Breakdown of مشى الرجل على ساقين متعبتين.
الal
the
على'ala
on / of (evidence of) / to (lie to someone) / for (difficult for someone)
رجلrajul
man
متعبmuta'ab
tired
ساقsâq
leg
مشىmashâ
to walk / to go, to move along (of a vehicle)
Questions & Answers about مشى الرجل على ساقين متعبتين.
Why do the words for "legs" and "tired" end in ـين (-ayn) instead of the standard dual suffix ـان (-ān)?
Because they come after the preposition على (on). Prepositions in Arabic affect the noun that follows them. For dual nouns, the standard ending ـان (-ān) changes to ـين (-ayn) after a preposition. The adjective متعبتين (tired) has to match the noun it describes, so it also takes the ـين ending.
I see a ت (t) in the adjective متعبتين. Is the word for "leg" feminine?
Yes! In Arabic, body parts that come in pairs (like legs, hands, and eyes) are usually feminine by default, even though they don't end in a typical feminine marker. Because ساق (leg) is feminine, any adjective describing it must also be feminine.
How do you build the dual feminine adjective متعبتين step-by-step?
Start with the masculine singular adjective: متعب (tired). First, add the feminine ت (t) because "leg" is a feminine noun. Then, add the dual suffix ـين (-ayn) to match the noun's number and its position after a preposition. Put it together: متعب + ت + ـين = متعبتين.
Why does the verb مشى (walked) end in what looks like a ي (yaa) without dots?
That letter is called an alif maqsurah (literally "broken alif"). It is written like a dotless ي but sounds exactly like a regular, long "aa". It is a very common ending for past tense verbs in Arabic.
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