Breakdown of هل الأدب العربي واقعي جدا؟
الal
the
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
جداjiddan
very
عربيarabî
Arabic
Questions & Answers about هل الأدب العربي واقعي جدا؟
Why isn't there a word for "is" in this sentence?
This is a nominal sentence (an equation without a verb). In Arabic, you simply put the subject phrase (الأدب العربي, "Arabic literature") next to the predicate (واقعي جدا, "very realistic"). The shift from the definite subject to the indefinite predicate acts as the invisible "is".
Both العربي (Arabic) and واقعي (realistic) end in a yaa (ي). Why does one have ال (al-) and the other doesn't?
Both are "Nisba" adjectives (adjectives formed by adding ـي to a noun). العربي has ال (al-) because it is describing the definite subject الأدب (the literature). They must match in definiteness to mean "the Arabic literature". واقعي does not have ال because it is the predicate (the new information being stated about the subject), which is usually indefinite.
Why does جدا (very) come after واقعي (realistic), whereas in English we say "very realistic"?
In Arabic, adverbs of degree like جدا (very) almost always come directly after the adjective they modify. So literally, the word order is "realistic very".
How is the word واقعي (realistic) related to the word for "reality"?
It comes from the noun واقع (wāqiʿ), which means "reality" or "fact". By adding the Nisba suffix ـي (-iyy), you turn the noun into the adjective واقعي (realistic or factual).