Breakdown of هي كنست البيت كله ما خلا المطبخ.
الal
the
بيتbayt
house
هيhiya
she / her (attached)
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
مطبخmatbakh
kitchen
كلkull
all / every
ما خلاmâ khalâ
except
كنسkanasa
to sweep
Questions & Answers about هي كنست البيت كله ما خلا المطبخ.
Why does المطبخ take the accusative case here?
Because it follows ما خلا ('except'). When the verb خلا is preceded by ما, it functions strictly as a verb meaning 'except' or 'excluding'. The noun that follows it is treated as its direct object, which must take the accusative case (ending with a fatha, making it المطبخَ).
Does ما خلا mean exactly the same thing as إلا?
Yes, they both translate to 'except', but they behave differently in grammar. While إلا is a particle of exception, ما خلا acts as a verb. You could also use ما عدا in this sentence with the exact same meaning and grammatical rules.
Why is it البيت كله instead of كل البيت?
Both are correct, but البيت كله adds more emphasis. By putting the noun first and following it with كل attached to a pronoun suffix (ـه referring back to the house), it acts as a grammatical emphasizer (tawkid). It stresses that she swept 'the house, all of it'.
Is the pronoun هي strictly necessary at the beginning of the sentence?
No, because the verb كنست already contains the 'she' meaning. Adding هي at the beginning puts a little extra focus on the subject, emphasizing that she is the one who swept the whole house.
Learn هي كنست البيت كله ما خلا المطبخ and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free