كُونَbe

Example sentences

• فَلَا غَرَابَةَ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنْ أَكْثَرِ الْمُصَنِّفَيْنِ فِي الإِسْلَامِ،

  So it is no surprise that he was among the most prolific authors in Islam,

  يَكُونَ — he was. A present-form verb in the subjunctive shape forced by the particle before it, with its 'he' subject built in. Although the meaning is past ('that he was'), Arabic uses this present-subjunctive after the particle and lets the context supply the past sense.

  From: A Life of Reading and Writing →

• فَكَيْفَ يَصِحُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ كَمَا كَانَ؟

  So how can it still be as it was?!

  يَكُونَ — it be. This 'to be' verb sits in its subjunctive shape because of the particle before it; the changed ending marks the being-as-before as a mere possibility under question, not a fact.

  From: Guarding the Heart from Heedlessness →