Breakdown of كان أمين المكتبة في الأرشيف عندما بدأ العمل.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
عملamal
work
بدأbada'a
to begin
كانkâna
to be
عندما'indamâ
when (not in questions)
مكتبةmaktaba
library
أمينamîn
custodian
أرشيفarshîf
archive
Questions & Answers about كان أمين المكتبة في الأرشيف عندما بدأ العمل.
Why is the word for librarian two words (أمين المكتبة) and what is its case here?
Why does the verb بدأ come before its subject العمل after عندما?
In Arabic, a verbal sentence (where the verb comes first) is standard. Following conjunctions of time like عندما (when), placing the verb immediately after the conjunction is the most natural and stylistically preferred word order in MSA, rather than putting the subject first.
How would we change the second half of this sentence to say 'when the work had not yet begun', using the grammar from this lesson?
You would replace the past tense verb بدأ with the negative structure لم يبدأ بعدُ. Remember that لم (did not) must be followed by a present tense verb in the jussive mood, even when talking about the past. The unannexed adverb بعدُ (yet) sits at the end and always takes a fixed Damma.
If we take away كان and the عندما clause, does the rest of the sentence still make sense?
Yes! أمين المكتبة في الأرشيف is a complete nominal sentence meaning 'The librarian is in the archive'. The verb كان just acts as a time machine to shift that exact situation into the past.
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