Breakdown of استلمت سبع هدايا أمس.
استلمistalama
to receive
هديةhadiyya
gift
أمسams
yesterday
سبعةsab'a
seven
Questions & Answers about استلمت سبع هدايا أمس.
Why is the number seven written as سبع instead of سبعة?
This sentence uses "reverse agreement," which applies to numbers 3 through 10. The counted noun in its singular form is هدية (gift), which is feminine because it ends in a taa marbuta (ة). Therefore, the number before it must take the masculine form سبع.
Why do we use the plural word هدايا (gifts) instead of the singular?
For numbers 3 through 10, the counted noun must always be plural and in the genitive case. هدايا is the broken plural form of the singular هدية. Because هدايا ends with a long "a" vowel (alif), it doesn't take a visible case marking, but it still perfectly follows the genitive plural rule for this lesson!
Where is the word for "I" in استلمت?
It is built right into the verb! The suffix ـت at the end of the past tense verb استلمت means "I". You don't need to add the separate pronoun أنا (I), although you could if you wanted to add emphasis.
Does the word order change if I want to say "Yesterday, I received..." instead?
Not much! Time words like أمس (yesterday) are very flexible. You can easily place أمس at the very beginning of this sentence without having to change the order of the other words.