Breakdown of صور الطبيعة لكي يحفظ الذكريات.
الal
the
حفظhafiza
to preserve
طبيعةtabî'a
nature
لكيlikay
in order to
صورsawwara
to photograph
ذكرىdhikrâ
memory
Questions & Answers about صور الطبيعة لكي يحفظ الذكريات.
Without vowels, صور looks like the noun for "pictures". How can we tell it's a verb here?
Context and word order give it away! Arabic sentences usually start with a verb. Here, صوّر (ṣawwara) is a Form II past tense verb meaning "he photographed" or "he pictured". If it were the plural noun صُوَر (ṣuwar, "pictures"), the sentence "Pictures of nature in order to save..." wouldn't form a complete sentence.
What is the difference between using لكي and just لـ for "in order to"?
Both لكي (likay) and the prefix لـ (li-) mean "in order to" and are used interchangeably before a present tense verb. لكي is simply a slightly more explicit or formal version of لـ. Both words require the verb that follows to be in the subjunctive mood, meaning يحفظ (yaḥfaẓa) will end with a fatḥa vowel.
Since الذكريات (the memories) is the object being saved, shouldn't it have a fatḥa on the end?
Normally, a direct object takes a fatḥa to show the accusative case. However, الذكريات is a regular feminine plural (ending in ـات). Regular feminine plurals are a major exception in Arabic grammar: they always take a kasra instead of a fatḥa when they are the direct object.
What is the singular form of الذكريات, and where does the ي (ya') come from?
The singular is ذكرى (dhikrā, "memory"). It ends with an alif maqsura (ى), which sounds like an "a". When we add the feminine plural suffix ـات (-āt), that final ى transforms into a regular ي (ya'), resulting in the spelling ذكريات.
Learn صور الطبيعة لكي يحفظ الذكريات 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