Breakdown of يجب أن أدرس الآن.
الآنal-ân
now
درسdarasa
to study
أنan
to (with verbs)
يجبyajibu
must / has to
Questions & Answers about يجب أن أدرس الآن.
Why do we need the word أن in this sentence?
The word أن links the idea of necessity (يجب) with the action verb (أدرس). It works a lot like the English word 'to' in 'I need to study'. Even though we translate this sentence as 'I must study' (without 'to'), Arabic requires أن to connect these two verbs.
How do I know who 'must' study if يجب doesn't change?
The word يجب is a special verb that literally means 'it is necessary' and it doesn't change forms for 'I', 'you', or 'he'. Instead, the second verb tells us who is doing the action. Here, أدرس starts with أ (Alif), which is the prefix for 'I'. So literally, the sentence says 'It is necessary that I study'.
Does the word أن change how we pronounce the verb أدرس?
Yes, it does! When a present tense verb follows أن, its final short vowel changes. Normally, 'I study' is pronounced 'adrusu' (ending with an 'u' sound). But after أن, it changes to an 'a' sound (a fatha). So here it is pronounced 'adrusa'.
What is the squiggly line over the Alif in الآن?
That symbol is called a madda (آ). It represents a glottal stop followed by a long 'a' vowel. It tells you to hold the 'a' sound a bit longer than a regular Alif. The word الآن is pronounced 'al-aan' and means 'now'.
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