Questions & Answers about هذه البنت سعيدة.
Why is there no word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Arabic, sentences that describe someone or something often don't use a verb for 'is' or 'are' in the present tense. You simply put the subject (هذه البنت, 'this girl') next to the description (سعيدة, 'happy'), and the 'is' is understood!
Why does it literally translate to 'this the girl' (هذه البنت)?
In Arabic, to say 'this girl', you must use the word for 'this' (هذه) followed by the noun with the definite article 'the' (ال). If you just wrote هذه بنت (without the ال), it would mean 'This is a girl' instead.
Why does the word for happy, سعيدة, end with a taa marbuta (ة)?
Adjectives in Arabic have to match the gender of the noun they describe. Since 'girl' (البنت) is feminine, we add the feminine ending ة (taa marbuta) to the standard masculine word for happy (سعيد) to make it سعيدة.
How would I change this sentence to say 'This is a happy girl'?
You would drop the 'the' (ال) from the word 'girl'. It would become هذه بنت سعيدة. Because the noun doesn't have 'the', هذه becomes its own standalone subject ('This'), making the sentence 'This is a happy girl.'