Learn Arabic (Modern Standard): هل حاولت تحقيق النجاح في المشروع الجديد؟ - Did you try to achieve success in the new project?

In Arabic, you can often replace a clause like "to achieve" (أن تُحَقِّقَ) with its explicit verbal noun or Masdar (المصدر الصريح). Here, the verbal noun تحقيق ("achieving") acts directly as the object of the verb حاولت ("you tried"). It literally translates to "Did you try the achieving of success?".

Why does "achieve success" translate to what looks like a possessive phrase (تحقيق النجاح)?

Because تحقيق is a noun here ("the act of achieving"), it cannot take a direct object the way a verb does. Instead, it connects to النجاح ("success") using an Idafa (possessive construction). So, تحقيق النجاح literally means "the achieving of success".

What would the case endings (short vowels) be on تحقيق النجاح?

It would be تحقيقَ النجاحِ (taHqīqa n-najāHi). تحقيقَ gets a fatha (a) at the end because it is the direct object of the verb حاولت. النجاحِ gets a kasra (i) because it is the second part of the Idafa, which must always be in the genitive case.

How can I recognize the root and form of تحقيق?