Breakdown of المكتب رقم عشرة مغلق.
الal
the
مكتبmaktab
office
مغلقmoghlaq
closed
رقمraqm
number
عشرةashara
ten
Questions & Answers about المكتب رقم عشرة مغلق.
Why is the number ten عشرة with a feminine ending when the word for office is masculine?
In this lesson, we are using numbers in their bare counting form. When reading a number as a label, an ID, or a room number like in this sentence, Arabic defaults to this form ending with a taa marbuutah. You aren't saying 'ten offices' here; you are just naming the digit 'ten', so it doesn't need to match the gender of the office.
Why doesn't the adjective مغلق (closed) match the feminine ending of the word right next to it, عشرة?
Because مغلق describes the main subject of the sentence, which is المكتب (the office). Since المكتب is masculine, the adjective must be masculine too. The number عشرة is just part of the room's name, so it doesn't change the gender of the office itself.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
Arabic does not use a word for 'is' or 'are' in simple present tense sentences. The sentence literally reads 'The-office number ten closed'. To say something 'is' something, you simply put the subject and the describing word side by side.
I remember learning that مكتب means 'desk'. Can it also mean 'office'?
Yes! The word مكتب can mean either 'desk' or 'office' depending on the context. In this sentence, because it has a room number (رقم عشرة) and can be closed (مغلق), 'office' is the only translation that makes sense.
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