Questions & Answers about أين البنوك في هذا المكان؟
Why is البنوك (the banks) considered a broken plural?
The singular word for bank is بنك (bank). In Arabic, instead of adding a regular plural ending like '-een' or '-aat', many words 'break' their original shape to form the plural. Here, the letter 'waw' (و) is inserted into the middle of the word to make it بنوك (bunuuk).
Where is the word for 'are' in this sentence?
Arabic doesn't use a present tense verb for 'to be' (is, am, are). To ask 'Where are the banks?', you simply put the question word directly next to the noun: أين البنوك (literally: Where the banks?).
Why does المكان (place) have الـ (the) attached to it after هذا (this)?
In Arabic, when you want to say 'this [noun]', the noun must be definite (having الـ). So, هذا المكان means 'this place'. If you leave out the الـ and just say هذا مكان, it changes into a full sentence meaning 'This is a place'.
Since البنوك is a non-human plural, how does that affect the grammar?
In Arabic, plural nouns for non-human objects are treated grammatically as feminine singular. While it doesn't change any words in this specific sentence, if you wanted to add an adjective, like 'the new banks', you would have to use the feminine singular adjective: البنوك الجديدة.