Breakdown of الممثلون سرحوا شعرهم قبل المسرحية.
الal
the
قبلqabla
before
ممثلmumaththil
actor
مسرحيةmasrahiyya
play
همhum
their / them (object)
شعرsha'r
hair
سرحsarraha
to style
Questions & Answers about الممثلون سرحوا شعرهم قبل المسرحية.
Why does the verb سرحوا have a plural ending here? I thought Arabic verbs stay singular with plural subjects.
In Arabic, the verb agrees with the subject in number only if the subject comes first (in a nominal sentence). Since الممثلون (the actors) comes before the verb, سرحوا must be plural. If the sentence started with the verb instead, it would be singular: سرح الممثلون.
Why does الممثلون end with ـون instead of ـين?
Because it is the subject of the sentence, it must be in the nominative case. For regular masculine plural nouns, the nominative ending is ـون (-uun). If it were the object of a verb or came after a preposition, it would change to الممثلين (-iin).
I do not recognize the verb سرحوا. What form is it?
It is a Form II verb, سرّح (sarraḥa), meaning 'to comb' or 'to style'. You can recognize Form II by the doubled middle root letter, which would have a shadda on the letter ر if the short vowels were written. The ـوا suffix just conjugates it for 'they' in the past tense.
How is the word for 'play', المسرحية, built?
It is derived from the noun مسرح (masraḥ), which means 'stage' or 'theater'. By adding the feminine suffix ـية (-iyya), it turns into a noun describing the performance itself: a theatrical play.
Does شعرهم literally mean 'their hairs' or 'their hair'?
It translates perfectly to 'their hair'. Just like in English, the Arabic word شعر (hair) is generally treated as a collective singular noun. You simply attach the plural possessive pronoun ـهم (their) directly to the singular word.
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