Breakdown of أنا جائع، وأخي كذلك.
وwa
and
أناana
I
أخakh
brother
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
جائعjâ'i'
hungry
كذلكkadhâlika
likewise / as well
Questions & Answers about أنا جائع، وأخي كذلك.
Why is the word for "and" attached directly to the word for "my brother" in وأخي?
In Arabic, the conjunction و (wa) meaning "and" is never written as a standalone word. It always acts as a prefix and attaches directly to the beginning of the word that follows it. Here, و (and) + أخي (my brother) combine to make وأخي.
How does كذلك translate to "so is"?
The word كذلك (kadalika) translates best as "likewise", "also", or "as well". The second half of the sentence literally means "and my brother likewise." Arabic does not need to repeat the word "hungry" or use a helper verb like English does in "so is my brother".
Where are the words for "am" and "is" in this sentence?
In Arabic, present tense sentences do not use a "to be" verb like "am", "is", or "are". You just put the subject and the description next to each other. So, أنا جائع is literally "I [am] hungry", and أخي كذلك is "my brother [is] likewise."
How do you break down the word أخي (my brother)?
It is made of the noun أخ (brother) and the suffix ـي (-i). In Arabic, you show possession by attaching a pronoun suffix to the end of the noun. The suffix ـي means "my", so adding it to "brother" gives you "my brother".
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