The Mirror Words: Al-Tawābiʿ (التَّوَابِع)

In our journey through Nahw, we've seen words earn their vowels. But some words are "Followers." They don't care about their own role; they simply look at the word in front of them and copy its Iʿrāb. These are the Tawābiʿ.

The 4 Types of Followers

There are four main types of words that function as followers in an Arabic sentence:

1. An-Naʿt (النَّعْت) – The Adjective

An adjective must follow the noun it describes in everything: gender, number, definiteness, and Grammatical Case.

Example: جَاءَ الرَّجُلُ الکَرِيمُ (The generous man came). Both end in Damma.

2. Al-ʿAtf (العَطْف) – The Conjunction

When you use "and" (وَ) or "then" (ثُمَّ), the word after the connector follows the word before it.

Example: رَأَيْتُ مُحَمَّدًا وَخَالِدًا (I saw Muhammad and Khalid). Both end in Fatha.

3. At-Tawkīd (التَّوْكِيد) – The Emphasis

Words used for emphasis (like "all" or "himself") follow the noun they are emphasizing.

Example: جَاءَ القَوْمُ كُلُّهُمْ (The people, all of them, came). Both end in Damma.

4. Al-Badal (البَدَل) – The Substitute

When two nouns refer to the same person/thing, the second one "substitutes" for the first and takes its grammar.

Example: قَالَ الإِمَامُ عَلِيٌّ (The Imam, Ali, said). Both end in Damma.

The Follower's Motto:

"Wherever you go, I go." If the leader (Matbūʿ) changes its vowel because of a preposition or a verb, the follower changes immediately to match it!

The Mirror Words: Al-Tawābiʿ (التَّوَابِع)