترمني فأحترمَك (Respect me so I may respect you).
It should be noted that the Arabs allowed the omission of “أن” in their speech if context indicates it, and such sentences are preserved without extensiveness. An example is: تسمعَ بالمُعيديّ خيرٌ من أن تراه (Hearing about the person is better than seeing him), where it is inferred as: أن تسمعَ بالمُعيديّ خيرٌ من أن تراه (To hear about him is better than seeing him), where (تسمعَ) is an ascribed present tense verb indicated by the omitted “أن”, with its accusative sign marked by a visible fatha.
What Are the Signs of the Nomination of the Present Tense Verb?
As mentioned earlier, the present tense verb can be declinable or indicated by states such as static or active form. The following clarifies the signs of the ascription of the present tense verb preceding one of the ascribing particles:
- The Visible Fatha
The present tense verb is ascribed with a visible fatha when it is not connected to anything at its end, as in: لن أقبلَ بالظلم (I will not accept injustice). Other examples include: يجب أن ندعوَ الله (We must call upon God) and يبقى أن أشتريَ تذكرة السفر (It remains to buy the travel ticket). The verbs (أقبلَ, ندعوَ, أشتريَ) are ascribed by (لن, وأن), marked with a visible fatha at their ends.
- The Estimated Fatha
When the present tense verb is defective at its end with an alif, such as: يجب أن ترضى بما كتبَه الله لك (You must be satisfied with what Allah has destined for you), where (ترضى) is ascribed by (أن) and marked with an estimated fatha, inhibited from appearing due to difficulty, which means the impossibility of showing the action on the letter.
- Omission of the Noun Letter
If the ascribed verb is one of the five verbs, which are present and connected to “ألف الاثنين,” “واو الجماعة,” or “ياء المخاطبة,” such as: يُكرمان, تُكرمان, تُكرمون, يُكرمون, تُكرمين, then the sign of its ascription is the omission of the noun letter at the end.
Examples, in order: يجب أن يكرما الضيفَ (You must honor the guest), يجب أن تكرموا الضيفَ (You must honor the guest), يجب أن تكرمي الضيفَ (You must honor the guest). All these verbs are expressed as present tense verbs marked ascribed by the omission of the noun letter at their ends, as they belong to the five verbs.
Video About Tools for Ascribing the Present Tense Verb
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Examples of Tools for Ascribing the Present Tense Verb
Below are examples illustrating the tools used for ascribing the present tense verb:
Examples from the Holy Quran
- The Almighty said: “قالَ أَلَم أَقُل لَكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تستطيعَ مَعِيَ صَبرًا”
لن: A particle of ascription with no grammatical position.
تستطيع: A present tense verb ascribed with a visible fatha at its end.
- “فَالْتَقَطَهُ آلُ فِرْعَوْنَ لِيكونَ لَهُمْ عَدُوًّا وَحَزَنًا إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا كَانُوا خَاطِئِينَ”
ل: A particle of purpose with no grammatical position.
يكون: A present tense verb ascribed with a visible fatha at its end.
- “وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتسكُنوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ”
ل: A particle of purpose with no grammatical position.
تسكنوا: A present tense verb ascribed with the omission of the noun letter because it belongs to the five verbs.
Examples from the Sunnah
- The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “لَأن أقولَ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا طَلَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ”
أن: A source particle for ascription with no grammatical position.
أقول: A present tense verb ascribed with a visible fatha at its end.
- The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stated: “يَنزِلُ اللهُ كلَّ ليلةٍ حتى يبقى ثلثُ الليلِ الآخِرُ إلى سماءِ الدنيا فيقولُ من يدعوني فأستجيبَ له من يستغفرُني فأغفرَ له من يسألُني فأُعطِيَه”
حتى: A preposition with no grammatical position.
يبقى: A present tense verb ascribed through the omitted “أن,” with the sign of its ascription marked by an estimated fatha that is withheld due to difficulty.
Diverse Examples
- عليكم أن تحافظوا على نظافة مدرستكم
أن: A source particle for ascription with no grammatical position.
تحافظوا: A present tense verb ascribed with a visible fatha at its end.
- يجب أن أسعى في الخير
أن: A source particle for ascription with no grammatical position.
أسعى: A present tense verb ascribed with an estimated fatha, withheld due to difficulty.
- لن أرضى حتى أرى الحق بعيني.
لن: A particle of ascription with no grammatical position.
أرضى: A present tense verb ascribed with an estimated fatha at its end, withheld due to difficulty.
حتى: A particle of ascription with no grammatical position.
أرى: A present tense verb ascribed through the omitted “أن,” with the sign of its ascription marked by an estimated fatha, held back due to difficulty.
Exercises on Tools for Ascribing the Present Tense Verb
Correct the Error in the Following Sentences
- على الطلبة أن يتعاونون معًا على تحقيق النّجاح.
- أحب إخبار أمي بكلّ ما يحصل معي حتى تشعرُ بالثّقة تجاه تصرفاتي.
- ادرسا للامتحان جيّداً؛ كي تجتازانه بنجاح.
- ادّخر أموالك ليبقَ لديك ما يعينك وقت حاجتك.
Analyze the Underlined Words
- قال تعالى: “وأنزلنا إليك الذكْرَ لتبين للناس”
- لن أسمح لعدونا بالنّصر علينا ما دمت حيًا.
- لا أستطيع أن أرى بوضوح دون أن أرتدي نظارتي.
- لا بد من العمل على إحياء روح الأخوة بين أبناء المجتمع الواحد؛ حتى يصبح الأفراد أكثر قربًا من بعضهم بعضًا.
Fill in the Gaps with Appropriate Words
- قال المعلم: أيها الطّلبة عليكم أن………. جيداً لتحققوا أحلامكم.
- أحبّ السّفر والتّنقل كثيراً حتى ………. على الثّقافات الأخرى.
- أنام ثماني ساعات في اليوم ل………. جسمي.
- لن……….. حدودي مع والدي؛ لأنني أحترمهما.
In conclusion, this article has explored the tools for ascribing the present tense verb in various contexts, illustrated the different grammatical states for the ascribed present tense verb, and provided a series of clarifying examples from the Holy Quran and the Sunnah alongside various exercises related to the tools for ascribing the present tense verb.