Breakdown of أخذت حبة واحدة من الدواء.
منmin
from
أخذakhadha
to take
واحدةwâhida
one
دواءdawâ'
medicine
حبةhabba
pill
Questions & Answers about أخذت حبة واحدة من الدواء.
Why does the word for "one" (واحدة) come after the word for "pill" (حبة)?
In Arabic, the number 1 acts like an adjective, so it always comes after the noun it describes. You are literally saying "a pill, one". For numbers 3 and up, the rules change and the number usually comes first!
Why is it واحدة and not just واحد?
Because the word for "pill" (حبة) is a feminine word (it ends in a taa marbuta, the letter ة). Since the number 1 acts like an adjective, it has to match the gender of the noun, so we use the feminine form واحدة.
Why use من (from) here instead of just saying "medicine pill"?
Using من emphasizes taking one unit out of a larger whole. Literally, it means "one pill from the medicine." You could use an "Idafa" relationship and say حبة الدواء (the medicine's pill), but using من sounds very natural when you are counting out a specific dose from a bottle or package.
The verb أخذت can mean "I took", "you took", or "she took". How do we know it means "I" here?
Without the short vowel marks, أخذت is written exactly the same for "I took" (akhadhtu), "you took" (akhadhta/akhadhti), and "she took" (akhadhat). In everyday reading, you know who is talking from the context. If you want to be extra clear, you can simply add the pronoun "I" (أنا) before the verb.
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