Breakdown of هل الخرسانة جاهزة الآن؟
الal
the
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
الآنal-ân
now
جاهزjâhiz
ready
خرسانةkharasâna
concrete
Questions & Answers about هل الخرسانة جاهزة الآن؟
Why is there no Arabic word for "is" in this sentence?
In Arabic, present-tense sentences that use "is" or "are" in English do not actually use a verb. This is called a nominal sentence. The question particle هل is simply placed directly in front of the subject الخرسانة (the concrete) and the adjective جاهزة (ready).
Why does the word for "ready" (جاهزة) end with a taa marbuta (ة)?
In Arabic, adjectives must match the noun they describe in gender. Since الخرسانة (the concrete) is a feminine noun ending in a taa marbuta, the base adjective جاهز (ready) must also take a taa marbuta to become جاهزة.
What is the wavy line over the first letter in the word الآن (now)?
That symbol is called a madda (آ). It represents a glottal stop followed by a long "aa" sound (pronounced "al-aaan"). It is used as a shorthand so you do not have to write two separate alifs next to each other.
If I want to make this a statement instead of a question, do I need to rearrange the words?
Not at all! The word هل acts as a simple question marker at the beginning of yes/no questions. If you drop it, the remaining words الخرسانة جاهزة الآن automatically form the statement "The concrete is ready now" without any changes to the word order.
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