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Questions & Answers about القلم قصير.
Why isn't there a word for "is" in this Arabic sentence?
In Arabic, simple sentences like this (called nominal sentences) don't use a verb for "to be" in the present tense. You just put the subject (القلم) and the describing word (قصير) next to each other, and the "is" is naturally understood.
Why does the word for pen have the "al-" prefix but the word for short doesn't?
This is the standard rule for Arabic nominal sentences. The subject you are talking about (the pen) is specific, so it gets the definite article ال. The description or predicate (short) gives new information, so it takes the indefinite bare stem قصير without ال.
The lesson mentions Tanween for indefinite words. How does that affect the word قصير here?
Because قصير is indefinite, in formal Arabic it takes an "un" sound at the end, which is called Tanween. With full grammar endings pronounced, the sentence is al-qalamu qaseerun. This "un" sound is the basic way Arabic shows a word is indefinite.
Would the word for short change if we were talking about a feminine object instead of a pen?
Yes! القلم is a masculine word in Arabic, so the describing word takes the masculine form قصير. If you were describing a feminine object, you would have to add the feminine ending (Ta' Marbuta) to make it قصيرة.