Breakdown of كان المجرم لابسا قناعا، لأنه كان خائفا.
الal
the
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
لبسlabisa
to wear
لأنli'anna
because
كانkâna
to be
خافkhâfa
to fear / to be afraid
مجرمmujrim
criminal
قناعqinâ'
mask
Questions & Answers about كان المجرم لابسا قناعا، لأنه كان خائفا.
Why do we use the active participle لابسا here instead of a present tense verb like يلبس to mean 'was wearing'?
While كان plus a present tense verb (like كان يلبس) usually describes a habitual action in the past ('used to wear') or an action in progress ('was putting on'), combining كان with an active participle describes a past continuous state. The criminal was already in the state of wearing the mask, so لابسا is the perfect choice to mean he already had it on.
Why do both لابسا and خائفا end with an extra alif?
Why does قناعا (a mask) also take the accusative case ending?
Active participles can often act just like verbs. Since لابسا means 'wearing', it can take a direct object. The mask is the object being worn, so قناعا takes the accusative case, just as it would if it followed a regular verb.
Where does the hamza in خائفا come from?
The word خائف is the active participle of the verb خاف (to be afraid). Because خاف is a 'hollow' verb with a weak middle letter, that middle letter turns into a hamza when fitting into the active participle pattern.
Why do we say لأنه كان instead of just لأن كان for 'because he was'?
The word لأن (because) must be followed immediately by a noun or an attached pronoun, never directly by a verb. So, we must attach the pronoun ـه (he) to act as the subject before the verb كان can follow.
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