Breakdown of هذه مجلة عن السيارات.
الal
the
سيارةsayyâra
car
هذهhâdhihi
this (f)
مجلةmajalla
magazine
عن'an
about / from (far from) / on the basis of (merit)
Questions & Answers about هذه مجلة عن السيارات.
Why is هذه used at the beginning if the sentence talks about cars?
The word هذه (this) points directly to مجلة (magazine), which is a singular feminine noun. It does not agree with the cars at the end of the sentence.
If we wanted to say 'these cars', how would the non-human plural rule apply?
Because السيارات (cars) is a non-human plural, Arabic grammar treats it as a singular feminine word for matching purposes. You would actually use the exact same feminine singular word هذه to say 'these cars' (هذه السيارات).
How can I tell that السيارات (cars) is plural?
The ending ـات (-aat) is the standard plural ending for most feminine words. The singular word for car is سيارة (sayyaara). To make it plural, you drop the feminine marker (ة) and add ـات.
Why does the Arabic use the word for 'the' (الـ) on cars when the English translation just says 'about cars'?
In Arabic, when you talk about a general category or concept (like cars in general), you usually must use the definite article الـ (al-). English drops 'the' for general categories, but Arabic requires it here.
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