Word
أضاف العامل منعم الملابس إلى النسيج الرقيق.
Meaning
The worker added the clothes softener to the delicate fabric.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of أضاف العامل منعم الملابس إلى النسيج الرقيق.
الal
the
إلىilâ
to
ملابسmalâbis
clothes
أضافadâfa
to add
Questions & Answers about أضاف العامل منعم الملابس إلى النسيج الرقيق.
Why does the verb أضاف start with an Alif?
أضاف is a Form IV verb. Form IV verbs often add an Alif to the beginning of a three-letter root to make an action transitive (meaning it takes a direct object). The root is ض ي ف (which you might recognize from ضيف, meaning 'guest'). In this form, it means 'to add' or 'to attach'.
Why doesn't منعم have the word 'the' (ال) attached to it, even though the English translation says 'the clothes softener'?
This is an Idafa (genitive construct) where two nouns are linked together to show a relationship, meaning literally 'the softener of the clothes'. In an Idafa, the first word (منعم) never takes ال, but it is still considered definite because the second word (الملابس) has it.
How does the word منعم get the exact meaning of 'softener'?
It is an active participle from a Form II verb. In Arabic, words that start with the prefix مـ (mu-) and have an 'i' vowel (kasra) on the middle root letter often describe the person or thing doing an action. The root ن ع م relates to softness, so منعم literally translates to 'the thing that softens'.
In the phrase النسيج الرقيق, why do both words have ال?