Breakdown of إذا حرك اللاعب القطعة على الرقعة، حصل على نقطة.
الal
the
على'ala
on / of (evidence of) / to (lie to someone) / for (difficult for someone)
حصل علىhasala 'alâ
to obtain
قطعة
Questions & Answers about إذا حرك اللاعب القطعة على الرقعة، حصل على نقطة.
Why are the verbs حرك (moved) and حصل (got) in the past tense when the English translation says 'moves' and 'gets'?
This is the main rule for إذا (if) sentences! In Arabic, real conditional sentences usually use the past tense for both the 'if' part and the result part, even when talking about the present or future. We translate it into English using the present tense to sound natural.
Why does the second half say حصل على نقطة using the word على (on)? Does it mean 'got on a point'?
No, it just means 'he gets a point'. While على usually means 'on' (as seen earlier in the sentence with على الرقعة 'on the board'), Arabic verbs often pair with specific prepositions. The verb حصل (to get/obtain) must always be followed by على. You have to learn them together as a set phrase.
Why does the subject اللاعب (the player) come after the verb حرك?
Arabic sentences usually start with the verb, following a Verb-Subject-Object order. This is especially true in conditional clauses after إذا (if). So literally, it says 'If moved the player the piece...' which is the standard way to structure this in Arabic.
Is there a reason حرك (Harraka) has a shadda (double consonant mark) on the middle letter?
Yes, the shadda makes this a 'Form II' verb, which often means causing an action to happen to something else. Here, the player is causing the piece to move. Putting a shadda on the middle root letter is a very common way to create 'transitive' verbs (verbs that take a direct object) in Arabic.