Breakdown of تطوعت مريم في المبادرة لكي تساعد الأيتام.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
ساعدsâ'ada
to help
مريمmaryam
Maryam
يتيمyatîm
orphan
تطوعtatawwa'a
to volunteer
مبادرةmubâdara
initiative
لكيlikay
in order to
Questions & Answers about تطوعت مريم في المبادرة لكي تساعد الأيتام.
Why does the verb تساعد end in a fatha sound instead of the usual damma?
It is because of the purpose particle لكي (in order to). Particles like كي and لكي force the present tense verb that follows them into the subjunctive mood. For most regular verbs like this one, that means changing the final damma (-u) to a fatha (-a), making it tusa'ida instead of tusa'idu.
What is the difference between كي and لكي, and could I use كي here instead?
You can absolutely use كي here instead! They mean exactly the same thing (in order to) and both make the following verb subjunctive. The word لكي simply attaches the preposition لِـ (for/to) to the beginning, which makes it slightly more explicit but does not change the grammatical effect or meaning.
Could I just attach the prefix لِـ to the verb instead of using لكي entirely?
Yes, you could replace the purpose particle entirely with لِتُساعِدَ (li-tusa'ida). This prefix also means 'in order to' and also puts the verb in the subjunctive mood. Using لكي تساعد instead just separates the words and places a bit more emphasis on the purpose.
What is the singular form of the word الأيتام?
The singular is يتيم (yatiim). The plural أيتام (aytaam) is a broken plural that follows a very common pattern, just like أولاد (awlaad, boys) or أقلام (aqlaam, pens).
I recognize the root for volunteering in تطوعت, but why does it have a تـ at the beginning and a ـت at the end?
The تـ at the beginning is part of the verb's core structure because it is a Form V verb (which often adds this prefix to create reflexive or resultant meanings). The ـت at the very end is the standard past-tense suffix for 'she'. Together, they create the past-tense meaning 'she volunteered'.
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