Breakdown of التحديث الجديد ليس لكل جهاز.
جديدjadeed
new
لli
for, to (attached)
ليسlaysa
to not be
جهازjihâz
device
كلkull
all / every
تحديثtahdîth
update
Questions & Answers about التحديث الجديد ليس لكل جهاز.
Why does كل mean 'every' in this sentence instead of 'all'?
When كل is followed by a singular, indefinite noun (meaning no 'al-' at the beginning) like جهاز (device), it translates to 'every' or 'each'. If you wanted to say 'all the devices', you would use a plural, definite noun after it.
Is كل جهاز considered an Idafa construction?
Yes! Even though it doesn't show physical ownership like 'the screen of the device', quantifiers like كل and بعض act as the first part of an Idafa. This is the grammatical reason why جهاز is paired directly after it without the word 'al-' (the).
What is the extra letter attached to the beginning of كل?
That is the preposition لـ (li), which means 'for' or 'to'. In Arabic, single-letter prepositions attach directly to the front of the following word. So, لـ (for) + كل (every) becomes لكل (for every).
Why is the word ليس used for 'not' instead of لا?
We use ليس because this is a nominal sentence, meaning a sentence that doesn't have a main action verb. ليس is specifically used to negate sentences that use 'is' or 'are'. If you were negating a regular present tense verb, you would use لا.
Why does الجديد (new) have the 'al-' prefix attached to it?
In Arabic, adjectives must match the noun they describe. Because the noun التحديث (the update) is definite and starts with 'al-', its adjective الجديد must also start with 'al-' to match.
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