Learn Arabic (Modern Standard): كانت ستذهب في نزهة، لكن المطر كان متوقعا. - She was going to go on a picnic, but the rain was expected.

كانت ستذهب في نزهة، لكن المطر كان متوقعا.kânat satadhhabu fî nuzhatin, lâkinna al-mataraa kâna mutawaqqa'an

She was going to go on a picnic, but the rain was expected.

Breakdown of كانت ستذهب في نزهة، لكن المطر كان متوقعا.

الal

the

فيfî

in / about, regarding

Questions & Answers about كانت ستذهب في نزهة، لكن المطر كان متوقعا.

How does كانت ستذهب create the 'future in the past' meaning?

We combine the past tense verb كانت (she was) with the present tense verb تذهب (she goes). To add the future meaning, we attach the future prefix سـ to the present tense verb, making it ستذهب. Notice that both verbs must be conjugated to match the subject (she).

How does the word لكن affect the grammar of the word for rain (المطر)?

Here, لكن (lakinna) means 'but' and is followed by a noun. Because it is one of the 'sisters of Inna', it forces the noun immediately following it to take the accusative case. This means المطر is pronounced with an 'a' sound at the end as المطرَ (al-maṭara).

Why does متوقعا end with an added alif?

The added alif shows that متوقعا is in the accusative case. It takes this case because it is the predicate (the descriptive part) of the verb كان (was). In Arabic, the word that follows كان to complete its meaning always takes the accusative case.

Is متوقعا a verb or an adjective here?

It acts as an adjective in this sentence, but structurally it is a passive participle meaning 'expected'. It is derived from the verb توقع (to expect). The passive participle for this type of verb is formed by adding a 'mu-' prefix and an 'a' vowel before the last root letter: متوَقَّع (mutawaqqaʿ).