Breakdown of يجب عليكم أن تتبعوا هذه القاعدة.
الal
the
هذهhâdhihi
this (f)
على'ala
on / of (evidence of) / to (lie to someone) / for (difficult for someone)
كمkum
your (pl.) / you (pl., object)
قاعدةqâ'ida
rule
أنan
to (with verbs)
يجبyajibu
must / has to
اتبعittaba'a
to follow (rules, footsteps)
Questions & Answers about يجب عليكم أن تتبعوا هذه القاعدة.
Why do we use يجب عليكم to mean "you must" instead of conjugating a verb for "you"?
In Arabic, obligation is often expressed impersonally. The verb يجب literally means "it is necessary". To say who must do the action, we add the preposition على (on/upon) attached to a pronoun suffix. So, يجب عليكم literally translates to "it is necessary upon you all".
Why does the verb تتبعوا drop its final letter and end with an alif instead of a nuun (تتبعون)?
Because it comes right after أن (to/that). The particle أن forces the following verb into the subjunctive mood. For plural verbs that normally end in ـون, the subjunctive mood drops the ن and replaces it with a silent alif (ا). This is why تتبعون becomes أن تتبعوا.
Is the alif at the end of تتبعوا pronounced?
No, the alif at the end of a plural verb is entirely silent. It is just a spelling convention used to show that the و is a plural marker indicating "you all" or "they", rather than a regular letter belonging to the root of the verb itself.
Why is the feminine word for "this" (هذه) used here instead of the masculine (هذا)?
Because the noun it refers to, القاعدة (rule), is feminine. You can easily spot that it is feminine because it ends with the letter taa marbuuta (ة). Demonstrative words like "this" must always match the gender of the noun they describe.
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