Breakdown of يريد الولد أن يحيك كنزة.
الal
the
ولدwalad
boy
أرادarâda
to want
أنan
to (with verbs)
حاكhâka
to knit
كنزةkanza
sweater
Questions & Answers about يريد الولد أن يحيك كنزة.
Why does the second verb يحيك (yaḥīka) end with a fatha sound instead of a damma?
The verb comes directly after the particle أن (to/that). In Arabic, أن forces the following present tense verb into the subjunctive mood. For a regular singular verb like this one, that means changing its final default vowel from a damma (u) to a fatha (a).
Why is the sentence structure يريد الولد (wants the boy) instead of الولد يريد (the boy wants)?
Both structures are grammatically correct, but starting with the verb (a verbal sentence) is the standard and most natural word order in Modern Standard Arabic. If you started with الولد, it would become a nominal sentence, which places slightly more emphasis on the boy himself.
How does the word أن work here compared to the English translation?
In English, we use an infinitive: wants 'to knit'. Arabic does not have a direct equivalent of the infinitive form. Instead, you literally say wants 'that' he knits using أن (that) followed by a conjugated present tense verb. Because the boy is the one doing the knitting, the second verb يحيك must also be conjugated for 'he'.
What kind of verb is يحيك and what is its past tense?
The root is H-Y-K (ح-ي-ك). It is a 'hollow' verb, meaning its middle root letter is a weak letter (in this case, ي). In the past tense, it is حاك (he knitted), and in the present tense the weak letter becomes clear again as يحيك (he knits).
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