Questions & Answers about رأيت المدير الجديد أمس.
Can I put the adverb for yesterday (أمس) at the beginning of the sentence instead?
Yes! Adverbs of time like أمس are very flexible in Arabic. You can place it at the very beginning (أمس رأيت المدير الجديد) or at the end, just like in English. Both sound natural.
Where is the word for 'I' (أنا) in this sentence?
It is built directly into the verb! The base verb for 'to see' is رأى, and the suffix ـت (pronounced '-tu') changes it to 'I saw' (رأيت). You do not need to use the separate word أنا because the verb ending already tells us who is doing the action.
Why does the word for 'new' (الجديد) come after 'manager' (المدير)?
In Arabic, adjectives always come after the noun they describe. Instead of saying 'the new manager', the structure is literally 'the manager the new'.
Why does 'new' (الجديد) also have 'the' (ال) attached to it?
Arabic adjectives must match their nouns in definiteness. Because the noun has 'the' (المدير), the adjective must also have 'the' (الجديد). If you dropped the ال from the adjective and just said المدير جديد, the meaning would change to a complete sentence: 'The manager is new.'