Kana and her sisters in Arabic
These verbs: being, becoming, and remaining, hold a special status in Arabic.
They are close in meaning and all describe states of existence. Together, they are known as the sisters of كانَ (kana), which means “to be”.
These verbs also function as auxiliary verbs, and كانَ in particular is used to form compound (complex) tenses.
Let’s take a look at the verb كانَ – يَكونُ – kana – yakunu, meaning “to be”.
This verb is unusual because it is not generally used in the present tense.
As we’ve seen when discussing Arabic sentence structure, the verb “to be” is omitted in the present tense, so يَكونُ is not used in that context.
However, كانَ can be used in both the past and future. Here are some examples:
Another sister of كانَ is لَيْسَ – laisa, which means “to not be”. It is used to negate the present tense, but we’ll go into more detail about it in a later post.
Verbs of becoming in Arabic
These verbs indicate a change of state or condition, and they are also considered sisters of كانَ. Let’s look at some examples:
Verbs of remaining in Arabic
These verbs express the idea of continuing or remaining in a particular state or condition. Here are some examples:
