Breakdown of كان أداء الفريق ممتازا.
الal
the
فريقfarîq
team
ممتازmumtâz
excellent
كانkâna
to be
أداءadâ'
performance
Questions & Answers about كان أداء الفريق ممتازا.
Why is the word for excellent written as ممتازا with an extra alif at the end?
Because it is the predicate of the verb كان (was). In Arabic, كان changes the predicate (the descriptive part of the sentence) into the accusative case. For undefined nouns and adjectives, this means adding an alif and the -an double vowel ending, making it ممتازا (mumtāzan) instead of ممتاز (mumtāz).
Why does أداء (performance) lack the definite article ال (al-) when the translation says 'the team's performance'?
The phrase أداء الفريق forms an Idafa (a possession structure literally meaning 'performance of the team'). A strict rule of the Idafa is that the first word (أداء) never takes ال, but it automatically becomes definite because the second word (الفريق) is definite.
Does the word الفريق (the team) change its case because of the verb كان?
No, الفريق remains in the genitive case because it is the second part of the Idafa (the possessor). The verb كان only affects the case of its main subject (أداء) and its predicate (ممتازا).
Why is the adjective ممتازا masculine?
Because it describes أداء (performance), which is a masculine noun. While الفريق happens to be masculine too, in an Idafa structure like أداء الفريق, the adjective must always agree with the primary word it is describing, which is the first word (the possessed item).
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