Breakdown of هل عندك حل؟
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
كka
your / you (object)
عند'inda
at / to have
حلhall
solution / solving (the act of)
Questions & Answers about هل عندك حل؟
Why does عندك translate to 'you have'?
Arabic doesn't have a direct verb for 'to have'. Instead, it uses a preposition meaning 'with' or 'at' (عند) attached to a pronoun suffix. So عندك literally means 'with you', which we understand as 'you have'.
This lesson covers negation with ليس. How would I answer 'I do not have a solution'?
You would use ليس followed by the 'I' version of عند. To say 'I don't have', you say ليس عندي. So the full sentence is لا، ليس عندي حل (No, I do not have a solution).
Does عندك change if I am talking to a man or a woman?
Yes, the pronunciation changes depending on who you are talking to, even though the unvowelled spelling stays the same. If you ask a man, you pronounce it عندكَ ('indaka). If you ask a woman, you pronounce it عندكِ ('indaki).
Is there a word for 'a' in حل?
No, Arabic doesn't have an indefinite article like the English 'a' or 'an'. A noun is generally assumed to be indefinite unless it has the prefix ال (the) attached to it. So حل on its own means 'a solution'.