Questions & Answers about لا، باع المدير سيارتين.
Why does the word for "two cars" end in ـين (-ayn) here instead of ـان (-aan)?
In this sentence, "two cars" is the direct object of the verb باع (sold) — it is the thing being sold. In Arabic, when a dual noun is the object of a verb (accusative case), its ending changes from the default nominative ـان (-aan) to ـين (-ayn).
The singular word for car is سيارة. What happens to the ة (taa marbuta) at the end when we make it dual?
When adding a dual suffix like ـين to a feminine noun ending in ة (taa marbuta), that letter opens up into a regular ت (taa). So, سيارة (car) becomes سيارتين (two cars).
Why does the verb باع come before the subject المدير?
This is the standard word order for Arabic verbal sentences: Verb-Subject-Object. The sentence literally flows as "No, sold the manager two cars."
Why is the verb باع (sold) masculine if the cars being sold (سيارتين) are feminine?
A verb always matches the gender of its subject (the doer of the action), never the object. Because the subject المدير (the manager) is masculine, the verb must be masculine regardless of what he is selling.
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