Questions & Answers about متى اتصلت بالشركة؟
How does اتصلت mean "you called" if the word for "you" isn't in the sentence?
In Arabic, past tense verbs change their ending depending on who is doing the action. The suffix ـت at the end of اتصلت tells us that "you" did the action. Because the verb itself holds this information, you don't need to add the separate pronoun for "you".
Does the spelling or pronunciation of اتصلت change if I am asking a man versus a woman?
The spelling remains exactly the same, but the pronunciation of the final short vowel changes! If you are asking a man, it is pronounced ittasalta (with an "a" sound at the end). If you are asking a woman, it is pronounced ittasalti (with an "i" sound at the end).
Why is the prefix بـ attached to the word for "the company" (الشركة)?
In Arabic, certain verbs always pair with specific prepositions. The verb for "to call" or "to contact" (اتصل) is almost always followed by the preposition بـ (which usually means "with" or "by"). So, in Arabic, you don't just call a company, you literally "call with" the company.
When reading بالشركة out loud, do I pronounce the "al" (the) part of the word?
No, you skip the "l" sound entirely. The letter "sh" (ش) is a "sun letter." This means it forces the "l" sound of the "al" prefix to blend into it. Combined with the بـ prefix, the whole word is pronounced "bish-sharika", jumping straight from the "b" sound to a doubled "sh" sound.
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