Breakdown of يمكن للأطفال أن يروا الساحر والبهلوان.
الal
the
وwa
and
لli
for, to (attached)
رأىra'â
to see
أنan
to (with verbs)
طفلtifl
child
يمكنyumkinu
can / it is possible
ساحرsâhir
magician
بهلوانbahlawân
acrobat
Questions & Answers about يمكن للأطفال أن يروا الساحر والبهلوان.
Why does the word for "the children" start with two lams (للأطفال)?
The verb يمكن (it is possible) is an impersonal verb. Arabic expresses "the children can" as "it is possible for the children". The preposition لـ (for) attaches directly to الأطفال (the children). When لـ attaches to a word with the definite article الـ, the first letter (alif) of the article is dropped, turning لـ + الأطفال into للأطفال (lil-atfaal).
Why is يمكن in the singular form when the sentence is about multiple children?
Because يمكن is an impersonal verb here, literally meaning "it is possible". It doesn't conjugate to match the children. It always stays in this default singular form. The children are introduced by the preposition لـ, and only the second verb (يروا, to see) is conjugated in the plural to match them.
Why is the verb "to see" written as يروا instead of its normal plural form يرون?
The particle أن forces the verb following it into the subjunctive mood. For plural verbs that normally end in ـون (like يرون), the subjunctive is formed by dropping the final ن (noon) and replacing it with a silent alif. This changes يرون to يروا.
Could I use the verb استطاع (to be able to) in this sentence instead of يمكن?
Yes, you could say يستطيع الأطفال أن يروا (The children can see). The meaning is the same. The difference is just how the grammar works: استطاع is a standard verb that acts directly on the subject without needing the preposition لـ, whereas يمكن is impersonal and requires لـ.
Learn يمكن للأطفال أن يروا الساحر والبهلوان 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