Breakdown of ترك الانفجار ضررا كبيرا في المبنى.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
كبيرkabîr
big
مبنىmabnâ
building
تركtaraka
to leave
انفجارinfijâr
explosion
ضررdarar
damage
Questions & Answers about ترك الانفجار ضررا كبيرا في المبنى.
How does the word الانفجار fit into the Form VII pattern?
الانفجار (al-infijaar, the explosion) is the verbal noun of the Form VII verb انفجر (infajara - to explode). The pattern for Form VII verbal nouns is انفعال (infi'aal). You can see this pattern applied to the root letters f-j-r (ف-ج-ر) by adding the prefix "in-" and the characteristic alif just before the final root letter.
Why do the words ضررا and كبيرا end with an extra alif?
They make up the direct object of the verb ترك ("left"). In Arabic, when an indefinite word is the direct object (the accusative case), it takes a tanween fatha (an "-an" ending). In writing, this usually requires adding an extra alif at the end of the word, which gives us ضررا كبيرا (dararan kabiiran).
Why is كبيرا translated as "a lot of" instead of "big"?
While كبير literally means "big" or "large," Arabic often uses it to describe the high volume, severity, or extent of abstract concepts like "damage" (ضرر). In English, "a lot of damage" or "great damage" sounds much more natural than "big damage."
Since المبنى comes after the preposition في, shouldn't its last letter have a kasra sound?
Grammatically, it is in the "after a preposition" state (genitive case) and should take a kasra. However, المبنى (the building) ends with an alif maqsura (ى), which is a vowel always pronounced as "aa". Words ending in this letter are physically unable to change their ending sound to show case, so the kasra is just "hidden" or assumed.
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