Breakdown of هذا القطار سريع كالطائرة.
الal
the
هذاhâdhâ
this (m)
سريعsarî'
fast
قطارqitâr
train
كka
like, as (attached)
طائرةtâ'ira
airplane
Questions & Answers about هذا القطار سريع كالطائرة.
How is the word كالطائرة built, and how does the spelling work?
It is made of the attached preposition كـ (like/as) joined directly to the definite noun الطائرة (the airplane). When you attach كـ to a word starting with الـ (al-), you must keep the alif (ا) in writing. So, it is written كالطائرة as a single word, not as two separate words.
How do I pronounce كالطائرة? Do I pronounce the الـ?
It is pronounced 'ka-t-taa'ira'. You skip both the alif and the lam in pronunciation. The alif is skipped because it's no longer at the very beginning of the phrase. The lam (l) is skipped because ط (taa') is a 'sun letter'. Instead of hearing the 'l', you go straight from the كـ (ka) into a doubled ط (t) sound.
Does كـ mean 'like' as in the verb (I like)?
No, the attached preposition كـ only means 'like' in the sense of 'similar to' or 'as'. If you want to say 'I like the airplane' (the verb), you would use a completely different word, such as أحب (I like/love).
Why does هذا القطار سريع mean 'This train is fast' and not 'This is a fast train'?
When a demonstrative pronoun like هذا (this) is followed directly by a definite word (a word with الـ), they link together as a single phrase. So هذا القطار means 'This train'. The invisible 'is' happens right before the indefinite word سريع (fast). If you wanted to say 'This is a fast train', you would remove the الـ from train and say هذا قطار سريع.
Learn هذا القطار سريع كالطائرة and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free