Questions & Answers about لا، البقرة هنا.
How does the word for 'the' work in البقرة?
The prefix الـ (al-) means 'the'. Because the letter ب (ba') is a 'moon letter', you clearly pronounce the 'l' sound in الـ, making the word 'al-baqara'.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Arabic, you don't use a word for 'is' in the present tense. To say 'The cow is here', you just place the definite subject البقرة (the cow) right before the location word هنا (here).
What is the letter ة at the end of البقرة?
That is the taa marbuutah (ة). It is a special letter used almost exclusively at the end of nouns and adjectives to mark them as feminine. When you pause at the end of the word, it just sounds like a short 'a' ('al-baqara').
Why does the comma after لا look backwards?
The Arabic comma (،) points upwards and to the right, which is the opposite of the English comma. This makes sense because Arabic is written from right to left!