Breakdown of ألا تطيع والدك؟ بلى، أطيعه دائما.
كka
your / you (object)
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
دائماdâ'iman
always
بلىbalâ
yes (answering a negative question)
والدwâlid
father (formal)
ألاalâ
don't / doesn't (question particle)
أطاعatâa
to obey
Questions & Answers about ألا تطيع والدك؟ بلى، أطيعه دائما.
Why do we start the question with ألا instead of أليس?
The word ألا combines the question marker أ with the negative particle لا. We use لا here because it is immediately followed by a present tense verb, تطيع (you obey). If the sentence had a noun or adjective after the question word, we would use أليس (is not) instead.
Why is the answer بلى instead of نعم?
Because it is answering a negative question. In Arabic, if you reply to a negative question with نعم (yes), you are actually agreeing with the negative statement, meaning 'Yes, I do not.' To contradict the negative question and say 'On the contrary, I do,' you must use the special particle بلى.
What kind of verb is تطيع (you obey) and أطيع (I obey)?
These are Form IV verbs, which is why their present tense forms start with a 'u' sound (damma): tuṭī'u and 'uṭī'u. The root has a weak middle letter (ط و ع), so its past tense is أطاع (he obeyed) and its present is يطيع (he obeys).
Why does the word دائما (always) end with an extra alif?
The alif is there to carry the tanwiin fatha (the 'an' sound at the end of the word). Many Arabic words take this ending when they are used as adverbs of time or manner, turning the adjective دائم (constant or lasting) into the adverb دائما (always).
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