Breakdown of تلك الخضار رخيصة.
الal
the
تلكtilka
that (feminine/non-human plural)
خضارkhudâr
vegetables
رخيصrakhîs
cheap
Questions & Answers about تلك الخضار رخيصة.
Why is تلك (usually meaning "that") translated as "those" here?
In Arabic, plurals of things that aren't human (like الخضار, meaning the vegetables) are treated grammatically as feminine singular. Because of this rule, we must use the feminine singular demonstrative تلك to say "those".
Why does the adjective رخيصة (cheap) end with the feminine marker taa marbooTa?
Just like the demonstrative تلك, adjectives must match the noun they describe. Since الخضار is a non-human plural, the adjective describing it must take the feminine singular form رخيصة.
How do we know this means "Those vegetables are cheap" and not "Those are cheap vegetables"?
The key is the prefix الـ attached to the noun. When a demonstrative like تلك is followed directly by a noun with الـ, they lock together into a single phrase meaning "Those vegetables". The adjective رخيصة comes after without الـ, which acts as the predicate (giving us the new information), meaning "Those vegetables [are] cheap."
I remember learning ذلك for "that". Could I use it instead of تلك here?
No, you cannot. Both mean "that" (or "those" for non-humans) and point to things far away, but ذلك is strictly for masculine singular nouns. Because الخضار acts as a feminine singular noun, you must use تلك.
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