A nominal sentence (الجملة الاسمية) starts with a noun. That noun is the subject (المبتدأ), and the rest of the sentence is the predicate (الخبر) that says something about it.
This lesson belongs to nominal sentence foundations. Next you can learn to connect subject and predicate meaning.
How do I tell a nominal sentence from a verbal one?
Look only at the first word. A noun means nominal, and a verb means verbal.
| Sentence | First word | Type |
|---|---|---|
| الكتابُ جديدٌ | noun (الكتاب, the book) | nominal |
| فتحَ الولدُ الكتابَ | verb (فتح, opened) | verbal |
Both sentences talk about a book, yet they are built differently. One describes the book, and the other reports an action.
Worked example: classify three sentences in a passage
Here is an original passage about a park, with an English gloss for each line.
- الحديقةُ واسعةٌ. (The park is wide.)
- يلعبُ الأولادُ فيها. (The children play in it.)
- الأمُّ تجلسُ تحتَ الشجرةِ. (The mother sits under the tree.)
Sentence 1. The first word الحديقة is a noun, so the sentence is nominal. The subject is الحديقة and the predicate is واسعة.
Sentence 2. The first word يلعب is a verb, so the sentence is verbal. The doer is الأولاد.
Sentence 3. The first word الأم is a noun, so the sentence is nominal. The subject is الأم, and the predicate is the whole phrase تجلس تحت الشجرة.
The mistake that costs marks
Sentence 3 tempts students to call it verbal, because it contains the verb تجلس. The habit is to hunt for a verb anywhere in the sentence instead of looking at the first word.
The fix is to cover everything after the first word. If what you can see is a noun, label the sentence nominal, then ask which part is the predicate. A verb inside a predicate does not change the type.
A sentence that starts with a prepositional phrase
Occasionally a sentence opens with a phrase such as في البيتِ كتابٌ (in the house there is a book). The phrase في البيت comes first, but the subject is still كتاب, and the sentence is still nominal.
At this level, treat a sentence that opens with a preposition and a location as a nominal sentence whose predicate has been placed first. Your teacher or textbook will show this pattern in more depth.
Check yourself
Label each sentence as nominal or verbal, and name the first word.
- الطقسُ جميلٌ اليومَ. (The weather is nice today.)
- ذهبَ عليٌّ إلى المدرسةِ. (Ali went to school.)
- المعلمةُ تكتبُ على السبورةِ. (The teacher writes on the board.)
Answer
- Nominal. The first word الطقس is a noun, and جميل is the predicate.
- Verbal. The first word ذهب is a verb, and the doer is علي.
- Nominal. The first word المعلمة is a noun. The verb تكتب is inside the predicate, like تجلس in the park passage.
What to study next
Once you can spot the subject, the next step is checking that the predicate makes sense. Continue with connecting subject and predicate meaning, then try the nominal sentence practice set.
If you want a teacher to go through your own passages with you, see online one-to-one Arabic tuition.