WORD ORDER AND SENTENCE BUILDING

A sentence gives information about someone or something. The subject is the person or thing being discussed, a verb names an action or event, and an object receives the action. In an ordinary Sudanese Arabic action sentence, subject–verb–object is a useful starting order. Time and place information can then be added without an English helping verb such as “do”.

Sudanese Arabic also has complete sentences without a present-tense word for “am”, “is”, or “are”. These connect a subject directly to an identity, description, or location. The part that tells us something about the subject is called the predicate. In “the house is big”, “big” is the predicate; in “Ali is at home”, “at home” is the predicate. This distinction will make negation much easier to understand.

Word order is flexible enough to put familiar or important information first, and a verb can also come before its subject. The neutral subject-first patterns below are a dependable beginner model, not a restriction on everything a Sudanese speaker can say.

The short joining word و (wa) means “and.” A pronoun such as “I” can be omitted when a verb form and the situation make the subject clear. By contrast, simply removing an identifying subject from an isolated description can leave the listener without enough information.

Pattern: Ordinary action statement: subject + verb + object. Present identity, description, or location: subject + predicate, with no spoken equivalent of “am/is/are”.

Examples:

‏علي بيشرب شاي.‏‎ ('ali biyashrab shaay) — Ali drinks tea.

‏سارة بتكتب رسالة.‏‎ (saara bitaktib risaala) — Sara writes a message.

‏أنا باكل فول.‏‎ (ana baakul fuul) — I eat fava beans.

‏نحنا بندرس عربي.‏‎ (nihna binadrus 'arabi) — We study Arabic.

‏الأولاد بيلعبوا كورة.‏‎ (al-awlaad biyal'abu kuura) — The children play football.

‏أنا طالب.‏‎ (ana taalib) — I am a male student.

‏هي طالبة.‏‎ (hi taaliba) — She is a student.

‏البيت كبير.‏‎ (al-beet kabiir) — The house is big.

‏الموية باردة.‏‎ (al-mooya baarida) — The water is cold.

‏علي في البيت.‏‎ ('ali fi al-beet) — Ali is at home.

‏في موية.‏‎ (fi mooya) — There is water.

‏عندي كتاب.‏‎ ('indi kitaab) — I have a book.

MAKING POSITIVE STATEMENTS

A positive statement presents information without a negative word. With an action, the verb carries information about who does it; with a present identity or description, the subject and predicate stand together. The small word في (fi) introduces something that exists or is available. It is therefore useful to distinguish “there is a book” from “the book is here”: the first introduces an item, while the second locates an already identified item.

The English article “a” is not normally translated by a separate word in a simple Sudanese Arabic noun phrase. A profession after a pronoun can therefore appear directly, as in “I — student”. The endings on descriptions matter too: كويس (kuwayyis) describes a man, while كويسة (kuwayyisa) describes a woman. The examples give complete positive sentences rather than isolated noun labels.

Pattern: Present identity: subject + unmarked profession or identity noun. Existence: fi + the item being introduced. Positive action: the appropriate affirmative verb form, without maa.

Examples:

‏أنا كويس.‏‎ (ana kuwayyis) — I am well. Male speaker.

‏أنا كويسة.‏‎ (ana kuwayyisa) — I am well. Female speaker.

‏هو دكتور.‏‎ (hu duktuur) — He is a doctor.

‏هي مدرسة.‏‎ (hi mudarrisa) — She is a teacher.

‏الكتاب هنا.‏‎ (al-kitaab hina) — The book is here.

‏في شاي.‏‎ (fi shaay) — There is tea.

‏علي بيكتب.‏‎ ('ali biyaktib) — Ali writes.

‏سارة بتدرس.‏‎ (saara bitadrus) — Sara studies.

MAKING NEGATIVE STATEMENTS

Negation says that an action does not happen or that a description, identity, possession, or location is not true. In the Sudanese patterns used here, ما (maa) is placed before the predicate. An explicit subject can remain at the beginning. There is no need to insert English “do” or to use the formal Arabic verb ليس (laysa) as a general beginner equivalent of “is not”.

For an action sentence, put maa immediately before the whole verb expression. Keep the verb’s subject form and its time marking: making a statement negative does not turn a present verb into a past verb. For a sentence without a present copula, put maa before the noun, adjective, or place phrase that you are denying. This gives one manageable system for “not a doctor”, “not cold”, and “not at home”, as well as for ordinary verbal negatives.

Existence and possession follow the same practical principle. ما في (maa fi), also written together as مافي, means “there is not” or “there are no”; ما عندي (maa 'indi) means “I do not have”. A word such as ما (maa) can have other jobs in longer expressions introduced later, so its presence does not make every possible expression negative. The patterns here concern complete simple statements. Negative commands use a related but separate pattern in Chapter 5.

Pattern: Subject + maa + verb expression; subject + maa + noun/adjective/place phrase; maa fi + item; maa + possession expression.

Examples:

‏أنا ما طالب.‏‎ (ana maa taalib) — I am not a male student.

‏هي ما دكتورة.‏‎ (hi maa duktuura) — She is not a doctor.

‏علي ما كويس.‏‎ ('ali maa kuwayyis) — Ali is not well.

‏سارة ما تعبانة.‏‎ (saara maa ta'baana) — Sara is not tired.

‏الشاي ما بارد.‏‎ (ash-shaay maa baarid) — The tea is not cold.

‏الموية ما حارة.‏‎ (al-mooya maa haarra) — The water is not hot.

‏أنا ما في البيت.‏‎ (ana maa fi al-beet) — I am not at home.

‏الكتاب ما هنا.‏‎ (al-kitaab maa hina) — The book is not here.

‏هو ما بيكتب.‏‎ (hu maa biyaktib) — He does not write.

‏هي ما بتدرس.‏‎ (hi maa bitadrus) — She does not study.

‏أنا ما بشرب شاي.‏‎ (ana maa bashrab shaay) — I do not drink tea.

‏نحنا ما بناكل هنا.‏‎ (nihna maa binaakul hina) — We do not eat here.

‏ما في موية.‏‎ (maa fi mooya) — There is no water.

‏ما عندي كتاب.‏‎ (maa 'indi kitaab) — I do not have a book.

‏البيت دا ما كبير.‏‎ (al-beet daa maa kabiir) — This house is not big.

FORMING QUESTIONS

A question asks the listener for information rather than presenting it as a fact. Some questions need a yes-or-no reply, while others ask for a person, place, time, reason, quantity, or method. Sudanese Arabic uses the shape and intonation of the whole sentence together with familiar question words; English-style subject–helping-verb inversion is not the basic model.

Yes/No Question Formation

A straightforward yes/no question can keep the same word order as a statement. In speech, questioning intonation and the situation show that you are asking; in writing, a question mark makes this clear. This works with an action verb and with a present sentence that has no word for “is”. The formal question particle هل (hal) is not needed for the ordinary conversational questions taught here.

The question word order does not change the gender or number of the person addressed. إنت (inta) addresses one man, while إنتي (inti) addresses one woman; a following description also needs the appropriate form. A brief affirmative response can be آي (aay), “yes”, and a negative reply can begin with لا (laa), “no”. A fuller reply repeats the relevant information so that the listener knows exactly what is being confirmed or denied.

Pattern: Statement word order + questioning intonation; add ؟ in Arabic writing. No English-style “do/does” insertion.

Examples:

‏إنت طالب؟‏‎ (inta taalib) — Are you a male student?

‏إنتي طالبة؟‏‎ (inti taaliba) — Are you a female student?

‏هو دكتور؟‏‎ (hu duktuur) — Is he a doctor?

‏هي مدرسة؟‏‎ (hi mudarrisa) — Is she a teacher?

‏الكتاب جديد؟‏‎ (al-kitaab jadiid) — Is the book new?

‏الموية باردة؟‏‎ (al-mooya baarida) — Is the water cold?

‏علي في البيت؟‏‎ ('ali fi al-beet) — Is Ali at home?

‏في شاي؟‏‎ (fi shaay) — Is there tea?

‏عندك كتاب؟‏‎ ('indak kitaab) — Do you have a book? Addressing a man.

‏إنت بتدرس عربي؟‏‎ (inta bitadrus 'arabi) — Do you study Arabic? Addressing a man.

‏سارة بتكتب؟‏‎ (saara bitaktib) — Does Sara write?

‏هم هنا؟‏‎ (hum hina) — Are they here?

Wh-Questions

An information question contains a word that identifies what you need to know. The main words here ask “what”, “who”, “where”, “when”, “why”, and “which”. They do not require an English-style helping verb. In a short description or identity question, the question word can itself be the predicate, as when a speaker asks literally “your name — what?” or “the house — where?”.

A question word often stays in the position where the missing information would appear, especially in short everyday questions. It can also come at the front when the speaker gives it more attention. A question involving a preposition keeps that preposition with the question expression: “with whom” contains the equivalent of “with”, rather than leaving it detached at the far end of the sentence. For “which”, this book uses the straightforward pattern yaatu + noun, where yaatu is unchanged.

These choices differ from a formal Arabic lesson built around ماذا (maadha) or أين (ayna), but they are not claims that Sudanese speakers cannot use formal words. The practice in this guide consistently uses the spoken urban forms listed here. A question beginning with “why” asks for a reason; it is not interchangeable with a question asking what happened or where someone is.

‏شنو‏‎ (shinu) — what

‏منو‏‎ (minu) — who

‏وين‏‎ (ween) — where

‏متين‏‎ (miteen) — when

‏ليه‏‎ (leeh) — why

‏ياتو‏‎ (yaatu) — which, before a noun

Pattern: Known information + question word in the missing-information position; alternatively question word + the relevant clause. For the “which” pattern used here: yaatu + noun.

Examples:

‏دا شنو؟‏‎ (daa shinu) — What is this?

‏اسمك شنو؟‏‎ (ismak shinu) — What is your name? Addressing a man.

‏هو منو؟‏‎ (hu minu) — Who is he?

‏الزول دا منو؟‏‎ (az-zool daa minu) — Who is this person?

‏البيت وين؟‏‎ (al-beet ween) — Where is the house?

‏إنت من وين؟‏‎ (inta min ween) — Where are you from? Addressing a man.

‏الدرس متين؟‏‎ (ad-dars miteen) — When is the lesson?

‏الشغل متين؟‏‎ (ash-shughul miteen) — When is work?

‏إنت زعلان ليه؟‏‎ (inta za'laan leeh) — Why are you upset? Addressing a man.

‏سارة ما هنا ليه؟‏‎ (saara maa hina leeh) — Why is Sara not here?

‏إنت داير ياتو كتاب؟‏‎ (inta daayir yaatu kitaab) — Which book do you want? Addressing a man.

‏إنت مع منو؟‏‎ (inta ma'a minu) — Who are you with? Addressing a man.

How-Questions

A how-question can ask about someone’s condition, the way an action is done, or a quantity. كيف (keef) asks about condition or method. It is useful in greetings, in questions about the quality of something, and in requests for an explanation of a process. A question about a method still uses an ordinary subject and verb; it does not acquire an English “do” merely because it begins with “how”.

كم (kam) asks about a number or amount, and بكم (bikam) asks about a price. In the counting pattern taught here, kam is followed by a singular noun naming what is counted. This means that the equivalent of “how many books” has a singular form of “book”. Price questions do not need a separate verb meaning “cost” when the item is already identified.

The question expression can stand at the beginning or after the information already known. A greeting such as “How are you?” is not answered with a method, while “How do you write your name?” asks for the way the action is done. The distinction comes from the rest of the sentence, not from a change in keef itself.

Pattern: Condition or method: keef + clause, or clause + keef. Number: kam + singular counted noun. Price: item + bikam.

Examples:

‏إنت كيف؟‏‎ (inta keef) — How are you? Addressing a man.

‏إنتي كيف؟‏‎ (inti keef) — How are you? Addressing a woman.

‏الأهل كيف؟‏‎ (al-ahal keef) — How is the family?

‏الشغل كيف؟‏‎ (ash-shughul keef) — How is work?

‏الدراسة كيف؟‏‎ (ad-diraasa keef) — How are your studies?

‏بتكتب اسمك كيف؟‏‎ (bitaktib ismak keef) — How do you write your name? Addressing a man.

‏بتعمل الشاي كيف؟‏‎ (bita'mal ash-shaay keef) — How do you make tea? Addressing a man.

‏بتمشي السوق كيف؟‏‎ (bitamshi as-suug keef) — How do you get to the market? Addressing a man.

‏في كم زول هنا؟‏‎ (fi kam zool hina) — How many people are here?

‏عندك كم كتاب؟‏‎ ('indak kam kitaab) — How many books do you have? Addressing a man.

‏الشاي بكم؟‏‎ (ash-shaay bikam) — How much is the tea?

‏الشنطة دي بكم؟‏‎ (ash-shanta dii bikam) — How much is this bag?

NOUNS: GENDER AND NUMBER

A noun names a person, thing, place, or idea. Sudanese Arabic nouns have grammatical gender: masculine or feminine. For people, gender often matches the person being discussed. For objects, it is a property of the word rather than a claim that the object is male or female. Many feminine nouns end in ة, pronounced a when the word stands alone, but some common feminine words have no such ending.

Number distinguishes one item from more than one. Some plurals add an ending, such as -aat, while many common words change internally. These are often called broken plurals: “broken” means that the inside of the word changes, not that the form is incorrect. A noun’s gender or final letter is not enough to predict every plural, so the singular and plural forms below should be treated as pairs.

Many human nouns and descriptions use a plural ending pronounced -iin in the urban speech model of this book, without the formal case-based alternation of a standard Arabic paradigm. Other words have established irregular plurals. The dual ending -een can name two items, as in “two books”; it is useful but is not a reason to replace every ordinary plural with a mechanically added ending. Liquids and similar substances, such as water, are often treated as amounts rather than counted individual objects.

Pattern: Common taught patterns: feminine noun in -a -> -aat; many human occupation nouns -> -iin; an established broken plural is learned with its noun. The useful dual example kitaab -> kitaabeen means two books.

Examples:

‏ولد — أولاد‏‎ (walad — awlaad) — boy/child — boys/children

‏بت — بنات‏‎ (bit — banaat) — girl/daughter — girls/daughters

‏راجل — رجال‏‎ (raajil — rijaal) — man — men

‏مرة — نسوان‏‎ (mara — niswaan) — woman — women

‏بيت — بيوت‏‎ (beet — buyuut) — house — houses

‏كتاب — كتب‏‎ (kitaab — kutub) — book — books

‏قلم — أقلام‏‎ (galam — aglaam) — pen — pens

‏باب — أبواب‏‎ (baab — abwaab) — door — doors

‏مدرس — مدرسين‏‎ (mudarris — mudarrisiin) — male teacher — teachers

‏مدرسة — مدرسات‏‎ (mudarrisa — mudarrisaat) — female teacher — female teachers

‏عربية — عربيات‏‎ ('arabiyya — 'arabiyyaat) — car — cars

‏كتاب — كتابين‏‎ (kitaab — kitaabeen) — book — two books

Cultural Tip

زول (zool) is a familiar Sudanese word for a person. It does not by itself mean “a Sudanese citizen”, and ناس (naas) is a useful everyday word for people. A learner can recognize these words without using a familiar form of address in every encounter.

ARTICLES AND DETERMINERS

An article helps show whether a noun refers to an identifiable item. ال (al-) is written onto the beginning of the noun and often corresponds to English “the”. It is used with both masculine and feminine nouns and with plurals. There is no separate ordinary article corresponding to English “a/an”: an unmarked noun can introduce an unspecified item when the sentence makes that reading appropriate.

The l sound of al- changes to match a following sun letter, but the Arabic spelling keeps ال. Thus the reading guide shows ash-shaay for الشاي. A personal name or a noun already carrying an ownership ending is identified in another way; this is why the model uses بيتي (beeti), “my house”, rather than attaching al- to that same possessed form. Demonstratives identify something as near or distant and are developed in Chapter 4; in the phrase “this house”, the ordinary pattern is the definite noun followed by daa.

Pattern: Indefinite item: noun without an article. Definite item: al- + noun. Near identified item: al- + noun + daa/dii. An attached ownership suffix replaces the need for al- on that noun.

Examples:

‏دا كتاب.‏‎ (daa kitaab) — This is a book.

‏الكتاب هنا.‏‎ (al-kitaab hina) — The book is here.

‏دي شنطة.‏‎ (dii shanta) — This is a bag.

‏الشنطة هنا.‏‎ (ash-shanta hina) — The bag is here.

‏في دكان.‏‎ (fi dukkaan) — There is a shop.

‏الدكان قريب.‏‎ (ad-dukkaan gariib) — The shop is near.

‏الشاي حار.‏‎ (ash-shaay haar) — The tea is hot.

‏الأولاد هنا.‏‎ (al-awlaad hina) — The children are here.

‏بيتي قريب.‏‎ (beeti gariib) — My house is near.

‏البيت دا كبير.‏‎ (al-beet daa kabiir) — This house is big.

PRACTICE SECTION

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each blank using the article or plural form taught in this chapter.

1- ‏هو في _________بيت دا.‏

‎ (hu fi _________beet daa) — (this house; supply the definite article)

2- ‏في _________ هنا.‏

‎ (fi _________ hina) — (more than one house; singular: beet)

True/False

Decide whether each statement is True or False.

1- A present description can be a complete Sudanese Arabic sentence without a separate word for “is”.

2- Every feminine noun ends in ة, and every plural is made by adding -aat.

Translation

Translate each English sentence into the Sudanese Arabic taught in this chapter.

1- The house is big.

2- There is no water.

3- Where is the book?