Breakdown of هل شاركتم في الحرب؟
الal
the
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
شارك فيshâraka fî
to participate in
حربharb
war
Questions & Answers about هل شاركتم في الحرب؟
How does the verb شاركتم show that it means "you (plural)"?
The base verb is شارك (he participated). To make it "you (plural)" in the past tense, we add the suffix ـتم (-tum) to the end. This is how we say "you all participated" when speaking to a group of men or a mixed group.
Can I use this same ـتم suffix for a group of only women?
No, the suffix ـتم (-tum) is used for a masculine or mixed group. If you were asking a group of only women if they participated, you would use the feminine plural suffix ـتن (-tunna) and say شاركتن.
Why is هل at the start of the sentence instead of a word meaning "did"?
Arabic doesn't have a direct translation for the helping verb "did". Instead, we use هل to turn any statement into a "yes or no" question. The past tense meaning comes entirely from the verb شاركتم.
Does the verb شاركتم always need the preposition في?
Yes, just like in English where we say "participate in", the Arabic verb شارك is naturally paired with the preposition في (in) to explain what the person is taking part in.