Breakdown of إما أن تشتري مريم الباقة الأساسية أو تدفع رسوما إضافية.
الal
the
أنan
to (with verbs)
اشترىishtarâ
to buy
أوaw
or
دفعdafa'a
to pay
رسومrusûm
fees
مريمmaryam
Maryam
إضافيidâfi
additional
إماimmâ
either
باقةbâqah
package
أساسيasâsî
basic
Questions & Answers about إما أن تشتري مريم الباقة الأساسية أو تدفع رسوما إضافية.
Why is there an أن after إما in this sentence?
The structure إما ... أو means "either ... or". When the choice involves doing an action (a verb), you usually need to place أن (that/to) after إما. Since "Maryam buys" is a verbal phrase, we say إما أن تشتري. If you were choosing between nouns, you wouldn't use أن, for example: إما الباقة الأساسية أو الباقة المتقدمة (either the basic package or the advanced package).
Does the word أن affect the verb تشتري?
Yes! The particle أن forces the following present tense verb into the subjunctive mood (mansub). For a verb like تشتري, this means its final vowel becomes a fatha (tashtariya) instead of the usual damma (tashtari) used in the regular present tense.
Why is the second verb تدفع in the subjunctive mood too, if there is no أن directly in front of it?
The second verb تدفع (she pays) is connected to the first verb by the word أو (or). Because they are linked in this "either/or" structure, the second verb copies the grammatical state of the first one. Since أن put the first verb in the subjunctive mood, تدفع also takes the subjunctive mood, ending in a fatha (tadfa'a).
Why is the adjective إضافية (extra) in the feminine singular form when it describes رسوما (fees)?
The word رسوم (fees) is the plural of رسم (fee). Because it is a plural noun that doesn't refer to humans, Arabic grammar treats it as a feminine singular noun. Therefore, any adjectives describing it must also be feminine singular, which is why إضافية ends with a taa marbuta (ة).
Could we change the word order and put the subject "Maryam" before the verb?
No, not in this specific structure. In Standard Arabic, the particle أن must be followed directly by a verb. Therefore, you cannot say إما أن مريم تشتري. You must stick to the Verb-Subject order here: إما أن تشتري مريم.
Learn إما أن تشتري مريم الباقة الأساسية أو تدفع رسوما إضافية and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free