LAST UPDATED: 1 month ago
You can use the نُون التَّوْكِيد (emphasis with the letter ن – also called energetic mood) with the present tense (الْمُضارِع) and the imperative (أَمْر) – but you cannot use it with the past (الْماضِي).
Here is how it works.
| The light ن | ن خَفِيفة ساكِنة |
It is formed by adding a ن with a سُكُون
| Obey your parents! | أَطْيَعَنْ والِدَّيْكَ! |
| The strong/heavy ن | ن ثَقِيلة |
This form is more common. Here is how you build it:
- Delete the ضمّة on the verb (marker for present tense) or delete the final ن if the verb-form belongs to the so called الْأفْعال الْخَمْسة (“five verbs”)
- Add a fatha (فَتْحة) on the last letter
- Finally, add نَّ → Note: do the same for the imperative
| Do you (really) help your friend? | هَلْ تُساعِدَنَّ زَمِيلَكَ؟ |
Did you know? There are many ways to emphasize in Arabic. You could use the letter ب or the word من or use separate pronouns.
In case you want to dive deeper into the grammar ocean…
- Is it possible to cut off the ن in كانَ?
- How to pass the Al-Jazeera Arabic grammar test – a survival guide
- English tenses in Arabic – a comprehensive guide
- How do you build the imperative of قالَ in the dual?
- What kind of word is حُرِّيّةٌ in Arabic?
Picture credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
