Breakdown of ضحينا بمال كثير.
ناnâ
our / us (object) / we (subject suffix on past verb)
مالmâl
money
كثيرkathîr
many / a lot
ضحى بdahhâ bi
to sacrifice
Questions & Answers about ضحينا بمال كثير.
The lesson covers verbal nouns of defective Form II verbs. How do we form the verbal noun for the verb used here, ضحينا?
The base verb is ضَحَّى, a Form II defective verb (its root ends in a weak letter). Regular Form II verbs use the pattern تَفْعِيل for their verbal noun, but defective ones use the pattern تَفْعِلَة. Therefore, the verbal noun for 'sacrifice' is تَضْحِيَة.
Why does the verb ضحينا have a regular ي (ya) before the نا suffix, when the dictionary form ضحّى ends in an alif maqSura (ى)?
In past tense defective verbs, when you attach a suffix starting with a consonant (like the نا for 'we'), the final alif maqSura reverts to a regular ي. This is why ضحّى (he sacrificed) changes to ضحينا (we sacrificed).
Why do we use the preposition بـ before the word for money (بمال)?
Verbs in Arabic often pair with specific prepositions that don't match English translations directly. The verb ضَحَّى requires the preposition بـ to introduce the thing being given up. Literally, the phrase reads like 'we sacrificed with a lot of money.'
How does the adjective كثير behave grammatically in this sentence?
It acts as an adjective modifying مال (money). Because مال is attached to the preposition بـ, it takes the genitive case. كثير must match this case, so with full vowel endings, the phrase is pronounced بِمَالٍ كَثِيرٍ (bi-mālin kathīrin).
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