Breakdown of هل كانت عندك خريطة في السيارة؟
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
سيارةsayyâra
car
فيfî
in / about, regarding
كka
your / you (object)
عند'inda
at / to have
كانkâna
to be
خريطةkharîta
map
Questions & Answers about هل كانت عندك خريطة في السيارة؟
Why do we use كانت instead of كان when asking "Did you have"?
In Arabic, to say "you had," we literally say "a map was with you." The verb كانت matches the thing being owned, not the owner. Since خريطة (map) is feminine, we must use the feminine form كانت.
How does the word عندك work here to mean possession?
The word عندك literally means "with you" or "at your place," which Arabic uses to mean "you have." By placing كانت (it was) right before it, the meaning shifts to the past tense: "you had" (literally: it was with you).
How do I know that خريطة (map) is a feminine word?
You can tell by its ending! The last letter is a taa marbuta (ة), which looks like a tied circle with two dots. This is the most common marker for feminine nouns in Arabic.
Do I need to change عندك if I am asking a woman instead of a man?
The Arabic spelling stays exactly the same, but the pronunciation of the final letter changes. You would say "indaka" for a man, and "indaki" for a woman.
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