Breakdown of هو يأكل قليلا ويشرب الماء كثيرا.
الal
the
وwa
and
هوhuwa
he / his / him (attached)
كثيرkathîr
many / a lot
شربshariba
to drink
ماءmaa'
water
أكلakala
to eat
قليلqalîl
a little / few
Questions & Answers about هو يأكل قليلا ويشرب الماء كثيرا.
Why do قليلا and كثيرا both end with an extra Alif?
That extra Alif with the two small lines on top is the visible indefinite accusative case. In Arabic, when adjectives like little (قليل) or a lot (كثير) are used as adverbs to describe how much an action happens, they take this special accusative ending (ـاً) to become قليلا and كثيرا.
Why is it يشرب الماء كثيرا instead of putting كثيرا right after the verb?
In Arabic, the direct object of the verb usually comes first. Because the water (الماء) is what he is drinking, it goes right after the verb. Degree adverbs like كثيرا (a lot) are placed at the end of the phrase, after the object.
Why does the Arabic sentence say الماء (the water) when the English translation just says "water"?
In Arabic, general substances or broad categories are often made definite by adding الـ (the). When talking about drinking water in general, Arabic prefers to say drinking "the water" rather than leaving it indefinite.
Is the pronoun هو (he) strictly necessary at the beginning of the sentence?
No, it is optional. The verb يأكل (eats) already has "he" built into its form. Starting the sentence with هو just emphasizes who is doing the action or clearly introduces the topic.
Learn هو يأكل قليلا ويشرب الماء كثيرا and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free