Question 1

Why does دائما have an Alif with two small lines (ـاً) at the end?

Accepted Answer

This is the visible indefinite accusative ending, pronounced "-an". In Arabic, one of its main uses is to turn a noun or adjective into an adverb. The base word دائم means "constant" or "permanent". By adding the ـاً ending, it becomes دائما (da'iman), which means "constantly" or "always".

Question 2

Is the Alif at the end of دائما pronounced as a long "aa" vowel?

Accepted Answer

No, it is not. When you see the double line (called tanween) over an Alif at the end of a word, the whole ending is simply pronounced "-an". The Alif is just there as a "seat" to hold those double lines; it doesn't add length to the vowel sound. So it is pronounced "da'iman", not "da'imanaa".

Question 3

Could I put دائما in a different part of the sentence, like we do in English?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Arabic is quite flexible with adverbs of time. Just like in English, you can place دائما right after the verb (as shown here), before the verb (أنا دائما أمشي), or even at the very end of the sentence. All of them are correct!

Question 4

Why use the pronoun أنا (I) if the verb أمشي already means "I walk"?

Accepted Answer

You don't strictly have to! In the Arabic present tense, the prefix أ on أمشي already tells you the subject is "I". Including أنا at the beginning is optional and is usually just done for emphasis or to make the start of the sentence flow smoothly. You could completely drop it and say أمشي دائما في الحديقة with the exact same meaning.

أنا أمشي دائما في الحديقة.

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