Breakdown of هذا حاسوب جديد وهذا دفتر قديم.
وwa
and
جديدjadeed
new
قديمqadîm
old
هذاhâdhâ
this (m)
دفترdaftar
notebook
حاسوبhâsûb
computer
Questions & Answers about هذا حاسوب جديد وهذا دفتر قديم.
Why do we use هذا twice here instead of هذه?
هذا is the demonstrative pronoun for 'this' when talking about masculine words. Both حاسوب (computer) and دفتر (notebook) are masculine nouns in Arabic, so they both take هذا. If either word were feminine, we would use هذه for it instead.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
Arabic does not use a word for 'is' or 'are' in the present tense. A phrase like هذا حاسوب literally translates to 'this a computer,' but it is understood as a complete sentence meaning 'this is a computer.'
Why is هذا pronounced with a long 'aa' sound at the beginning (haa-dhaa) but written without an alif?
The word هذا is one of a few historical spelling exceptions in Arabic. It is pronounced with a long 'aa' after the first letter, but the alif is dropped in writing. It is simply a very common word you have to memorize by sight!
Why does the sentence say حاسوب جديد (computer new) instead of 'new computer'?
In Arabic, adjectives always come right after the noun they describe. That is why 'new' (جديد) comes after 'computer' (حاسوب), and 'old' (قديم) comes after 'notebook' (دفتر).
Why is the word for 'and' attached directly to the second هذا to make وهذا?
The Arabic word for 'and' is the single letter و (wa). In Arabic, single-letter words cannot stand alone with spaces around them. They must be physically attached to the beginning of the word that follows them, creating وهذا.
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