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Subject-Verb Agreement in Arabic: Do Verbs Agree with “Many” or the Noun?
Subject-verb agreement in Arabic can be tricky, especially with quantifiers like العديد من (“many”) and كُلّ (“all”). This article explores the concept of the “logical subject,” clarifying whether verbs should agree with the quantifier (grammatical subject) or the noun that follows it (semantic/logical subject), providing examples and classical vs. common usage.
Subject-verb agreement in Arabic can be a challenging area, especially when dealing with quantifiers like العديد من (“many”) and كُلّ (“all”).
This article delves into the concept of the “logical subject” in Arabic grammar, addressing the common confusion among learners and even native speakers on whether the verb should agree with the quantifier itself or the noun it governs.
We will explore a question about the logical subject that Katarzyna asked.
“I always had a problem with the form “العديد من”. For example, when I have a sentence: Many devices support program Windows. So is the subject of this sentence many or devices, and should the sentence be:
- … يدعم العديد من الأجهزة برنامج
- … تدعم العديد من الأجهزة برنامج
I asked many native Arabs, and they were contradicting each other. I guess this issue is worth investigating…”
Okay, let’s try.
The logical subject in Arabic
This is all about the correct form of the verb and the so-called subject-verb-agreement.
- Does the verb refer to العديد? Then it should be يدعم.
- Or does it refer to الأجهزة? Then it should be تدعم.
This is indeed an interesting topic. It has to do with the so-called “logical subject”: Foremost, I guess there is no right or wrong on this issue. I also asked a senior grammar expert about his opinion.
The problem with quantifiers is whether they should be treated like real (masculine singular) nouns or ignored in verbal agreement. In English, you ignore quantifiers: You say “some / a lot of people are here” not “is here”.
However, in Arabic they are true nouns (اِسم) and form an إضافة with the following noun, so they should be treated as the main noun.
But since semantically they are not the salient part, people often make the verb agree with the following word.
In short, classically, you should write يدعم, since the word عديد is technically a masculine noun and serves as the subject (it is marked by a ضَمّة).
However, you can use the “logical subject” as well for agreement. The verb is تدعم then. This is similar to كل. The word كل is a masculine singular noun; verbs and adjectives may (should) agree in the masculine singular.
But it is also common for the verb or adjective (صِفة / نَعت) to agree with the gender and number of the word governed by كل – i.e. the so called “logical subject“.
Which verb form should you use with كُلّ?
Let’s decode the verb agreement with كُلّ which can denote all or every.
- Verbs and adjectives agree in the masculine singular as كُلّ is a masculine singular noun: For example: They are all silent – كُلُّهُم صامِتٌ
- The adjective or verb agrees with the gender and number of the logical subject (=2nd part of the إضافة). For example, We will all go – كُلُّنا سَنَذْهَبُ
The same is true for the word جَمِيعٌ. When it is the first part of an Idafa (إضافة), the agreement is usually with the number and gender of the logical subject (=2nd part of the Idafa).
I am happy to hear your opinion about this topic!
Wanna cite this article?
Drißner, G. (2016, April 30). Subject-Verb Agreement in Arabic: Do Verbs Agree with “Many” or the Noun?. Arabic for Nerds. https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/logical-subject-arabic/
Published: April 30, 2016
Please check the citation before use, especially if your style guide has local requirements.
Publication ISSN: 3055-1730
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