Question 1

Why does شخصيا end with those two little dashes on the tall letter?

Accepted Answer

Those dashes are called tanween fatha, and they make an "-an" sound. In Arabic, adding this "-an" ending to a noun or adjective is the standard way to create an adverb. Since شخص means "person", adding the ending gives us شخصيا (personally).

Question 2

Could I put شخصيا somewhere else in the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Arabic word order is quite flexible with adverbs. You could start the sentence with شخصيا or put it at the very end. Placing it right after أنا (I) just adds a strong emphasis, like saying "I, myself, do not like..."

Question 3

Why do we use لا to say "don't" here instead of ليس or ما?

Accepted Answer

In Modern Standard Arabic, لا is the correct word to negate present tense verbs like أحب (I like). You use ليس to say "is not" for sentences without verbs, and ما is typically used to negate past tense verbs.

Question 4

Why does المطعم (restaurant) have the word "the" (ال) attached to it when the English translation just says "this restaurant"?

Accepted Answer

In Arabic, when you point to a specific thing using "this" (هذا), the noun that follows must have ال (the) attached to it. If you left it off and said هذا مطعم, you would be saying a complete sentence: "This is a restaurant."

أنا شخصيا لا أحب هذا المطعم.

Breakdown of أنا شخصيا لا أحب هذا المطعم.

Questions & Answers about أنا شخصيا لا أحب هذا المطعم.

Learn أنا شخصيا لا أحب هذا المطعم and more in Arabic