Expressing “As Soon As” in Arabic
The phrase “as soon as” is used in English to indicate that one action happens immediately after another. In Arabic, this phrase is expressed using different structures depending on the context and tense.
Tense Constraints in English
In English, “as soon as” is commonly used with the following tense combinations:
1. Present Simple → Future Simple
“As soon as she arrives, we will start the meeting.”
2. Present Simple → Present Simple (for habitual actions or narratives)
“As soon as the bell rings, the students leave the classroom.”
3. Past Simple → Past Simple
“As soon as he finished his work, he went home.”
How to Express “As Soon As” in Arabic
In Arabic, different grammatical structures are used to express “as soon as,” depending on whether the action is in the past or future.
1. Using “بِمُجَرَّدِ أَنْ” + Imperfect/Perfect Verb
This phrase is a direct way to say “as soon as” and works in both past and present contexts.
• Example:
“As soon as they finished unpacking, they left to explore the city.”
بِمُجَرَّدِ أَنْ أَنْهَوْا حَقَائِبَهُمْ، ذَهَبُوا لِلِاسْتِكْشَافِ فِي ٱلْمَدِينَةِ.
2. Using “مَا كَادَ” + Subject + “حَتَّى” + Verb
This structure is commonly used to describe past events that happened immediately after one another.
• Example:
He came in “As soon as he saw me, he fled through the garden.”
دَخَلَ ٱلْبَيْتَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ مَا كَادَ أَنْ يَرَانِي حَتَّى هَرَبَ عَنْ طَرِيقِ ٱلْحَدِيقَةِ.
• Example:
“As soon as they finished work, they packed their bags and left.”
لَمْ يَكَادُوا يَنْتَهُونَ مِنَ ٱلْعَمَلِ حَتَّى حَزَمُوا أَمْتِعَتَهُمْ وَغَادَرُوا.
3. Using “مَا إِنْ” + Perfect Verb + “حَتَّى” + Verb
This structure is another way to express “as soon as” in past situations.
• Example:
“As soon as I read the letter, I realized its importance.”
مَا إِنْ قَرَأْتُ ٱلرِّسَالَةَ حَتَّى أَدْرَكْتُ خُطُورَتَهَا.
Key Takeaways
• بِمُجَرَّدِ أَنْ is a flexible phrase that can be used in different contexts.
• مَا كَادَ… حَتَّى is commonly used for past events.
• مَا إِنْ… حَتَّى is another structure for immediate past actions.