Phase 4 · Chapter Twenty-Four · Final Grammar Chapter
الْأَمْرُ
The Imperative — Commands and Calling Out
To give a command in Arabic, you strip the present-tense verb down to its bare root — اقْرَأْ! (Read!) is the very first word revealed of the Qur'ān. This chapter also covers يَا, used to call out to someone by name, and completes the core grammar of this course.
Every Arabic passage has a small circle button — click it to hear it read aloud using your browser's own Arabic voice.
BY THE END OF THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
Form the imperative from a present-tense verb for ‘you’ (m./f.)
Use يَا to call out to or address someone directly
Give simple instructions and requests
Read the very first word revealed of the Qur'ān
TEACHER NOTES
Pacing: 45–50 min
Prerequisite check: Present tense stems (Ch.9–10) — the imperative is built from them.
Watch out for: This is the last Phase 4 chapter — من فضلك and حاضر are worth making classroom habits from here on.
01 — LISTEN & REPEAT
حِوَارٌDialogue
An older sibling gives gentle instructions. Listen twice, then read aloud.
The feminine imperative usually ends in ي; the masculine typically drops it.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
NEWاقْرَأْ/اقْرَئِي
iqra’ / iqra’ī
read! (m./f.)
The Qur'ān's first-revealed word.
NEWاجْلِسْ/اجْلِسِي
ijlis / ijlisī
sit! (m./f.)
—
NEWافْتَحْ/افْتَحِي
iftaḥ / iftaḥī
open! (m./f.)
—
NEWاكْتُبْ/اكْتُبِي
uktub / uktubī
write! (m./f.)
—
NEWاسْأَلْ/اسْأَلِي
is’al / is’alī
ask! (m./f.)
—
NEWيَا
yā
O (vocative particle)
Used to call out or address someone directly.
NEWصَفْحَةٌ
ṣafḥah
a page
—
NEWأَرَادَ/يُرِيدُ
arāda / yurīdu
he wanted / he wants
مَاذَا تُرِيدُ؟ — what do you want?
Also in this chapter's dialogue and reading — classroom-command vocabulary worth teaching properly, since the whole chapter is commands.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
NEWافْتَحُوا / اقْرَؤُوا
iftaḥū / iqra’ū
open! / read! (pl.)
—
NEWالصَّفْحَةُ
aṣ-ṣafḥah
the page
—
NEWالْأَسْئِلَةُ / الْإِجَابَاتُ
al-as’ilah / al-ijābāt
the questions / the answers
—
NEWتَعَالَ / تَعَالَيْ
ta‘āla / ta‘ālay
come! (m./f.)
—
NEWحَاضِرٌ
ḥāḍir
present! here! / okay, will do
—
NEWمِنْ فَضْلِكَ
min faḍlik
please
One of the most-needed phrases in the whole course — genuinely surprising it took until Chapter Twenty-Four.
03 — HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS
رُكْنُ الْقَوَاعِدِGrammar Corner
Forming the imperative. Start from the present-tense ‘you’ form, drop the تَـ prefix, and adjust the beginning if what remains starts with two consonants.
تَقْرَأُ → اقْرَأْ
taqra’u → iqra’ you read → Read! (m.)
تَقْرَئِينَ → اقْرَئِي
taqra’īna → iqra’ī you (f.) read → Read! (f.)
يَا calls out to someone. Place it directly before a name or noun to address them.
يَا مَرْيَمُ
yā Maryam O Maryam! (calling out to her)
Quick check: what is the masculine imperative of تَكْتُبُ (you write)? (اكْتُبْ — drop the تَـ prefix.)
04 — READING THE SOURCE
وَقْفَةٌ قُرْآنِيَّةٌQur'ān Connection
The very first word ever revealed of the Qur'ān — an imperative, from the root you already know.
SŪRAT AL-‘ALAQ — 96:1
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
Read/Recite, in the name of your Lord who created.
اقْرَأْ
iqra’
Read! Recite!
بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ
bi-smi rabbik
in the name of your Lord
الَّذِي خَلَقَ
alladhī khalaqa
who created
اقْرَأْ is the imperative of قَرَأَ (Chapter Seventeen's verb, ‘he read’) — and it's the very first word revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ☵. The rest of the verse combines two structures you already know: بِاسْمِ (preposition + iḍāfah, Chapters Twelve and Thirteen) and الَّذِي خَلَقَ (relative clause, Chapter Twenty-Three).
05 — SAY IT LIKE A NATIVE
عِبَارَاتٌ يَوْمِيَّةٌEveryday Phrases
Common commands and vocative expressions.
تَعَالَ / تَعَالَيْ
ta‘āla / ta‘ālay — come here! (m./f.)
انْتَظِرْ قَلِيلًا
intaẓir qalīlan — wait a moment
اسْمَعْ جَيِّدًا
isma‘ jayyidan — listen well
لَا تَقْلَقْ
lā taqlaq — don't worry (negative command)
يَا أَخِي
yā akhī — O my brother (also used casually, ‘buddy’)
يَا صَدِيقِي
yā ṣadīqī — O my friend
اُدْخُلْ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ
udkhul min faḍlik — please come in
سَامِحْنِي
sāmiḥnī — forgive me
SKILLS PRACTICE
الِاسْتِمَاعُListening
Audio track 22.1
A teacher gives the class instructions before an exercise. Listen first, script second.
What page does the teacher ask the class to open to?
What should the students do after reading silently?
What does Salmā ask?
Reveal answers
1. Page ten. 2. Answer the questions. 3. Whether they should write the answers in their notebook.
SKILLS PRACTICE
التَّحَدُّثُSpeaking
Pair work
Partner drill. Give your partner three simple commands (open, read, write, sit, listen) using the correct m./f. imperative form.
Recycling round — end of core grammar. Have the "student" respond حَاضِرٌ! before complying, and close with مِنْ فَضْلِكَ on at least one command — small classroom-register habits that should carry into every remaining chapter's speaking practice.
SKILLS PRACTICE
الْقِرَاءَةُReading
Read silently, then aloud
Read once for meaning, then aloud — your final reading of the core grammar chapters.
1. ب — أَنْ يَقْرَأَ بِاسْمِ رَبِّهِ 2. ب — بِاللَّهِ 3. ب — أَنْ يَصْبِرَ وَيَجْتَهِدَ
SKILLS PRACTICE
الْكِتَابَةُWriting
On paper or in your notebook
Sentence building. Put these words in the correct order, then translate.
رَبِّكَ بِاسْمِ اقْرَأْ
بِاللَّهِ اسْتَعِنْ
وَاجْتَهِدْ اصْبِرْ
Guided writing. Write three commands you might give a younger sibling or student who is learning to read the Qur'ān, using the imperative correctly for m. or f.
06 — CHAPTER EXERCISES
التَّدْرِيبَاتُExercises
1اخْتَرِ الْإِجَابَةَ الصَّحِيحَةَChoose the correct answer
1. The imperative is formed by starting from:
2. اقْرَأْ is the imperative of which verb?
3. يَا is used to:
4. The feminine imperative typically ends in:
Reveal answers
1. b 2. b 3. b 4. b
2صِلْ كُلَّ كَلِمَةٍ بِمَعْنَاهَاMatch each item to its meaning
اقْرَأْ
اجْلِسْ
افْتَحْ
اكْتُبْ
يَا
O (vocative)
write!
open!
read!
sit!
Reveal answers
1–d, 2–e, 3–c, 4–b, 5–a
3تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْإِنْجِلِيزِيَّةِTranslate into English
Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ.
يَا مَرْيَمُ، اجْلِسِي هُنَا.
افْتَحِي الْكِتَابَ.
لَا تَقْلَقْ.
Reveal answers
1. Read in the name of your Lord. 2. O Maryam, sit here. 3. Open the book (f.). 4. Don't worry.
4تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْعَرَبِيَّةِTranslate into Arabic
Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.
1. False — he asks her to sit, not stand. 2. True. 3. True.
SKILLS PRACTICE
قِرَاءَةٌ حُرَّةٌFree Reading
Hover to check — no test, just read
A short passage using only words you've met so far. Just read for meaning — hover any word if you get stuck. Flip the switch to check whole sentences instead of single words.