Breakdown of لا يدخل أحد هذه المنطقة سوى ضابط مصرح له.
هذهhâdhihi
this (f)
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
لli
for, to (attached)
لاlâ
not (with present verb)
دخلdakhala
to enter
أحدaḥad
someone / anyone
منطقةmintaqah
area
سوىsiwâ
except
ضابطdâbit
officer
مصرحmusarrah
authorized
Questions & Answers about لا يدخل أحد هذه المنطقة سوى ضابط مصرح له.
Why does the word for officer (ضابط) take the genitive case here?
Because it comes immediately after سوى (except). Grammatically, سوى is actually a noun meaning "other than", and it forces the word following it into the genitive case (majrūr) just like a standard possession or Idafa construction. So سوى ضابط literally acts like "other than an officer".
Why is مصرح (authorized) also in the genitive case?
It is an adjective describing ضابط (officer). In Arabic, adjectives must match the case of the noun they describe. Since ضابط is forced into the genitive case by the exception noun سوى, its adjective مصرح must also take the genitive case.
What is the purpose of له at the very end of the sentence?
The word مصرح is a passive participle meaning "permitted" or "authorized". In Arabic, you don't usually say someone is "permitted" on its own; you say it is "permitted to him" (مصرح له). The له (to/for him) refers back to the officer, completing the meaning of the passive adjective.
Why isn't there a preposition like "into" after the verb يدخل (enters)?
In Arabic, the verb يدخل (to enter) directly connects to the place being entered without needing a preposition. You don't need a word for "in" or "into". Because of this, the phrase هذه المنطقة (this area) acts as the direct object of the verb.
Why do we use the word أحد (anyone) here?
Arabic doesn't have a single standalone word for "nobody" or "no one". Instead, you negate the verb with لا (not) and use أحد (anyone) as the subject. Together, لا يدخل أحد literally translates to "not anyone enters," which is the natural way to express "no one enters."
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