Breakdown of يحتاج أحمد إلى مئة غرام من السكر.
الal
the
منmin
from
سكرsukkar
sugar
احتاج إلىihtâja ilâ
to need
مئةmi'a
hundred
أحمدahmad
Ahmad
غرامgirâm
gram
Questions & Answers about يحتاج أحمد إلى مئة غرام من السكر.
Why is the preposition إلى used after يحتاج? Doesn't 'needs' just take a direct object in English?
In Arabic, the verb يحتاج (to need) doesn't take a direct object directly. It always requires the preposition إلى (to/for) before the thing being needed. Literally, the sentence is structured as 'Ahmed needs to a hundred grams...'.
Why is the word for gram (غرام) singular here? Shouldn't it be plural after the number 100?
In Arabic, the rules for numbers change depending on how high the number is. The numbers 100 (مئة) and 1000 (ألف) are always followed by a singular noun in the genitive case. So, instead of saying '100 grams', Arabic grammar requires you to say '100 gram' (مئة غرام). Plurals are generally only used with numbers 3 through 10.
Why do we use من (from) before السكر (sugar)?
When specifying the substance or contents of a measurement (like 'grams of sugar' or 'a glass of water'), Arabic uses the preposition من (from/of). It translates naturally to 'of' in English, but literally means 'a hundred grams from the sugar'.
The verb يحتاج (he needs) has an alif in it. What form is this verb and what is its root?
This is a Form VIII verb, and its root is actually ح-و-ج (h-w-j). Because the middle root letter is a weak letter (waw), it is called a 'hollow' verb. In Form VIII, to make pronunciation easier, that weak middle letter transforms into an alif (ا) in both the past tense (احتاج) and the present tense (يحتاج).
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