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Questions & Answers about الزهرة هنا.
How do I know the word الزهرة (the flower) is feminine?
Look at the last letter! It ends with a Taa' Marboota (ة), which is a special letter that looks like a circle with two dots. In Arabic, the vast majority of nouns that end with ة are feminine.
Does the ة at the end of الزهرة make a 't' sound?
Normally, no. When you pause or stop on a word ending in ة, it is pronounced like a soft 'a' or 'ah' sound (az-zahra). It only makes a 't' sound if you are reading with full grammatical endings or connecting it directly into the next word without pausing.
Where is the word for 'is' in الزهرة هنا?
There isn't one! In Arabic, simple present-tense sentences don't use a word for 'is' or 'are'. You simply say 'the flower' (الزهرة) followed by 'here' (هنا), and the 'is' is naturally understood.
Why don't I hear the 'L' sound for the word 'the' (ال) in الزهرة?
The letter Zay (ز) at the start of the word for flower is a 'sun letter'. When you add ال (the) to a word starting with a sun letter, the 'L' sound disappears, and you double the sound of the sun letter instead. That is why it is pronounced 'az-zahra' instead of 'al-zahra'.