Qaala inna: another's speech with no shift of time
Another's words are inserted into a frame, and there are several frames here. The time does not shift a step: yesterday he said "tomorrow" — retell "tomorrow". For example: “قال إنه سيعود غدا” — He said that he will return tomorrow. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Another's words are inserted into a frame, and there are several frames here. The time does not shift a step: yesterday he said "tomorrow" — retell "tomorrow".
A statement introduces inna: qaala inna — said that. The "inna" swallows the pronoun at the same time: "innahu" — that he, "innahaa" — that she. From this: "qaala innahu yaʿmal hunaa" — he said that he works here.
A question introduces its own question word: "saʾalatnii aina" — asked me where; "saʾaltu kaifa" — asked how. If there was no question word, hal is taken: "saʾaltu hal jiʾta" — asked whether I had come.
A request goes through "talaba minnii an" plus the present tense: "talaba minnii an antazir" — asked me to wait. And hearsay hides behind "mazʿuuman" — supposedly — or behind "hasab" — according to such-and-such: the responsibility for the truth stays with the source.
Table
| what we report | what introduces it | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| a statement | قال إنّ | قال إنه يعمل هنا | said that he works here |
| the pronoun at inna | إنّه / إنّها | قال إنها مريضة | said that she is ill |
| a question with a word | أين / متى / كيف | سألني أين المفتاح | asked where the key is |
| a question without a word | هل | سألني هل جئت | asked whether I had come |
| a request | طلب مني أن | طلب مني أن أنتظر | asked to wait |
| an order | طلب مني أن | طلب مني أن أذهب | told to go |
| hearsay | مزعوما | انتقل مزعوما | supposedly moved |
| a source | حسب | حسب شاهد العيان | according to an eyewitness |
By example
- قال إنه سيعود غداкааля иннаху са-йяʿууд гаданHe said that he will return tomorrow
- سألتني أين وضعت الحقيبةсаʾалтани айна вадаʿт аль-хакиибаShe asked me where I had put the bag
- طلب مني أن أصف له الطريقталяба минни анн асыфа ляху ат-тариикHe asked me to describe the road to him
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Qaala inna: how does it work in Arabic?
Another's words are inserted into a frame, and there are several frames here. The time does not shift a step: yesterday he said "tomorrow" — retell "tomorrow".
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“قال إنه سيعود غدا” (кааля иннаху са-йяʿууд гадан) — He said that he will return tomorrow. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.