Breakdown of قرأت صفحة واحدة وكتبت كلمة واحدة.
وwa
and
قرأqara'a
to read
كتبkataba
to write
واحدةwâhida
one
صفحةsafha
page
كلمةkalima
word
Questions & Answers about قرأت صفحة واحدة وكتبت كلمة واحدة.
Where is the word for 'I' in this sentence?
In Arabic, the pronoun is often built right into the verb. The ـت suffix at the end of قرأت (I read) and كتبت (I wrote) tells us that 'I' did the action. You do not need to add the separate word for 'I' (أنا) here.
Why does the sentence put the number after the noun, like 'page one' (صفحة واحدة)?
In Arabic, the number one acts like a descriptive adjective. Just like other adjectives in Arabic, it must come after the noun it describes. So instead of saying 'one page', you literally say 'page one'.
Why do we use واحدة instead of the standard word for number one (واحد)?
Arabic adjectives have to match the gender of the noun they describe. Both صفحة (page) and كلمة (word) are feminine nouns, which you can usually tell by the ta marbuta (ة) at the end. Because of this, the number one also takes its feminine form, واحدة, which also ends in a ة.
The ending ـت can mean 'I', 'you (masculine)', or 'you (feminine)'. How do we know it means 'I' here?
When written without short vowel marks, قرأت could be pronounced 'qara'tu' (I read), 'qara'ta' (you read, masculine), or 'qara'ti' (you read, feminine). You have to rely on context. Since the English translation says 'I read', we know both verbs in this sentence are pronounced with the 'u' sound at the end (qara'tu and katabtu).
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