Breakdown of الإنترنت بطيء لأن الإشارة ضعيفة.
الal
the
بطيءbatee'
slow
إنترنتintarnit
internet
لأنli'anna
because
إشارةishâra
signal
ضعيفda'îf
weak
Questions & Answers about الإنترنت بطيء لأن الإشارة ضعيفة.
How does the word for 'because' (لأن) work in this sentence?
The word لأن (li'anna) is used to give a reason. In Arabic, لأن must be followed immediately by a noun or an attached pronoun. Here, it is followed directly by the noun الإشارة (the signal).
Why do the adjectives for 'slow' (بطيء) and 'weak' (ضعيفة) have different types of endings?
In Arabic, adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. الإنترنت (the internet) is a borrowed word treated as masculine, so it takes the masculine adjective بطيء. However, الإشارة (the signal) ends with a taa marbuta (ة), making it a feminine word, so its adjective must also be feminine: ضعيفة.
Where is the Arabic word for 'is' in 'The internet is slow' and 'the signal is weak'?
Arabic does not use a word for 'is' or 'are' in simple present-tense sentences. Instead, simply placing a definite noun (like الإنترنت) followed by an indefinite adjective (like بطيء) creates a complete equational sentence meaning 'The internet is slow.' The exact same pattern happens in the second half with الإشارة ضعيفة (the signal is weak).
If I pronounce the full formal vowel endings, how does لأن affect the noun after it?
Grammar words like لأن force the noun immediately following them to take an 'a' sound at the end, which is known as the accusative case. If you pronounce the formal grammatical ending, it would be لأنَّ الإشارةَ (li'anna al-'ishārata) rather than the standard dictionary 'u' sound.
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