Questions & Answers about تجمعون المال للفقير.
How does the verb تجمعون show that 'you plural' are collecting?
It uses a combination of a prefix and a suffix. The prefix تـ at the beginning marks it as 'you' (second person). The suffix ـون at the end makes it a masculine or mixed plural ('you all'). If you were talking to just one male, it would simply be تجمع.
Why does the word للفقير start with two ل letters instead of الـ for 'the'?
This is an important spelling rule. It happens when we add the preposition لـ (meaning 'for' or 'to') to a word that starts with الـ (the). The word for 'the poor person' is الفقير. When we attach لـ to it, the first letter ا (alif) is dropped in writing and pronunciation, leaving us with للفقير.
The translation says 'the poor', but isn't الفقير singular?
Yes, الفقير literally means 'the poor person'. In Arabic, it is very common to use a singular noun with 'the' to talk about a whole category of people or things. So here, the singular word is used to represent 'the poor' as a general group.
Why isn't there a separate word for 'you all' in this sentence?
Arabic verbs have the subject built right into them. Because the verb تجمعون already clearly means 'you (plural) collect' through its prefix and suffix, adding the separate pronoun أنتم (you all) isn't necessary. It is naturally left out unless the speaker wants to add special emphasis.