Breakdown of إذا كان هذا البركان نشطا، فسوف نرى فوهته.
الal
the
هذاhâdhâ
this (m)
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
رأىra'â
to see
سوفsawfa
will
فfa
so, then / for (giving a reason)
كانkâna
to be
إذاidhâ
if
بركانburkân
volcano
نشطnashit
active
فوهةfuwwaha
crater
Questions & Answers about إذا كان هذا البركان نشطا، فسوف نرى فوهته.
Why is the prefix فـ attached to سوف in the second half of the sentence?
This sentence uses إذا to create an if/then condition. When the result (the 'then' part) starts with a future marker like سوف, Arabic grammar requires you to attach the conditional response particle فـ (Faa' al-Jaza') to it. You cannot just say سوف نرى here; it must be فسوف نرى.
Why does the Arabic say إذا كان (if it was) when the English translation says 'If this volcano is'?
The conditional word إذا (if) is almost always followed by a past tense verb in Arabic, even when the sentence is talking about a present or future possibility. So, إذا كان literally looks like 'if it was,' but it translates smoothly to 'if it is' based on the context.
Why is نشطا (active) in the accusative case, ending with an extra alif?
This is because it follows the verb كان. In Arabic, كان (to be) and its sister verbs put their predicate (the word describing the subject) into the accusative case. Since the volcano is the subject, its state (active) becomes نشطا instead of the nominative نشط.
How does the spelling of فوهة (crater) change in the word فوهته (its crater)?
The original noun فوهة ends in a taa marbuuta. When you add the attached masculine pronoun ـه to mean 'its' (referring back to the masculine noun البركان), that taa marbuuta must 'open up' into a regular ت so the pronoun suffix can physically connect to the word.
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