Breakdown of هل تنظفون الحي؟
الal
the
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
نظفnazzafa
to clean
حيhayy
neighborhood
Questions & Answers about هل تنظفون الحي؟
How does the verb تنظفون show that it means 'you plural'?
In the present tense, the prefix تـ at the beginning tells us the subject is 'you' (second person). The suffix ـون at the very end makes it masculine plural ('you all'). If it were singular, it would just be تنظف.
Do I need to include the pronoun أنتم (you all) to make this a complete sentence?
No, you do not! In Arabic, the verb تنظفون already includes the 'you all' meaning through its prefix and suffix. Adding أنتم before the verb is okay for emphasis, but the sentence is perfectly complete without it.
Why does this verb have a double letter sound in the middle?
The root of this verb is ن-ظ-ف (related to cleanliness). In Arabic, doubling the middle consonant of a root often changes its meaning. Here, it changes the meaning from 'to be clean' to the active process of 'cleaning' something else!
Doesn't the word حي mean 'alive'? How does it mean 'neighborhood' here?
Yes, حي is often used as an adjective meaning 'alive' or 'living'. However, when used as a noun, it is the standard word for a residential 'neighborhood' or 'district' (a living place). Notice that it ends with a strong double 'y' sound, so الحي is pronounced al-hayy.