Breakdown of استمعت هيئة المحلفين إلى الشاهد.
الal
the
شاهدshâhid
witness
استمع إلىistama'a ilâ
to listen to
هيئةhay'ah
the body (board/committee)
محلفmuhallaf
the juror
Questions & Answers about استمعت هيئة المحلفين إلى الشاهد.
Why is the verb استمعت feminine when the word for jurors (المحلفين) is masculine plural?
The actual subject of the sentence is the word هيئة (body or committee), which is feminine. The phrase هيئة المحلفين literally means "the body of jurors." Because the core subject is feminine, the verb takes the feminine ending -ت.
Why does المحلفين end with the suffix -iin instead of -uun?
The phrase هيئة المحلفين is an Idafa (a possessive construction). In an Idafa, the second word is always in the genitive case. For regular masculine plural words like this one, the genitive case is marked by the suffix -ين (-iin) rather than the nominative -ون (-uun).
What is the difference between the verbs سمع and استمع?
سمع (sami'a) is the basic verb meaning "to hear," which happens passively. استمع (istama'a) is a modified verb (Form VIII) meaning "to listen," which implies making a deliberate effort. Notice that استمع requires the preposition إلى (to) when specifying what is being listened to, exactly like in English!
What root does the word المحلفين (jurors) come from?
It comes from the root ح-ل-ف, which is related to swearing an oath. The singular noun محلف literally describes a person who has been sworn in.
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