دَرْسُ الشَّرْطِ

The Lesson of Conditional Sentences

الفصل الأول | Chapter One

"إِنْ تَدْخُلْ بَيْتِي، تَجِدْ مَا تَبْحَثُ عَنْهُ."

"If you enter my house, you will find what you seek."

وَقَفْتُ أَمَامَ بَابِ الأَرْمَلَةِ. كَانَتْ فِي الأَرْبَعِينَ، غَنِيَّةً وَجَمِيلَةً.

I stood before the widow's door. She was in her forties, rich and beautiful.

"وَإِنْ لَمْ أَدْخُلْ؟"

"And if I don't enter?"

"تَخْسَرْ فُرْصَةً لَنْ تَتَكَرَّرَ."

"You will lose an opportunity that won't repeat."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

أُسْلُوبُ الشَّرْطِ (uslūb al-sharṭ) - Conditional Sentences

A conditional sentence has three parts:

أداة الشرط (conditional particle): إِنْ (if)
فعل الشرط (condition/protasis): تَدْخُلْ (you enter)
جواب الشرط (result/apodosis): تَجِدْ (you find)

إِنْ تَدْخُلْ، تَجِدْ:

Both verbs are in the jussive (مجزوم) after إِنْ

الفصل الثاني | Chapter Two

دَخَلْتُ. جَلَسَتْ أَمَامِي.

I entered. She sat before me.

"مَنْ يَطْلُبِ العِلْمَ يَجِدْهُ،" قَالَتْ.

"Whoever seeks knowledge finds it," she said.

"هَذَا شَرْطٌ أَيْضًا؟"

"This is also a conditional?"

"نَعَمْ. 'مَنْ' أَدَاةُ شَرْطٍ."

"Yes. 'Man' is a conditional particle."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

أدوات الشرط الجازمة - Jussive Conditional Particles

| الأداة | Particle | المعنى | Meaning | |--------|----------|--------|---------| | إِنْ | if | شرط عام | general condition | | مَنْ | whoever | للعاقل | for people | | مَا | whatever | لغير العاقل | for things | | مَتَى | whenever | للزمان | for time | | أَيْنَمَا | wherever | للمكان | for place | | كَيْفَمَا | however | للحال | for manner |

All require the jussive mood for both verbs.

الفصل الثالث | Chapter Three

"مَتَى تُرِدْ أَنْ تَتَعَلَّمَ، تَجِدْنِي هُنَا."

"Whenever you want to learn, you will find me here."

"وَأَيْنَمَا أَذْهَبْ، أَفَكِّرُ فِيكِ."

"And wherever I go, I think of you."

اِبْتَسَمَتْ. "أَنْتَ تَتَعَلَّمُ بِسُرْعَةٍ."

She smiled. "You learn quickly."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

إعراب جملة الشرط - Parsing Conditional Sentences

مَتَى تُرِدْ تَجِدْنِي:

مَتَى: اسم شرط جازم، مبني في محل نصب ظرف زمان
تُرِدْ: فعل الشرط مجزوم بحذف حرف العلة
تَجِدْ: جواب الشرط مجزوم بالسكون
نِي: ضمير متصل في محل نصب مفعول به

الفصل الرابع | Chapter Four

اِقْتَرَبَتْ مِنِّي. "لَوْ عَرَفْتَ مَا فِي قَلْبِي..."

She approached me. "If you knew what is in my heart..."

"مَاذَا؟"

"What?"

"لَوْ عَرَفْتَ، لَهَرَبْتَ أَوْ بَقِيتَ إِلَى الأَبَدِ."

"If you knew, you would have fled or stayed forever."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

لَوْ الشرطية - Conditional Law

لَوْ is used for unreal/hypothetical conditions:

لَوْ عَرَفْتَ، لَهَرَبْتَ = If you had known, you would have fled

| الأداة | Type | المعنى | |--------|------|--------| | إِنْ | جازمة | possible condition | | لَوْ | غير جازمة | impossible/hypothetical |

لَوْ + الماضي = contrary to fact (past) The لام in the جواب (لَهَرَبْتَ) is optional but common.

الفصل الخامس | Chapter Five

"وَلَوْلَا خَوْفِي مِنَ النَّاسِ، لَأَخْبَرْتُكَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ."

"And if it weren't for my fear of people, I would have told you everything."

"لَوْلَا... مَاذَا تَعْنِي؟"

"Lawlā... what does it mean?"

"تَعْنِي أَنَّ شَيْئًا مَنَعَ شَيْئًا آخَرَ."

"It means that something prevented something else."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

لَوْلَا الامتناعية - Lawlā (If it weren't for)

لَوْلَا indicates something prevented an outcome:

لَوْلَا خَوْفِي، لَأَخْبَرْتُكَ
"If it weren't for my fear, I would have told you"

Structure:

لَوْلَا + اسم مرفوع (المبتدأ) + خبر محذوف تقديره "موجود"
جواب لولا: غالبًا مقترن باللام

لَوْلَا المَطَرُ لَذَهَبْتُ = If it weren't for the rain, I would have gone

الفصل السادس | Chapter Six

وَضَعَتْ يَدَهَا عَلَى يَدِي. "إِذَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَبْقَى، فَابْقَ."

She placed her hand on mine. "If you want to stay, then stay."

"إِذَا... وَلَيْسَ إِنْ؟"

"Idhā... and not in?"

"إِذَا لِلمُسْتَقْبَلِ المُحَقَّقِ. وَإِنْ لِلاِحْتِمَالِ."

"Idhā is for certain future. And in is for possibility."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

إِذَا الشرطية - Conditional Idhā

إِذَا is for conditions likely to occur:

إِذَا جَاءَ الصَّيْفُ، سَافَرْتُ = When summer comes, I'll travel
إِذَا أَرَدْتَ، فَابْقَ = If you want, (then) stay

| الأداة | احتمال التحقق | |--------|--------------| | إِنْ | محتمل أو نادر | | إِذَا | متوقع أو مؤكد |

Note: إِذَا is followed by a past tense verb (with future meaning) and doesn't cause jussive.

الفصل السابع | Chapter Seven

"إِنْ تَبْقَ اللَّيْلَةَ، تَعْرِفْ أَسْرَارِي."

"If you stay tonight, you will know my secrets."

"وَإِنْ لَمْ أَبْقَ؟"

"And if I don't stay?"

"تَظَلَّ تَتَسَاءَلُ طُولَ عُمْرِكَ."

"You will keep wondering your whole life."

بَقِيتُ.

I stayed.

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

النفي في الشرط - Negation in Conditionals

إِنْ + لَمْ = if not:

إِنْ لَمْ أَبْقَ = If I don't stay

لَمْ already causes jussive, so with إِنْ:

إِنْ لَمْ أَبْقَ، تَظَلَّ... (both verbs are jussive)

Alternative: إِلَّا (unless)

لَنْ أَذْهَبَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَطْلُبَ = I won't go unless you ask

الخاتمة | Conclusion

تَعَلَّمْتُ فِي تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ أَنَّ الحَيَاةَ مَلِيئَةٌ بِالشُّرُوطِ.

I learned that night that life is full of conditions.

إِنْ نَخْتَرْ بِحِكْمَةٍ، نَجِدِ السَّعَادَةَ.

If we choose wisely, we find happiness.

وَلَوْ لَمْ أَدْخُلْ ذَلِكَ البَابَ، لَمَا عَرَفْتُ الشَّرْطَ وَلَا الحُبَّ.

And if I hadn't entered that door, I wouldn't have known conditionals or love.

ملخص القواعد | Grammar Summary

أسلوب الشرط - Conditional Sentences:

الأركان: أداة الشرط + فعل الشرط + جواب الشرط
الأدوات الجازمة: إِنْ، مَنْ، مَا، مَتَى، أَيْنَمَا، كَيْفَمَا
إِذَا: للمستقبل المتوقع، لا تجزم
لَوْ: للشرط المستحيل أو غير المحقق
لَوْلَا: للامتناع (لولا كذا لكان كذا)
الفاء: قد تربط جواب الشرط (فَـ)

تمارين | Exercises

أَكْمِلْ جُمَلَ الشَّرْطِ التَّالِيَةَ: Complete the following conditional sentences:

إِنْ تَدْرُسْ... (you study → you succeed)
مَنْ يَعْمَلْ... (whoever works → he earns)
لَوْ كُنْتُ غَنِيًّا... (if I were rich → I would travel)
إِذَا جَاءَ الرَّبِيعُ... (when spring comes → flowers bloom)
لَوْلَا المَرَضُ... (if not for illness → I would have gone)

انتهى الدرس العشرون End of the Twentieth Lesson