This article analyzes the functional characteristics of verb tense forms in Arabic conditional sentences. It compares the perspectives of classical Arabic grammarians, such as Sibawayh and Ibn Jinni, with modern Western linguistic theories (B. Comrie, J. Lyons, etc.). The research findings indicate that in Arabic conditional constructions, past or present tense forms often denote potential or hypothetical future situations rather than strict grammatical time.

Arabic language, conditional sentence, verb tense, tense shift, irrealis, modal meaning.

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