Breakdown of ما أجمل القلادة الثمينة التي اشتريتها!
الal
the
هاhâ
her / her (object) / it (feminine)
اشترىishtarâ
to buy
التيallatî
the one who / which (f)
أجملajmal
most beautiful
ماmâ
how (exclamatory)
قلادةqilâda
necklace
ثمينthamîn
valuable
Questions & Answers about ما أجمل القلادة الثمينة التي اشتريتها!
Why is there a ها attached to the end of اشتريتها if the English translation just says 'that you bought'?
This is the resumptive pronoun (الضمير العائد) which is the focus of this lesson. In English, we say 'the necklace that you bought', leaving the object of 'bought' empty. In Arabic, a relative clause usually needs a pronoun referring back to the noun it describes. Literally, this says 'the necklace which you bought it'. Because القلادة (the necklace) is feminine, we use the feminine attached pronoun ها.
The phrase ما أجمل looks like it means 'what is the most beautiful'. How does it mean 'How beautiful!'?
This is the standard Arabic exclamation format. It is formed using ما followed by a word that looks exactly like the comparative or superlative adjective pattern. Even though أجمل usually means 'more' or 'most beautiful', in this specific exclamation structure it actually acts as a past tense verb. It literally means 'What made the necklace beautiful!' but is used to exclaim 'How beautiful the necklace is!'.
If I read this aloud with full vowels, what case ending goes on القلادة الثمينة?
You should use a fatha, making it القلادةَ الثمينةَ. In this specific exclamation structure, the noun you are admiring (القلادة) functions grammatically as the direct object, placing it in the accusative (mansub) case. The adjective (الثمينة) then simply copies that accusative case ending.
Why do we use التي instead of الذي for 'that'?
The relative pronoun must match the noun it describes in gender and number. Since القلادة (the necklace) is feminine singular, as shown by the taa marbuuta (ة) at the end, we must use the feminine singular relative pronoun التي.
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