Breakdown of يا زملائي، لم تكملوا المشروع.
الal
the
زميلzamîl
colleague
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
مشروعmashrû'
project / draft (bill)
ياyâ
O
لمlam
did not
أكملakmala
to complete
Questions & Answers about يا زملائي، لم تكملوا المشروع.
Why is the verb تكملوا instead of تكملون?
This is the main rule of the Jussive mood! The negative particle لم (did not) forces the verb that follows it into this mood. For a masculine plural verb like تكملون (you all complete), the Jussive mood requires dropping that final ن (nuun).
Why is there an alif at the end of تكملوا if we do not pronounce it?
When we drop the ن from a masculine plural verb, we add a silent alif to the end. This is a spelling rule in Arabic to show that the و (waw) is part of a plural verb suffix, not just a normal letter that belongs to the root of a word. It is often called the alif of protection.
Why does the sentence use a present tense verb (تكملوا) to mean "did not complete" in the past?
The particle لم is a special word that negates the past tense, but it must always be followed by a verb conjugated in the present tense (specifically, in the Jussive mood). Therefore, لم plus a present tense verb always translates to "did not" do something in the past.
How exactly is the word زملائي (my colleagues) built?
It starts with the singular word زميل (colleague). Its plural is an irregular broken plural: زملاء (colleagues). To say "my", we add the possessive suffix ي. Because this suffix forces a kasra ("ee" sound) on the letter right before it, the hamza at the end of زملاء changes its spelling seat to match, becoming زملائي.
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