Nouns of Time and Place (Ism al-Zarf) – Beginners Grammar 13.3

Arabic Grammar for Beginners · Lesson 13.3

قَوَاعِدُ اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ لِلْمُبْتَدِئِينَ

Section 13.3 – Derivative 3 Noun of Circumstance اِسْمُ الْظَّرْفِ ismul-zar-fi

 

This is a derivative that has the meaning of time or place when an act is happening. When, the act has time associated with it, then it is called - Noun for Time اِسْمُ الزَّمَانِ ismuz-za-maa-ni, and if the act is associated with a place where the act is happening then it is called Noun for Place اِسْمُ الْمَكَانِ ismul-ma-kaa-ni.

 

Usually, these Nouns are on a scale of مَفْعَلٌ maf-a-lun but there are some which use the scale of مَفْعِلٌ. Maf-i-lun. The plural is always with the scale of مَفَاعِلُ ma-fa-i-lun. A few examples are given below.

 

 

Meaning	Noun of Circumstance for Root in column 1	Root Class I three alphabet
مَفْعَلٌ maf-alun Scale
Place or time of help	مَنْصَرٌ   Man-sa-run	ن ص ر
Place of writing/office	مَكْتَبٌ   Mak-ta-bun	ك ت ب
Landscape/scene	مَنْظَرٌ   Man-za-run	نَ ظ ر
Bed, couch	مَرْقَدٌ   Mar-qa-dun	ر ق د
Drinking place	مَشْرَبٌ   Mash-ra-bun	شَرِبَ
Place to stay	مَسْكَنٌ   Mas-ka-nun	س ك ن
Place of sunrise	مَطْلَعٌ   Mat-la-‘un	ط ل ع
Place of entry	مُدْخَلٌ   Mad-kha-lun	دخ ل
Place of killing	مَقْتَلٌ   Maq-ta-lun	ق ت ل
مَفْعِلٌ maf-’il-un Scale
Pace of prostration	مَسجِدٌ   Mas-ji-dun	س ج د
Place or time of attack, punching	مَضْرِبٌ   Mad-ri-bun	ض ر ب
Place of sunset	مَغْرِبٌ   Magh-ri-bun	غ ر ب
Place of assembly	مَجْلِسٌ   Maj-li-sun	ج ل س
Place to live	مَنْزِلٌ   Man-zi-lun	ن ز ل
Place of return/retreat	مَرجِعٌ   Mar-ji’-un	ر ج ع

 

In addition, if something is found in large numbers, then the scale مُفَعَلَةُ maf-‘a-la-tun is used, for example مَقبَرَةٌ maq-ba-ra-tun meaning a cemetery where there are many graves.

 

 

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Which pattern: maf'al or maf'il?

The choice between مَفْعَلٌ and مَفْعِلٌ is not random. Look at the vowel on the middle root letter of the imperfect verb:

Imperfect verb	Middle vowel	Noun of place/time	Pattern
يَكْتُبُ	damma	مَكْتَبٌ office	مَفْعَلٌ
يَدْخُلُ	damma	مَدْخَلٌ entrance	مَفْعَلٌ
يَشْرَبُ	fatha	مَشْرَبٌ drinking place	مَفْعَلٌ
يَجْلِسُ	kasra	مَجْلِسٌ sitting place, council	مَفْعِلٌ
يَرْجِعُ	kasra	مَرْجِعٌ place of return	مَفْعِلٌ
يَنْزِلُ	kasra	مَنْزِلٌ dwelling	مَفْعِلٌ

The rule: kasra in the imperfect gives مَفْعِلٌ; damma or fatha gives مَفْعَلٌ. Roots beginning with و also take مَفْعِلٌ: مَوْعِدٌ (appointment), مَوْضِعٌ (position), مَوْقِفٌ (standing place). A handful of common words break the rule and take kasra anyway, including مَسْجِدٌ, مَشْرِقٌ and مَغْرِبٌ.

Time as well as place

The same word can name a time. مَطْلَعٌ is the place or the moment of rising, and مَوْعِدٌ the place or the time of an appointment:

سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ (Al-Qadr 97:5)
Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.

إِنَّ مَوْعِدَهُمُ الصُّبْحُ (Hood 11:81)
Indeed, their appointment is the morning.

رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ (Al-Muzzammil 73:9)
Lord of the East and the West; there is no deity except Him.

From verbs longer than three letters

For the derived forms (II to X), the noun of place and time looks exactly like the passive participle: مُدْخَلٌ from أَدْخَلَ, مُصَلًّى from صَلَّى. This explains the damma on مُدْخَلٌ in the table above.

وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِي مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ (Al-Israa' 17:80)
And say: My Lord, cause me to enter a sound entrance and to exit a sound exit.

وَاتَّخِذُوا مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى (Al-Baqarah 2:125)
And take from the standing place of Ibraaheem a place of prayer.

Check yourself

Give the noun of place: يَعْبُدُ, يَسْكُنُ, يَقْصِدُ, وَلَدَ (to give birth).

Answers: مَعْبَدٌ (temple), مَسْكَنٌ (dwelling), مَقْصِدٌ (destination), مَوْلِدٌ (birthplace, birthday).