0544 Cambridge Arabic

LIST OF GRAMMAR & STRUCTURES

(for first examination in June 2015)
2 January 2013

The list of structures and grammar is provided in order to give a clear indication of the
grammatical knowledge expected of candidates in the examination.

The list is divided into two parts.

Structures listed in the left-hand column may be tested anywhere on the question papers.

Structures listed in the right-hand column may be tested in Section 3 of Paper 2 Reading,
Paper 3 Speaking and in Section 2 of Paper 4 Writing. The lists are not intended to be
restrictive and able pupils should be encouraged to progress beyond the list at the highest
level.

Where language content is chosen by the candidate, e.g. in the prepared topic of Paper 3
and in some aspects of extended writing in Paper 4, s/he is free to go beyond the prescribed
lists.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Arabic Script 7 Pronouns

A Alphabet and Figures
B Vowelling 8 Numbers and Time
C Handwriting
9 Verbs and Sentence Structure
2 Nouns A Non-verbal Sentences
A Gender B Imperfect
B Plural / Dual C Perfect
C Case Endings D Imperative
E Active Participle
3 The Article F Passive Participle
G Negative
H Passive
4 Demonstratives
I Word Order
5 Adjectives
10 Adverbs
A Formation and Position of Adjectives
B Comparison of Adjectives 11 Interrogatives
C Superlatives
12 Conjunctions
6 Possessives

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 (1) ARABIC SCRIPT
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

A ALPHABET AND FIGURES A ALPHABETS AND FIGURES

1 All letters of the alphabet in all positions

including taa’ marbuuTa ( ‫) ة‬

2 Use of lam-alif

3 Spelling of hamza in common words

e.g. ‫رأﻳﺖ‬ ،‫ ﻣﺎﺋﺪ ة‬،‫ إن‬،‫أﻧﻒ‬
4 Sun and moon letters

5 Arabic figures

B VOWELLING B VOWELLING
Short and long vowels active use of vowel signs
Receptive use of vowel signs (fatHa, kasra, Damma, sukuun,
shaddda, tanwi:n)

C HANDWRITING C HANDWRITING
clear naskh or ruq’a handwriting

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 (2) NOUNS
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

A GENDER A GENDER
feminine taa’ marbuuTa ( ‫) ة‬ main exceptions to gender rules, e.g. countries

B PLURAL/DUAL B PLURAL/DUAL

1 Sound Plurals 1 Plurals

Sound Masculine Plural (SMP)

Sound Feminine Plural (SFP)

receptive use of dual endings active use of dual endings

2 Broken plurals 2 Broken plurals

simple broken plurals, e.g. ‫ ﻣﺪارس‬،‫ﻣﺪرﺳﺔ‬ / ‫ آﻼب‬،‫آﻠﺐ‬ more broken plurals, e.g. ‫وزراء‬ ،‫ وزﻳﺮ‬/ ‫ ﺣﻘﺎﺋﺐ‬،‫ﺣﻘﻴﺒﺔ‬
3 Non-human plural nouns
treatment of non-human plural nouns as grammatically
feminine singular

C CASE ENDINGS C CASE ENDINGS

1 Use of case endings 1 Use of case endings

receptive: awareness of use of case endings (nominative / active: basic knowledge of case endings (nominative /
accusative / genitive) in formal/classical Arabic accusative / genitive), particularly changes to SMP and Dual

2 Use of accusative alif ‫ًا‬

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 (3) THE ARTICLE
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

1 use of ‫ ال‬to indicate definite

2 elision of ‫ ال‬after vowel

(4) DEMONSTRATIVES
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

1 masculine/feminine singular demonstratives

‫ ﺗﻠﻚ‬،‫ ذﻟﻚ‬،‫ هﺬﻩ‬،‫هﺬا‬

2 plural demonstratives
‫ أوﻻﺋﻚ‬،‫هﺆﻻء‬

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 (5) ADJECTIVES
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

A FORMATION AND POSITION OF ADJECTIVES A FORMATION AND POSITION OF ADJECTIVES

1 Position of adjectives

2 Masculine/feminine singular adjectives

3 Common plural adjectives 3 Common plural adjectives

receptive use, for people, e.g. ‫آﺒﺎر‬ active use

4 Colour adjectives
singular and plural

5 Negative
(‘un-’ / ‘not’) with ‫ﻏﻴﺮ‬

B COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES B COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

comparative pattern ‫أﻓﻌﻞ‬ ‫ أآﺜﺮ‬+ noun
C SUPERLATIVES C SUPERLATIVES

1 Superlative ‫اﻷﻓﻌﻞ‬
2 Receptive use: common feminine superlatives, e.g. 2 Active use: common feminine superlatives
‫اﻟﻜﺒﺮى‬

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 (6) POSSESSIVES
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

1 possessive endings, except dual endings and feminine plural 1 active use: dual and feminine plural possessives

2 possessive iDaafa construction 2 active use: SMP / dual in iDaafa

3 use of ‫ ﻋﻨﺪ‬and ‫ل‬

ِ to describe possession

(7) PRONOUNS
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

1 all subject pronouns, e.g. ‫ أﻧﺖ‬،‫أﻧﺎ‬

2 object pronoun endings with verbs (except dual and feminine 2 active use: dual and feminine plural object endings
plural)

3 pronoun endings combined with ‫ل‬

ِ and ‫ب‬ .

4 relative pronouns ‫اﻟﺘﻲ‬ / ‫اﻟﺬي‬ 4 other relative pronouns

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 (8) NUMBERS AND TIME
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

1 cardinal and ordinal numbers (masculine and feminine) to 1 numbers 1000+ (isolated form)
1000 (isolated form) [Arabic figures accepted in writing
paper]

2 1–10 + plural noun; 11 upwards + singular noun

3 Westernised calendar months, e.g. ‫ ﻓﺒﺮاﻳﺮ‬،‫ﻳﻨﺎﻳﺮ‬

4 clock times (12-hour analogue), including ‫اﻻ‬

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 (9) VERBS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

A NON-VERBAL SENTENCES A NON-VERBAL SENTENCES

1 Simple non-verbal sentences, e.g. 1 Use of ‫ن‬

ّ ‫ إ‬to introduce non-verbal sentences

‫ أﻧﺎ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺒﻨﻚ‬،‫ هﺬﻩ ﺳﻴﺎرة‬،‫هﻮ ﻣﻬﻨﺪس‬

2 Descriptive sentences beginning with ‫هﻨﺎك‬

3 Negative with ‫ﻟﻴﺲ‬

4 Nominal sentences in the past with ‫آﺎن‬ 4 ‫ آﺎن‬+ accusative alif ‫ًا‬

B IMPERFECT (PRESENT) ‫اﻟﻤﻀﺎرع‬ B IMPERFECT ‫اﻟﻤﻀﺎرع‬

1 Basic verbs in the imperfect 1 Variations in vowelling verbal forms

2 Double, hollow and weak basic verb patterns 2 Double, hollow and weak in verbal forms

3 Common unusual verbs, e.g. ‫ﻳﺠﻲء‬ ،‫ﻳﺮى‬

4 Future prefix ‫ ﺳﻮف‬or ‫س‬

5 ‫ ﺗﻔﻌﻠﻲ‬،‫ﻳﻔﻌﻠﻮا‬ after ‫ أن‬etc

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C PERFECT (PAST) ‫اﻟﻤﺎﺿﻲ‬ C PERFECT ‫اﻟﻤﺎﺿﻲ‬

1 Basic verbs in the perfect 1 Variations in verbal forms

2 Double, hollow and weak basic verb patterns 2 Double, hollow and weak in verbal forms

3 Common unusual verbs, e.g. ‫ﺟﺎء‬ ،‫رأى‬

4 Perfect with ‫ ﻗﺪ‬and ‫آﺎن‬

D IMPERATIVE D IMPERATIVE

receptive use active use

E ACTIVE PARTICIPLE E ACTIVE PARTICIPLE

1 Formation from basic verb 1 Formation from verbal forms

2 Use as adjective/noun, e.g. ‫اﻟﻼﻋﺐ‬

F PASSIVE PARTICIPLE F PASSIVE PARTICIPLE

1 Formation from basic verb 1 Formation from verbal forms

2 Use as adjective/noun, e.g. ‫اﻟﻤﺠﻨﻮن‬ ،‫ﻣﻜﺴﻮر‬

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G NEGATIVE G NEGATIVE

1 Imperfect negative with ‫ﻻ‬

2 Perfect negative with ‫ ﻟﻢ‬/ ‫ﻣﺎ‬

3 Receptive: future negative with ‫ﻟﻦ‬ 3 Active: future negative with ‫ﻟﻦ‬

H PASSIVE H PASSIVE

receptive: passive voice ‫ﻳُﻔﻌَﻞ‬ ،َ‫ُﻓ ِﻌﻞ‬

I WORD ORDER I WORD ORDER
word order for verbal sentences agreement of subject before / after verbs

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 (10) ADVERBS
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

1 common adverbs of time / place / manner, e.g.

‫ ﻗﺮﻳﺒًﺎ‬،‫ أﻣﺲ‬،ً‫ ﻏﺪا‬،‫ اﻵن‬،‫اﻟﻴﻮم‬

2 ‫ب‬ + noun, e.g. ‫ﺑﺴﺮﻋﺔ‬

3 receptive use of adverbial accusative, e.g. ‫ﻣﺒﺎﺷﺮ ًة‬

(11) INTERROGATIVES
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

1 use of ‫ هﻞ‬and ‫ أ‬for yes/no questions 1 agreement of ‫أﻳﺔ‬ / ‫أي‬

2 common question words, e.g. 2 ‫ آﻢ‬+ singular accusative, e.g. ‫آﻢ وﻟﺪّا‬
‫ آﻢ‬،‫ ﻣﺘﻰ‬،‫ آﻴﻒ‬،‫ ﻣﻦ‬،‫ أﻳﻦ‬،‫ ﻣﺎذا‬،‫ﻣﺎ‬

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 (12) CONJUNCTIONS
Part 1: all sections of Papers 2, 3 and 4 Part 2: Section 3 of Paper 2, Section 2 of Paper 4

1 common conjunctions, e.g. ‫ن‬

ّ‫أ‬ ‫ آﻤﺎ‬،‫ ﺣﻴﺚ‬،‫ إﻻ‬،‫ ﻷن‬،‫ ﻟﻜﻦ‬،‫ﺛﻢ‬

2 less common conjunctions, e.g. ‫ ﻣﻨﺬ‬،‫ ﻗﺒﻞ ﻣﺎ‬/ ‫ ﺑﻌﺪ ﻣﺎ‬،‫ﻟﺬﻟﻚ‬

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