The Nun for emphasis – how does it work in Arabic?

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.

It is formed by adding a ن with a سُكُون

This form is more common. Here is how you build it:

1. 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”)
2. Add a fatha (فَتْحة) on the last letter
3. Finally, add نَّ → Note: do the same for the imperative

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.

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Picture credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay