هل أقسم الشاهد في المحاكمة؟hal aqsama ash-shâhidu fil-muhâkamati?
Did the witness swear in the trial?
Breakdown of هل أقسم الشاهد في المحاكمة؟
الal
the
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
فيfî
in / about, regarding
شاهدshâhid
witness
Questions & Answers about هل أقسم الشاهد في المحاكمة؟
What verb form is أقسم (aqsama), and what does its root mean?
It is a Form IV verb in the past tense. Its root is ق-س-م (q-s-m), which is historically associated with dividing, sharing, or taking an oath. In this Form IV pattern, it specifically means to swear an oath.
Why does the word for witness, الشاهد (ash-shaahid), follow this specific spelling pattern?
This word is the active participle of the Form I verb شهد (shahida), meaning to witness or testify. An active participle acts like a noun or adjective describing the doer of the action, so الشاهد literally means the one who witnesses.
The word for trial, المحاكمة (al-muHaakama), seems related to other legal words. What is its root?
It comes from the root ح-ك-م (H-k-m), which is used for words related to judging, ruling, and governing. For example, محكمة (maHkama) means court, and حاكم (Haakim) means ruler or judge. المحاكمة is the Form III verbal noun, meaning the trial or the act of judging.
How do we know this question is in the past tense if the word هل (hal) doesn't specify tense?
The question particle هل (hal) has no tense of its own; it just turns a statement into a yes/no question. The tense is shown entirely by the main verb أقسم (aqsama), which is the past tense form for he swore. Unlike English, Arabic does not use a helper verb like did to ask a past-tense question.