The Subject

The subject of a verbal sentence is called فَاعِل (fā’il). It is the person or thing that does the action.

The subject of a nominal sentence is called مُبتَدَأ (Mubtada). It is simply a noun which begins the sentence.

The Fā’il and Mubtada always take the nominative case رَفع (raf’).

The subject is highlighted in the following sentences:

اِشتَرى خَالِدٌ السَّيَّارَةَ

Khalid bought the car

رَجَعَ الوَالِدُ مِنَ السُّوقِ

The father returned from the market

الوَلَدُ جالسٌ في الظِلِّ

The boy is sitting in the shade

The subject can also be shown in the form of attached pronouns. We will learn more about this in the later chapters.

Finally, the Mubtada can also be a pronoun: