Breakdown of هذا مقال عن المدينة.
الal
the
مدينةmadîna
city
هذاhâdhâ
this (m)
مقالmaqâl
article
عن'an
about / from (far from) / on the basis of (merit)
Questions & Answers about هذا مقال عن المدينة.
How would this sentence change if we wanted to say 'These are articles about the city' using the new non-human plural rule?
The plural of مقال is مقالات. Because it is a non-human plural, Arabic grammar treats it as a single female. So, instead of using a plural word for 'these', you use the feminine singular هذه (this). The sentence would become هذه مقالات عن المدينة.
Why is there no Arabic word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Arabic, you don't use 'to be' verbs (like 'is' or 'are') in the present tense. You simply place the subject (هذا, meaning 'this') directly before the information about it (مقال, meaning 'an article') to create a complete sentence.
Why is هذا pronounced with a long 'a' sound after the first letter when there is no 'alif' written?
The word هذا is one of a few common exceptions in Arabic spelling. It contains a 'hidden' long vowel (sometimes called a dagger alif). It is pronounced 'haadhaa', but the first long 'a' sound is simply memorized rather than written with a regular alif letter.
Why does المدينة have ال attached to it, but مقال does not?
ال is the definite article meaning 'the'. مقال is indefinite ('an article'), so it doesn't take ال. المدينة is definite ('the city'), so the ال is attached directly to the front of the word.
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