Question 1

Why does the sentence use ذلك instead of تلك for 'that'?

Accepted Answer

ذلك is the masculine word for 'that'. It is used here because the word for market (السوق) is masculine. If we were pointing out a feminine noun further away, like a library or a car, we would use تلك instead.

Question 2

Vegetables (الخضار) is plural, so why is the word for 'cheap' (رخيصة) in the feminine singular form?

Accepted Answer

In Arabic, non-human plurals (like vegetables, cars, or books) are treated as feminine singular for grammar purposes. Because of this important rule, adjectives describing them must take the feminine singular form. This is why رخيص gets the feminine ending to become رخيصة.

Question 3

Why does ذلك come before السوق? Don't describing words usually come after the noun in Arabic?

Accepted Answer

Words like 'this' and 'that' (demonstratives) work differently than normal adjectives. When you want to say 'that market', the demonstrative comes before the noun, and the noun must have the word for 'the' (ال) attached to it. So, ذلك السوق literally translates word-for-word as 'that the market'.

Question 4

How would this sentence change if I wanted to say 'this market' instead of 'that market'?

Accepted Answer

You would simply swap the distance word ذلك (that) for the close-up word هذا (this). The phrase would become في هذا السوق (in this market).

Question 5

How do you pronounce the two little lines at the end of أيضا (also)?

Accepted Answer

Those two small lines are called tanwiin fatha, and they make an 'an' sound. Because of this, the word is pronounced 'ayDan'. You will often see this specific ending on words that act as adverbs.

الخضار في ذلك السوق رخيصة أيضا.

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