Breakdown of الزملاء يتجادلون في المكتب الآن.
الآنal-ân
now
فيfî
in / about, regarding
مكتبmaktab
office
زميلzamîl
colleague
تجادلtajâdala
to argue
Questions & Answers about الزملاء يتجادلون في المكتب الآن.
How do we recognize that يتجادلون is a Form VI verb, and how does that affect its meaning?
The verb starts with the prefix يتـ and has a long ـا after the first root letter (ج). Form VI verbs often show reciprocal action, meaning people are doing something together or to each other. The root is related to debate, so the Form VI version means they are arguing with each other.
Why does the verb يتجادلون end in ـون?
The subject of the sentence, الزملاء (the colleagues), is a masculine plural noun. Since the noun comes before the verb in this sentence, the verb must fully match it in gender and number. The ـون ending is the standard suffix for "they" (masculine plural) in the present tense.
Could we put the verb first and say يتجادلون الزملاء instead?
Not quite! In Arabic, if you start the sentence with the verb (making it a verbal sentence), the verb stays singular even if the subject is plural. So, if you want the verb first, you must drop the plural ending and say يتجادل الزملاء. Because this sentence puts the noun first, the verb takes the full plural form.
What is the singular form of الزملاء, and what kind of plural is this?
The singular is زميل (colleague). الزملاء is a broken plural, which means it does not use a standard plural ending. Instead, the internal vowels and structure of the word change, which is a very common pattern in Arabic.
Learn الزملاء يتجادلون في المكتب الآن and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free