Breakdown of أريد أن أعزف على البيانو.
على'ala
on / of (evidence of) / to (lie to someone) / for (difficult for someone)
أرادarâda
to want
أنan
to (with verbs)
عزف'azafa
to play (music)
بيانوbiyânu
piano
Questions & Answers about أريد أن أعزف على البيانو.
Why do we need the preposition على after the verb?
In Arabic, the verb عزف (to play an instrument) must be followed by the preposition على (on) before naming the instrument. While English just says 'play the piano', Arabic literally says 'play on the piano'.
Could I use the verb ألعب (I play) here instead of أعزف?
No. The verb لعب (to play) is only used for sports, games, and children playing. When you are talking about playing a musical instrument, you must use the specific verb عزف.
Does the word أن affect the pronunciation of the verb أعزف?
Yes! The word أن (to) makes the present tense verb that follows it take the subjunctive mood. For a regular verb like أعزف, this means its final short vowel changes from a default 'u' sound to an 'a' sound. So, it is formally pronounced أعزفَ (a'zafa) rather than أعزفُ (a'zafu).
Since البيانو comes after a preposition, does its ending change to show case?
Normally, a noun following a preposition takes the genitive case, which often means adding a kasra (an 'i' sound) to the end. However, البيانو is a foreign loanword that ends in a long vowel. Such words are indeclinable, meaning their endings are locked and do not change to show grammatical case.
Learn أريد أن أعزف على البيانو 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