Breakdown of يجب أن توفر من راتبك.
منmin
from
كka
your / you (object)
أنan
to (with verbs)
يجبyajibu
must / has to
راتبrâtib
salary
وفرwaffara
to save
Questions & Answers about يجب أن توفر من راتبك.
Why does the verb توفر end with a fat'ha (tuwaffira) instead of a damma (tuwaffiru)?
It comes directly after the particle أن (that/to). The word أن causes the following present tense verb to take the subjunctive mood. For this verb, that means changing the final short vowel from a damma to a fat'ha.
How does يجب أن translate to "you must"?
In Arabic, "must" is not a personal helping verb like it is in English. The verb يجب simply means "it is necessary" or "it is obligatory." Followed by أن (that), the phrase يجب أن توفر literally means "It is necessary that you save."
I see a weak letter (و) in توفر. Does the jussive mood rule for dropping weak letters apply here?
Not in this sentence! First, the verb is in the subjunctive mood because of أن, not the jussive mood (which is triggered by words like لم). Secondly, the rule you are learning drops weak letters at the end of a defective verb. Here, the weak letter is at the beginning of the root (و ف ر), and because it is a Form II verb, the و remains fully intact.
How would I change this sentence to speak to a woman?
You would need to change two things. The verb توفر (tuwaffira) becomes توفري (tuwaffirii) to match the feminine "you." Then, the possessive ending on راتبك (your salary) changes from a fat'ha (ـكَ, -ka) to a kasra (ـكِ, -ki). The full sentence would be: يجب أن توفري من راتبكِ.
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