Questions & Answers about كان القصر مشهورا.
Why does the word for famous have an extra 'alif' at the end (مشهورا)?
This is the main rule for using كان (was)! When you use كان, the word describing the subject (the predicate) must be put into the "accusative" case. For most indefinite words like مشهور (famous), this case is shown by adding an "an" sound to the end. In writing, this usually requires adding an extra alif to hold that sound's symbol, making it مشهورا (mašhūran).
Why is the Arabic word order "was the palace famous"?
In Arabic, sentences that contain a verb usually start with that verb. Because كان is technically a verb (the past tense of "to be"), it takes the very first position. It is then followed by the subject القصر (the palace), and finally the describing word مشهورا (famous).
Why do we use كان instead of the feminine form كانت?
The verb "was" has to match the gender of its subject. Because القصر (the palace) is a masculine noun (it doesn't have a feminine ending like a taa marbuuta), we use the masculine verb كان. If the subject were feminine, like "the city" (المدينة), we would use كانت.
How do I pronounce the connection between كان and القصر?
The alif at the beginning of the word "the" (ال) is a connecting vowel, meaning it becomes silent when it isn't the first word you speak. You smoothly link the short "a" sound at the end of كان (kāna) directly into the "l" sound of القصر (l-qaṣr), making it sound like "kāna l-qaṣr".
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