Quadfecta in Nahw (Arabic grammar) refers to چار بنیادی صفات (four core grammatical attributes) of a word—especially a اسم (noun). Understanding these is essential for doing proper اعراب (i‘rāb – syntactic analysis).
Here’s a breakdown of each of the four:
1. اعراب (I‘rāb – Grammatical Case)
This tells us the function of a word in a sentence. It’s shown through harakah (zabar, zer, pesh) or letter endings.
- فاعل (subject): مرفوع (Raf‘) – e.g., زیدٌ
- مفعول (object): منصوب (Naṣb) – e.g., زیدًا
- مجرور (after a حرفِ جر): مجرور (Jarr) – e.g., زیدٍ
🗣 Example: جاءَ زيدٌ → "Zayd came." → زيدٌ is فاعل → مرفوع
2. عدد (Number)
Shows whether the noun is:
- مفرد – Singular
- مثنى – Dual
- جمع – Plural
🗣 Example: رجلٌ (one man), رجلانِ (two men), رجالٌ (men)
3. جنس (Gender)
Gender of the word:
- مذكر – Masculine
- مؤنث – Feminine
Most مؤنث words end in taa marbūṭah (ة), but not always.
🗣 Example: طالبٌ (male student), طالبةٌ (female student)
4. وسعت (Definiteness – Ma‘rifah or Nakirah)
Is the noun معرفہ (definite) or نکرہ (indefinite)?
- معرفہ: known, specific – e.g., الرجلُ (the man)
- نکرہ: unknown, general – e.g., رجلٌ (a man)
معرفہ includes:
- Proper names (زيد),
- Pronouns (هو),
- Words with ال,
- Pointing words (هذا، تلك), etc.
Recap Table:
| Attribute | Arabic | Urdu/Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case | إعراب | نحوی حالت | زيدٌ، زيدًا، زيدٍ |
| Number | عدد | واحد، تثنیہ، جمع | رجلٌ، رجلانِ، رجالٌ |
| Gender | جنس | مذکر، مؤنث | طالبٌ، طالبةٌ |
| Definiteness | وسعت | معرفہ یا نکرہ ہونا | الرجلُ، رجلٌ |
By analyzing these چار پہلو, we can properly understand a noun's role, form, and meaning in the sentence.