To express strong amazement, awe, or shock in Arabic, you can use a special structure known as the exclamatory vocative (النداء التعجبي). This is done using the calling particle يا followed by the prefix لَـ.
Exclaiming with a Noun
To say "Oh, the [noun] of...", attach the prefix لَـ directly to the noun you are exclaiming about. Although this prefix has a fatha vowel (لَـ) instead of the usual kasra (لِـ), it still acts like a preposition, placing the noun attached to it in the genitive case.
| Oh, the magnificence of this performance! | يا لروعة هذا الاستعراض!yâ laraw'ati hâdhâ alisti'râdi! |
| Oh, the flexibility of this girl! I have never seen a jump like it. | يا لمرونة هذه الفتاة! لم أر قفزة مثلها أبدا.yâ lamurûnati hâdhihi l-fatâti! lam ara qafzatan mithlahâ abadan. |
| Oh, the agility of the acrobat! I did not expect this physical ability from that young man. | يا لرشاقة البهلوان! لم أتوقع هذه القدرة الجسدية من ذلك الشاب.yâ larashâqati al-bahlawâni! lam atawaqqa' hâdhihi al-qudrata al-jasadiyyata min dhâlika ash-shâbbi. |
| Oh, the skillfulness of the magician! He tricked the entire audience. | يا لبراعة الساحر! خدع الجمهور كله.yâ labarâati s-sâhiri! khadaa l-jumhûra kullahu. |
Exclaiming with a Pronoun and مِنْ
To express "What a [noun]!" (as in, "What an extraordinary performance!"), you use a slightly different structure.
Instead of attaching لَـ to the noun, you attach it to a pronoun (usually ـهُ for masculine or ـها for feminine). This is immediately followed by the preposition مِنْ and then the indefinite noun you are reacting to.
Structure: يا + لَـ + Attached Pronoun + مِنْ + Indefinite Noun
| What an extraordinary performance! | يا له من استعراض خارق!yâ lahu mini sti'râdin khâriqin! |
| What physical flexibility! | يا لها من مرونة جسدية!yâ lahâ min murûnatin jasadiyyah |
| What a man! His agility and his boldness are amazing. | يا له من رجل! إن رشاقته وجرأته مذهلتان.yâ lahu min rajulin! inna rashâqatahu wa jur'atahu mudh-hilatâni. |