Indicative and subjunctive in Arabic
As we’ve seen before, mood (or mode) in Arabic refers to the indicative, subjunctive, jussive, and imperative.
These mood changes occur only in the present tense, there are no changes in the past tense. So, that already simplifies things a bit.
Indicative in Arabic
This is considered the basic mood. It is used for factual statements or straightforward questions. It is also used for future actions, when preceded by سَ (sa) or سَوفَ (sawfa).
Here is an example of a verb conjugated in the present tense indicative mood.
Pay attention to the suffixes, they are what indicate this mood.
Subjunctive in Arabic
This mood occurs in specific contexts and has different suffixes, usually by replacing the ḍamma with a fatha.
In general, the subjunctive expresses intent, purpose, doubt, attempt, expectation, or hope.
Here is an example of the same verb as above, this time conjugated in the subjunctive mood.
In Arabic, the subjunctive mood is triggered by the presence of certain particles, such as: لَنْ (lan) – used to negate the future, لِ (li), كَيْ (kay), لِكَيْ (likay), حَتّى (hatta), and the conjunction أَنْ(‘an).
These particles can convey meanings like “in order to”, “so that”, “in order not to”, “for”, “to”, or “so that…not”.
Let’s look at some examples:
