Iḍāfah

[2] Simple examples include: The Arabic grammatical terminology for this construction derives from the verb أضاف ʼaḍāfa "he added, attached", verb form IV from the hollow root ض ي ف ḍ y f.[3][4] The range of relationships between the first and second elements of the idafah construction is very varied, though usually consists of some relationship of possession or belonging.

In many cases the two members become a fixed coined phrase, the idafah being used as the equivalent of a compound noun used in some Indo-European languages such as English.

For example: سَرْقةُ جَوازِ سَفَرِ أِحَدِ اللاعِبِينَ sarqatu jawāzi safari ’aḥadi l-lā‘ibīna "the theft of the passport [literally "license of journey"] of one of the athletes".

For example: Iḍāfah constructions can typically be distinguished from nominal sentences (جُمْلَة اِسْمِيَّة) and from noun-adjective phrases (اسْمٌ وَصِفَّة) by the case ending of the muḍāf ilayhi as well as the definiteness of the nouns.

[13] For example: majma‘-uacademyl-lughat-ithe-languagel-‘arabiyyat-ithe-Arabicl-’urdunniyy-uthe-Jordanianmajma‘-u l-lughat-i l-‘arabiyyat-i l-’urdunniyy-uacademy the-language the-Arabic the-Jordanian"the Jordanian Arabic Language Academy"The possessive suffix can also take the place of the second noun of an iḍāfah construction, in which case it is considered definite.

In the latter case, -ya is attached to nouns whose construct state ends in a long vowel or diphthong (e.g. in the sound masculine plural and the dual), while -ī is attached to nouns whose construct state ends in a short vowel, in which case that vowel is elided (e.g. in the sound feminine plural, as well as the singular and broken plural of most nouns).