Breakdown of لما انتهى الفيلم، غادرنا في نفس الوقت.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
وقتwaqt
time
فيلمfîlm
film
انتهىintahâ
to finish
غادرghâdara
to depart
لماlammâ
when (past)
نفسnafs
same
Questions & Answers about لما انتهى الفيلم، غادرنا في نفس الوقت.
Can I use the question word متى (matā) for "when" in this sentence instead of لما (lammā)?
No, متى is only used for asking actual questions (like "When did the film end?"). To say "when" as a connecting statement between two events, you must use a time word like لما or عندما.
Why are both verbs in this sentence in the past tense? Can I use لما with the present tense?
When لما is used to mean "when" or "at the time that," it is almost strictly followed by a verb in the past tense. Here, both انتهى (ended) and the resulting action غادرنا (we left) are past tense verbs.
I learned that describing words come after nouns in Arabic. Why does نفس (nafs) come before الوقت (al-waqt)?
The word نفس is actually a noun, not an adjective! To say "the same [noun]", you place نفس right before a definite noun in an Idafa (possessive phrase). So نفس الوقت is grammatically closer to saying "the sameness of the time."
Why does the first part of the sentence say انتهى الفيلم (ended the film) instead of الفيلم انتهى?
In Arabic, sentences and clauses prefer to start with the verb (Verb-Subject-Object order). Right after time words like لما, it is very standard and natural to put the verb انتهى directly before its subject الفيلم.
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