Breakdown of هل هذه شقتكم؟
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
هذهhâdhihi
this (f)
شقةshaqqa
apartment
كمkum
your (pl.) / you (pl., object)
Questions & Answers about هل هذه شقتكم؟
How does the word for "your (plural)" work in this sentence?
In Arabic, possessive pronouns are attached directly to the end of the noun. Here, the suffix ـكُم (-kum) means "your" when talking to a group of people. It attaches to the word for apartment, so شقة (apartment) becomes شقتكم (your apartment).
Why does the word for apartment end with a regular ت instead of the usual ة (taa marbuuTa)?
The word for apartment is شقة (shuqqa), ending in the special letter ة (taa marbuuTa). When you attach any pronoun suffix to a word ending in ة, it "opens up" and changes into a regular ت (taa). That is why it is written as شقتكم (shuqqatukum) instead of the incorrect شقةكم.
If we are talking to a group of people, why do we use the singular feminine word هذه (this)?
The word هذه (hadhihi) points to the object being talked about, not the owners. Because apartment (شقة) is a singular feminine noun, we must use the feminine "this" (هذه). It does not matter how many people own it, the demonstrative pronoun only matches the item itself.
Where is the word "is" in this sentence?
Arabic does not use a word for "is" or "are" in simple present-tense sentences like this one. You literally just say the yes/no question word (هل), then "this" (هذه), and then "your apartment" (شقتكم).
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