Breakdown of كنت سعيدا جدا في شبابي.
فيfî
in / about, regarding
سعيدsa'îd
happy
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
جداjiddan
very
كانkâna
to be
شبابshabâb
youth
Questions & Answers about كنت سعيدا جدا في شبابي.
Why is the verb كنت shortened instead of just adding the suffix to كان?
The verb كان (kaana, to be) is a hollow verb, meaning its middle root letter is a weak letter. In the past tense, when we add suffixes for "I", "you", or "we" (like the ـت for "I"), the long vowel in the middle drops out to make the stem shorter. That is why كان becomes كنـ (kun-) plus ـت (-tu) to make كنت.
Why does سعيدا have an extra Alif at the end?
The word سعيد (happy) is the predicate of the verb كان (to be) here. In Arabic, the word that describes what the subject was must be in the accusative case. For a word like سعيد, this means adding the "an" sound (Tanween) and an extra ا (Alif) at the end, making it سعيدا.
Does جدا also have an extra Alif because of the verb كنت?
No, the word جدا (very) always has this accusative "an" ending and extra ا (Alif). It is a fixed adverb that modifies adjectives, so it stays as جدا regardless of whether a verb like كان is in the sentence.
How does the word شبابي break down?
It combines the noun شباب (shabaab), meaning "youth", with the possessive suffix ـي (-i), meaning "my". Because it comes after the preposition في (in), the noun is in the genitive case, but you don't hear a case vowel because the "i" sound of the "my" suffix naturally overrides it.
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