الكلب يلعب أحيانا مع القط.al-kalbu yalabu ahyânan maa al-qitti.
The dog sometimes plays with the cat.
Breakdown of الكلب يلعب أحيانا مع القط.
الal
the
كلبkalb
dog
قطqitt
cat
معma'a
with
لعبlaiba
to play
أحياناaḥyânan
sometimes
Questions & Answers about الكلب يلعب أحيانا مع القط.
Why does أحيانا (sometimes) end with an Alif and two little dashes (ـاً)?
That ending is the visible indefinite accusative case, marked by the two dashes and an extra Alif. In Arabic, this case ending is frequently used to create adverbs (words that tell us when or how something happens). Here, it turns a root word meaning 'time' into the adverb 'sometimes'.
How do I pronounce the ـاً at the end of أحيانا?
It is pronounced as 'an'. The two little lines (called Fathatan) make the 'an' sound, and the Alif is just there as a 'chair' to hold them. It doesn't add a long 'aa' sound. The whole word is pronounced 'aHyaanan'.
I learned that Arabic sentences usually start with verbs. Why does this one start with the noun الكلب (the dog)?
Arabic allows both word orders! A sentence starting with a verb is very standard and common. However, a sentence starting with a noun is also perfectly correct. Starting with the noun like we do here often puts a little extra focus on the subject.
Does the word مع (with) affect the grammar of the word القط (the cat) that comes after it?
Yes, مع acts as a preposition. In Arabic, nouns that directly follow a preposition are pulled into the 'genitive' case. If you are pronouncing the full formal endings, this means القط gets a short 'i' sound at the end, making it 'al-qiTTi'.
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