Breakdown of ذهبت إلى السوق لأشتري الطماطم والبصل.
الal
the
وwa
and
ذهبdhahaba
to go
إلىilâ
to
سوقsûq
market
لli
for, to (attached)
اشترىishtarâ
to buy
طماطمtamâtim
tomatoes
بصلbasal
onions
Questions & Answers about ذهبت إلى السوق لأشتري الطماطم والبصل.
How does لأشتري translate to "to buy"?
It is made of two parts: the prefix لـ (li-), which means "in order to" or "for the purpose of", and the present tense verb أشتري (I buy). Together, they express purpose, meaning "in order that I buy" or simply "to buy".
I learned that the subjunctive mood usually changes the last vowel of the verb to a "fatha" (a sound). Does that happen to أشتري?
Yes! Because the verb أشتري ends in the letter ي (yaa), the fatha is actually pronounced here. So instead of the standard "ashtari", it is pronounced "li-ashtariya". When you add the purpose prefix لـ to a present tense verb, it puts the verb into the subjunctive mood, adding this "a" sound at the end.
Why is the first verb ذهبت in the past tense, but أشتري is in the present tense?
When expressing purpose with لـ (li-), the verb that follows must always be in the present tense, regardless of when the main action happened. You are literally saying "I went (past) in order that I buy (present)".
Why does the Arabic use الطماطم والبصل (the tomatoes and the onions) with the definite article الـ, while the English just says "tomatoes and onions"?
In Arabic, when you refer to a general category of things or mass nouns (like tomatoes or onions in general), you must use the definite article الـ. English usually drops the "the" in these generic cases, but Arabic requires it.
Learn ذهبت إلى السوق لأشتري الطماطم والبصل and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free