Breakdown of كويت الملابس ما عدا قميصا.
الal
the
ملابسmalâbis
clothes
قميصqamîs
shirt
ما عداmâ 'adâ
except
كوىkawâ
to iron
Questions & Answers about كويت الملابس ما عدا قميصا.
Why does the word for shirt (قميصا) take the accusative case with a tanween fatha?
Because it follows ما عدا (except). When the word عدا is preceded by ما, it functions strictly as a verb. This makes the excepted noun its direct object, which must always be in the accusative case (منصوب).
If I dropped the ما and just used عدا, would the case of قميصا change?
It could! Without ما, the word عدا can act as either a verb or a preposition. If treated as a preposition, the following noun takes the genitive case: عدا قميصٍ (adaa qamiisin). But with the phrase ما عدا, the accusative is mandatory.
The dictionary form for 'he ironed' is كوى. Why does a ي (ya) appear when saying 'I ironed' (كويت)?
The root for this verb is ك و ي. It is a 'defective' verb, meaning its last root letter is weak. When you add the past tense suffix for 'I' (ـتُ), that original weak letter (ي) reappears. So, كوى becomes كويتُ (kawaytu).
What case is الملابس (the clothes) in here?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb كويت (I ironed). Even though the short vowel isn't written in the unvoweled text, it is pronounced with a fatha at the end: الملابسَ (al-malaabisa).
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