Marhaba! As you all know by now, I (and the Arabic team at Transparent Language of course!) am always looking for ways to help you succeed in your Arabic learning journey. Whether it is through interesting news articles, crossword puzzles, or lyrics of songs, our collective purpose is to invite you all to stay positive about learning Arabic in spite of the many difficulties that might come your way. Today, I am sharing a brief but extremely important grammar lesson about modal verbs in Arabic. Modal verbs are used to indicate modality, which literally refers to permission, obligation, likelihood, and ability. This might be either new to some of you or a good memory refresher. In any case, learning these modal verbs is crucial for speaking, writing, and reading Arabic. I certainly believe that learning these modal verbs will give you a huge leg up in proper writing. I will share what I think are the 15 most common and important modal verbs. I will provide the translation and transliteration of these verbs, as well as some examples.

Image by BK via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

It is necessary to — من الضروري أن
Example: It is necessary to get eight hours of sleep.
Translation: من الضروري أن نحصل على ثماني ساعات من النوم
Transliteration: Min al-da-ru-ri an nah-sal ‘ala tha-ma-ni sa-‘at min al-nawm

Must/Should — يجب أن
Example: You must come visit me in Beirut.
Translation: يجب أن تزورني في بيروت
Transliteration: Ya-jib an ta-zu-ra-ni fi Beirut

May/Might — يمكن أن
Example: You might call Sarah before 7.
Translation: يمكن أن تتصل بسارة قبل الساعة السابعة
Transliteration: Yum-kin an ta-ta-sil bi-sarah qab-la al-sa-‘a al-sa-bi-’a

It is impossible to — من المستحيل أن
Example: It is impossible to convince Muhammad to exercise more.
Translation: من المستحيل أن يقتنع محمد بأن يمارس الرياضة أكثر
Transliteration: Min al-mus-ta-hil an yaq-ta-ni‘ Muhammad bi-an yu-ma-ris al-ri-ya-da ak-thar

It is possible to — من الممكن أن
Example: It is possible to run into school friends at this restaurant.
Translation: من الممكن أن نلتقي بأصدقاء المدرسة في هذا المطعم
Transliteration: Min al-mum-kin an nal-ta-qi bi-as-di-qa’ al-mad-ra-sa fi ha-tha al-mat-‘am

It is expected that — من المتوقع أن
Example: It is expected to rain today.
Translation: من المتوقع أن تمطر اليوم
Transliteration: Min al-mu-ta-wa-qa‘ an tum-tir al-yawm

It is easy to — من السهل أن
Example: It is easy to take this train to Ahmad’s home.
Translation: من السهل أن نأخذ هذا القطار الى بيت أحمد
Transliteration: Min al-sa-hil an na’-khuth ha-tha al-qi-tar ‘i-la bayt Ahmad

It is probable that — من المحتمل أن
Example: It is probable that Fatima will visit us over Eid.
Translation: من المحتمل أن تزورنا فاطمة في العيد
Transliteration: Min al-muh-ta-mal an ta-zu-ra-na Fatima fi al-‘id

We Love Arabic Image by Nasir Nasrallah via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

It is customary to — من المعتاد أن
Example: It is customary to take a family vacation to Morocco.
Translation: من المعتاد أن نأخذ عطلة عائلية الى المغرب
Transliteration: Min al-mu‘-tad an na’-khuth ‘ut-la ‘a-i-li-ya ‘i-la al-magh-rib

It is hard to — من الصعب أن
Example: It is hard to convince my parents to eat healthier.
Translation: من الصعب أن أقنع أهلى بالاكل الصحي
Transliteration: Min al-sa-‘ib an uq-ni‘ ‘ah-li bi-al-akil al-suh-hi

It is been decided that– من المقرر أن
Example: It is been decided that Munir will graduate this year.
Translation: من المقرر أن يتخرج منير هذه السنة
Transliteration: Min al-mu-qa-rar an ya-ta-kha-raj Munir ha-thi-hi al-sa-na

It is permitted to — من المسموح أن
Example: It is permitted to smoke in this designated area.
Translation: من المسموح أن ندخن في هذه المنطقة المخصصة
Transliteration: Min al-mas-muh an nu-da-khin fi ha-thi-hi al-min-ta-qa al-mu-kha-sa-sa

Image by Francesco via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

It is preferable that — من المستحسن أن
Example: It is preferable that you visit your friend before he leaves to Qatar
Translation: من المستحسن أن تزور صديقك قبل رحيله الى قطر
Transliteration: Min al-mus-tah-san an ta-zur sa-di-qa-qa qab-la ra-hi-li-hi ‘i-la Qatar

It is natural that — من الطبيعي أن
Example: It is natural that leaves fall off trees during Autumn
Translation: من الطبيعي أن تتساقط الاوراق عن الشجر في الخريف
Transliteration: Min al-ta-bi-‘i an ta-ta-sa-qat al-aw-raq ‘an al-sha-jar fi al-kha-rif

It is forbidden to — من الممنوع أن
Example: It is forbidden to play with your friends before finishing your homework
Translation: من الممنوع أن تلعب مع أصدقائك قبل الانتهاء من دروسك
Transliteration: Min al-mam-nu‘ an tal-‘ab ma-‘a as-di-qa-’a-ka qab-la al-‘in-ti-ha’ min du-ru-sik

For now take care and stay tuned for upcoming posts!
Happy Learning!
Have a nice day!!
نهاركم سعيد