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What Is an Ism al-Masdar? The “Other” Verbal Noun in Arabic
Arabic features اِسْم الْمَصْدَر (Ism al-Masdar), a shorter form of the original Masdar that often points to the action’s result. This article clarifies its difference from the primary Masdar (e.g., غِناءٌ vs. تَغْنِيَةٌ), showing its frequent use by native speakers for ease of pronunciation.
In the Arabic language, recognizing the subtle differences between words like تَغْنِيَةٌ (singing) and غِناءٌ (song) is crucial, as they highlight unique aspects of Arabic grammar related to verbal nouns.
This article explores the concept of اِسْم الْمَصْدَر (Ism al-Masdar), explaining how it differs from the original Masdar and why native speakers often prefer its usage to denote the result or outcome of an action.
Let’s make it practical: Do تَغْنِيَةٌ and غِناءٌ both mean the same? There is almost no difference in meaning. But there is a tiny one.
Although both words are often translated as singing or song, precisely speaking, غِناءٌ is song and تَغْنِيَةٌ is singing.
They are both a مَصْدَر of the verb: غَنَّى. But why do they look different?
You might know that the مَصْدَر of a II-verb (فَعَّلَ) follows a certain pattern: تَفْعِيل
For example: دَرَّسَ – تَدْرِيسٌ
This is correct for regular verbs. But the pattern looks different if the last letter of the root is a حَرْف عِلّة – one of these tricky letters, namely و or ي. The pattern then changes to: تَفْعِيلة
This is why the مَصْدَر of the verb غَنَّى is written like this: تَغْنِية
Now, what about the second word: غِناء?
This is called the اِسْم الْمَصْدَر. Normally, a اِسْم مَصْدَر is shorter than the original مَصْدَر.
Why does it almost mean the same as تَغْنِية?
- The masdar represents the action of the verb and
- the Ism al-Masdar is pointing more to the result / outcome of the action.
For native speakers, the regular form of the مَصْدَر is a bit difficult to pronounce. So, a simplified pronunciation became popular following the pattern of I-verb (فعل).
To sum it up: The original مَصْدَر is تَغْنِية and is called الْمَصْدَر الأَصْلِيّ. However, native speakers prefer to use the word غِناء instead. This is called the اِسْم الْمَصْدَر. Normally, a اِسْم مَصْدَر is shorter than the original مَصْدَر.
Forms like this occur quite often in Arabic and exist for almost all verb patterns. But before dealing with them, let us have a closer look again at the correct pronunciation of the word: غناء
| غَناء | The word غَناء with a فَتْحة under the غ is the مَصْدَر of the verb: غَنِىَ. This is a I-verb and means: to be rich. The مَصْدَر can be translated as wealth. |
| غِناء | Notice here the “i”-sound at the beginning of the word, the كَسْرة under the letter غ. This is the alternative مَصْدَر of the II-verb غَنَّىَ as explained above. The word means singing or song. |
So watch out for the pronunciation as without vowels, the words for song and wealth look the same!
Here are some examples for the اِسْم الْمَصْدَر:
| meaning | verb | pattern | المصدر الأصليّ | اسم المصدر |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| to sing | غَنَّىَ | فَعَّلَ | تَغْنِية | غِناء |
| to make a mistake | أَخْطَأَ | أَفْعَلَ | إخْطاء | خَطَأ |
| to travel | سافَرَ | فَاعَلَ | مُسافَرة | سَفَر |
| to buy things | اِشْتَرَى | اِفْتَعَلَ | اِشْتِراء | شِراء |
| to marry | تَزَوَّجَ | تَفَعَّلَ | تَزَوُّج | زَواج |
Do you know other masdar types in Arabic? For example, the ism al-Marra? More grammar-related stuff:
- Omar al-Mukhtar and the Airplanes Under the Throne
- Lexicalization in Arabic: The Secret Life of Broken Plurals
- The Truth About Emphatic Consonants in Arabic: Are They Really That Different?
- A Note from Us: Add Arabic for Nerds as a Preferred Source on Google
- Why is شَمْسٌ (“sun”) Feminine? A Guide to Arabic Verb Agreement & Gender
Wanna cite this article?
Drißner, G. (2016, January 2). What Is an Ism al-Masdar? The “Other” Verbal Noun in Arabic. Arabic for Nerds. https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/ism-masdar-arabic/
Published: January 2, 2016
Please check the citation before use, especially if your style guide has local requirements.
Publication ISSN: 3055-1730
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Agree. This is great. Those tricky letters can be so painfully and joyfully challenging.
This is great! Do you have any plans to compile all these recent posts into another book?
David Parfitt Yes, but I won’t just reuse the new blog posts. One book is in the making and I do have plans for other stuff (but simply not enough time)….
Great summary, shukran!
But there seems to be a mistake im the last two entries of the last table. Should it be tazawuj and zawāj?
Yes, I mixed up a line. Thanks for telling me. I have corrected it.