The Indefinite Article

The indefinite article a (n) in English is mainly used with singular count nouns. It has three basic functions: to denote one particular individual with its specific characteristics, e.g. a boy in A boy came to see you this morning, to denote one or another of the class presented, e.g. a doctor in John is a doctor, and to generically represent a class whose characteristics are embodied in the specimen, e.g. a lion in A lion can be dangerous

Arabic uses the indefinite article, i. e Arabic uses the indefinite article, i.e., 'nunation‘ التنوين to perform two of the three functions: denoting one particular individual with its specific characteristics, and denoting one or another of the class presented.

Examples: A girl came. جاءت فتاة A saw a dog. رأيت كلباً Fatimah is an actress. فاطمة ممثلة Ali is a judge. على قاض

To perform the generic function, Arabic uses ال Example: A book is a good companion الكتاب صديق جيد

Translate into Arabic My father ate an apple. A snake has no legs. I need a book on sculpture. A boy kicked the ball. A car is very useful these days. There was a king named Shahrayar. Amina is an intelligent girl.

Translate into Arabic Omar has written a dozen papers. Zayd's sister has a fever. The manager was a little confused. What a great win! Tomatoes are one dollar a kilo. This is a cheese made from pure goat's milk I will visit you on a Friday. Everyone takes Khalid for a fool.

The Definite Article The function of the definite article in English the and Arabic ال is to define, determine, individualize, familiarize. The definite article is used with all kinds of nouns (except proper nouns): singular and plural, mass and countable, concrete and abstract.

Basically, the contexts that discoursally call for the use of the definite article include shared knowledge about entities, e.g. the moon and the church; part-whole relationship, i.e., entities being part of the context at hand, e.g. the blackboard in Put your name on the blackboard and the books in Most of the books that were stolen;

and previous mention of some entity, e. g and previous mention of some entity, e.g. the lecture in this exchange: (Speaker) I attended an interesting lecture yesterday (Hearer) What was the lecture about?

Examples

Further, the definite article is used with some proper nouns and place names in both English and Arabic, despite the fact that they are definite by nature.

These include names of countries, e. g These include names of countries, e.g. the Congo الكونغو and the United States bodies of water, e.g. the Indian Ocean, the Euphratesنهر الفرات, buildings, e.g. the Sheraton Hotel and the Kremlin; mountain ranges and deserts, e.g. the Alps and the Empty Quarter الربع الخالي

Literary works the Iliad الاليادة, the Newsweek مجلة النيوزيوك, the proper names in the plural, the Johnsons عائلة جونسون. Names of musical instruments The lute الشبابة Adjectives with more than one individual The old and the young الشيب والشباب

Possessive constructions The boy’s book

The definite article can be used generically in both English and Arabic.

Translate the following English sentences into Arabic. The Quran has been translated many times. The Earth revolves around the sun. Four of the children were at school. Everyone has to hand in the paper next week. The cat is a tame animal. The bat is a mammal. The man who gave us the ball left for Paris.