Questions & Answers about كان سور القلعة عاليا.
Why does عاليا have an extra alif and double lines at the end?
This is because of the verb كان (was). When you use كان, the word that describes the subject (the predicate) must be in the accusative case. For an indefinite word like high, this is marked by adding a double fatha (two small diagonal lines) and an extra alif at the end, changing عالي to عاليا.
Since القلعة (the castle) is feminine, why do we use the masculine كان instead of كانت?
The verb always matches the main subject of the sentence. Here, the subject is سور (wall), which is masculine. The wall just happens to belong to the castle. Since the wall is the thing that was high, we use the masculine كان.
If the translation is 'The wall of the castle', why doesn't سور have ال (the) attached to it?
This is an Idafa (possession) phrase. In Arabic, when you link two nouns together to show possession (wall [of] the castle), the first noun never takes ال (the). It becomes definite automatically because the second noun, القلعة, has ال.
Can I use عاليا to describe a tall person?
No, عالي (which becomes عاليا here) is used for objects that are physically high up or tall, like walls, mountains, or buildings. To describe a tall person, you would use طويل.
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