Breakdown of نجحت في الامتحان؟ مبروك!
الal
the
امتحانimtihân
exam
نجح فيnajaha fi
to succeed in
مبروكmabrûk
congratulations!
Questions & Answers about نجحت في الامتحان؟ مبروك!
Why is the word في (in) used here instead of just saying "passed the exam"?
In Arabic, the verb نجح (to succeed or pass) is usually followed by the preposition في (in) to indicate what you succeeded at. So instead of saying "you passed the exam," you literally say "you succeeded in the exam."
There is no question word like هل (do/did) at the beginning. How is this a question?
Just like in English, you can make a yes/no question simply by changing your tone of voice when speaking, or by adding a question mark in writing. You could add هل before نجحت, but leaving it out is very common and natural in spoken Arabic.
How do I know if نجحت is addressed to a man or a woman?
Without the short vowel marks, the written spelling is exactly the same for both. If you are talking to a man, you pronounce it najaHta. If you are talking to a woman, you pronounce it najaHti. You just have to know who is being spoken to from the context.
Does مبروك literally translate to "congratulations"?
It is the standard everyday way to say "congratulations!" but the literal meaning is "blessed." You will hear it used constantly in the Arab world when celebrating good news, passing a test, or buying something new.