Breakdown of فقدت المرأة توازنها وكادت تسقط الكوب.
الal
the
وwa
and
امرأةimra'a
woman
هاhâ
her / her (object) / it (feminine)
كوبkûb
cup
فقدfaqada
to lose (misplace, lose possession of)
كادkâda
to almost do
أسقطasqaṭa
to drop
توازنtawâzun
balance
Questions & Answers about فقدت المرأة توازنها وكادت تسقط الكوب.
Why is the second verb in the present tense (تسقط) when the English translation says 'dropped' in the past tense?
The verb كاد itself is in the past tense (كادت), which tells us the event happened in the past ('she almost...'). The rule for verbs of approximation is that the action being approached must always be in the present tense, even though we translate it as past tense in English.
Is it possible to use the word أن (to) between the two verbs, like كادت أن تسقط?
While you might occasionally see أن used with كاد, it is strongly preferred in Arabic to drop it. The standard structure is simply كاد directly followed by the present tense verb, unlike other verbs you've learned where أن is required.
Why are there feminine markers on both كادت and تسقط?
Both verbs must agree with the subject, which is المرأة (the woman). The first verb gets the standard past tense feminine suffix ـت (كادت), and the second verb gets the present tense feminine prefix تـ (تسقط).
The basic verb for 'to fall' is سقط. Why does this sentence use تسقط instead to mean 'dropped'?
The basic verb سقط means 'to fall' (for example, the cup falls). To express 'dropped' (meaning 'to make something fall'), Arabic uses a different verb pattern (Form IV) from the same root: أسقط / يسقط. So تسقط الكوب literally translates to 'she makes the cup fall.'
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