Breakdown of كانت المرأة تطحن القمح بالمطحنة القديمة.
الal
the
قديمqadîm
old
امرأةimra'a
woman
بbi
by, with (attached)
Questions & Answers about كانت المرأة تطحن القمح بالمطحنة القديمة.
How is the word for 'grinder' (المطحنة) formed from the verb we see in this sentence?
It uses one of the Noun of Instrument patterns you are learning! Both words share the root for grinding, طحن. By placing these root letters into the مِفْعَلَة pattern, we create the noun for the tool used to do the action: مِطْحَنَة (grinder).
Why are there two verbs, كانت and تطحن, right next to each other?
This is how Arabic expresses an ongoing action in the past, equivalent to the English 'was grinding'. The first verb كانت sets the time in the past, while the present tense verb تطحن shows that the action was continuous. Both take the feminine form to match المرأة (the woman).
Where is the word for 'the' in بالمطحنة?
It is hidden inside the spelling! When the preposition بِـ (meaning 'with' or 'by means of') attaches to a word starting with the definite article الـ, they connect into a single written block without dropping any letters. So, بِـ plus المطحنة is simply written together as بالمطحنة.
Why does the adjective القديمة (the old) end with a taa marbuta (ـة)?
Because it describes the grinder (المطحنة). In Arabic, adjectives must match their nouns in gender. Since the Noun of Instrument المطحنة is feminine (indicated by its own ـة ending), the adjective القديمة must also be feminine to match it.