Breakdown of المدير أهم موظف في الشركة.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
موظفmuwazzaf
employee
مديرmudîr
manager
شركةsharika
company
أهمahamm
most important / more important
Questions & Answers about المدير أهم موظف في الشركة.
Why is the word for 'most important' (أهم) followed by a singular noun (موظف) instead of a plural one?
In Arabic, to say 'the most [adjective] [noun]', we use an Idafa (possession) structure. The superlative adjective (أهم) comes first, and the noun it describes (موظف) comes right after it as a singular, indefinite word (without 'al-').
Why does أهم (ahamm) only have three written letters if the superlative pattern (أفعل) is usually four letters?
The root for 'important' has a doubled letter at the end (h-m-m). When put into the superlative pattern, those two identical letters combine into one with a shadda (the little W-shaped doubling mark), making it أهم instead of 'ahmam'.
If the manager was female (المديرة), would we need to make أهم feminine?
No, it stays exactly the same! When used in this kind of superlative structure with an indefinite noun, the superlative word (أهم) is frozen in its masculine, singular form. You would just change the noun: المديرة أهم موظفة (The female manager is the most important female employee).
Since the English translation says 'the most important employee', why don't أهم or موظف have the Arabic 'al-' (ال) attached?
That is a special feature of this grammar rule. By putting the superlative adjective before an indefinite singular noun, it automatically translates to 'the most...' in English. Adding 'al-' to either of these words here would actually break the structure.
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