Questions & Answers about الأب رجل ذكي.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
In Arabic, equational sentences (sentences that state "A is B") don't use a word for "is" in the present tense. You simply place the subject, الأب (the father), right next to the predicate, رجل ذكي (a smart man), and the "is" is automatically understood.
Why is the phrase ordered as رجل ذكي (man smart) instead of "smart man"?
In Arabic, adjectives always come after the noun they are describing. Because of this rule, you write the noun رجل (man) first, followed by the adjective ذكي (smart).
Why doesn't the adjective ذكي have the prefix الـ (al-) attached to it?
Adjectives in Arabic must match their nouns exactly when it comes to being definite (having "the") or indefinite (not having "the"). Since رجل means "a man" and has no الـ, its adjective ذكي must also remain indefinite. If you wanted to say "the smart man", you would add it to both words: الرجل الذكي.
How would I use the question words from this lesson to ask "Who is the father?"
You would use the question word من (man), which means "who" for people. To ask "Who is the father?", you simply say من الأب؟ by putting the question word right before the definite noun.
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