Breakdown of هذه عادة جيدة.
هذهhâdhihi
this (f)
جيدjayyid
good / well
عادة'âdah
habit, custom / usually (as an adverb)
Questions & Answers about هذه عادة جيدة.
Why isn't عادة written with the adverb ending as عادةً here?
In this lesson, you are learning that the indefinite accusative ending (ً) creates adverbs, like عادةً (usually). However, in this exact sentence, عادة is being used as a regular noun meaning "a habit", not as an adverb. Because it is simply a noun here, it doesn't take that special adverb ending.
Why do we use the feminine هذه (this) instead of the masculine هذا?
The word "this" must match the gender of the noun it refers to. The word عادة (habit) ends in a taa marbuta (ة), which makes it a feminine noun. Therefore, we use the feminine demonstrative هذه.
Why does جيدة (good) come after عادة (habit)?
In Arabic, adjectives always follow the noun they describe. You can also see that جيدة matches the noun perfectly: both are feminine (ending in ة) and both are indefinite (neither starts with the prefix ال).
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
Arabic does not use a word for "is" or "are" in the present tense. This is a standard nominal sentence. By simply placing the subject هذه (This) right before the phrase عادة جيدة (a good habit), the "is" is automatically understood.
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