Breakdown of ما زال المرور يتوقف في النفق.
فيfî
in / about, regarding
توقفtawaqqafa
to stop
ما زالmâ zâla
he is still
مرورmurûr
traffic
نفقnafaq
tunnel
Questions & Answers about ما زال المرور يتوقف في النفق.
Why is there a ما at the beginning? Doesn't that usually make a sentence negative?
In this phrase, ما زال (literally "has not ceased"), the ما is indeed the negative word for "not". However, combined with the past tense verb زال ("to cease" or "to stop"), it creates a double negative that translates to "is still" or "continues to". This is a very common set phrase.
How does the sentence express "is still stopping" using a present tense verb?
To say something "is still doing" an action, Arabic uses ما زال followed by the subject, and then a present tense verb. In this sentence, ما زال tells us the state is ongoing, and the present tense verb يتوقف tells us what the actual action is ("stopping").
Why do we use ما زال and يتوقف instead of their feminine forms?
Both of these words must agree with the subject of the sentence, which is المرور (the traffic). Because المرور is a masculine noun, we use the masculine form ما زال and the masculine present tense prefix in يتوقف. If the subject were feminine, like السيارة (the car), the sentence would be ما زالت السيارة تتوقف في النفق.
What is the origin of the word المرور?
While it is the standard word for "traffic", المرور is literally a noun that means "passing" or "crossing". You will also see it used in common driving terms, like إشارة المرور which means "traffic light".
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