Breakdown of اشترى كتابا واحدا وحقيبة واحدة.
وwa
and
كتابkitâb
book
حقيبةhaqîba
bag
واحدwâhid
one / the same, uniform
Questions & Answers about اشترى كتابا واحدا وحقيبة واحدة.
This lesson is about كم (how many). How would I ask 'How many books did he buy?' based on this sentence?
You would ask كم كتابا اشترى؟. Notice that after كم, the noun you are asking about must be singular and take the 'an' sound ending, which is exactly how كتابا is already written in this sentence!
Why do the words for 'one' (واحدا and واحدة) come after the nouns they count?
In Arabic, the numbers 1 and 2 act just like regular adjectives. Because adjectives always follow the noun they describe, you literally say 'book one' and 'bag one'.
Why are there two different words for 'one' here?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun. كتاب (book) is masculine, so it takes the masculine form واحدا (waahidan). حقيبة (bag) is feminine, indicated by its tied-t ending, so it takes the feminine form واحدة (waahidatan).
Why is there an extra tall line (alif) at the end of كتابا and واحدا, but not on the feminine words?
These words are the direct objects of the verb (the things being bought), so they get the 'an' sound at the end. For most masculine words, Arabic spelling requires adding an extra alif to hold this 'an' sound. Words ending in the feminine ة don't need the extra alif.
Where is the word for 'He' in this sentence?