Breakdown of هيا بنا إلى السوق!
الal
the
إلىilâ
to
سوقsûq
market
ناnâ
our / us (object) / we (subject suffix on past verb)
بbi
by, with (attached)
هياhayyâ
come on / let's go
Questions & Answers about هيا بنا إلى السوق!
Is هيا an imperative verb? Do I need to change it if I am talking to a woman instead of a man?
هيا (hayya) functions like a command meaning 'Come on!' or 'Hurry up!'. Unlike the regular imperative verbs you are learning in this lesson, هيا is actually a fixed expression (an interjection). This is great news because it means its shape never changes—you say هيا exactly the same way whether you are talking to a man, a woman, or a group!
Where is the verb for 'go' in this sentence?
The phrase هيا بنا is a set expression that translates to 'Let's go!'. Because this phrase already strongly implies movement, Arabic speakers usually skip adding a specific verb for 'go' when a destination follows. You just jump straight to the preposition إلى (to) and the place you are heading.
What exactly is بنا? I recognize the نا part as meaning 'us'.
You are right! بنا (bina) is made of two parts: the short preposition بـ (with/by) and the attached pronoun نا (us). Literally, هيا بنا means something like 'Come on with us.' When put together, it is the standard way to say 'Let's...' in Arabic.
Does the preposition إلى (to) change the ending of السوق (the market)?
Yes, it does! In Arabic, prepositions like إلى affect the noun directly after them. It causes the noun to take a 'kasra' (an 'i' sound) at the very end. So, if you were reading this sentence with its full grammatical vowel endings, it would be pronounced 'as-suqi' rather than just 'as-suq'.
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