Breakdown of راقبت المنقذة الموج خوفا على الأطفال.
الal
the
على'ala
on / of (evidence of) / to (lie to someone) / for (difficult for someone)
طفلtifl
child
راقبrâqaba
Questions & Answers about راقبت المنقذة الموج خوفا على الأطفال.
Why is the word for fear (خوفا) in the accusative case with that -an ending?
It acts as an object of reason (Maf'ul li-ajlih). In Arabic, you can use a verbal noun in the accusative case to explain the reason why an action was done. Here, خوفا translates to 'out of fear' or 'because of fear'.
Why does the sentence use the preposition على (on) after fear, instead of من (from)?
The preposition changes the meaning of the fear. Using على with words related to fear means to fear 'for' someone's safety, which is why she is watching the waves. If she were afraid of the children, the sentence would use من instead.
How does the word المنقذة (the female lifeguard) get its meaning?
It is the active participle of the Form IV verb أنقذ (to rescue). In Arabic, Form IV active participles usually start with the prefix مُـ (mu-). So, it literally translates to 'the female rescuer'. The ـة at the end makes it feminine to match the subject.
Is the word for waves (الموج) singular or plural here?
It is a collective noun, which refers to 'waves' or 'the surf' as a whole substance or general category. If you wanted to talk about one single, individual wave, you would add a feminine ending to make it موجة.