Breakdown of هرب الجميع إلا الفتاة الصبورة.
الal
the
هربharaba
to escape
إلاillâ
except
جميعjamî'
all / everyone (collectively)
فتاةfatâh
girl (young woman)
صبورsabûr
patient (enduring)
Questions & Answers about هرب الجميع إلا الفتاة الصبورة.
How does the pattern (فَعُول) work in the word الصبورة?
The word الصبورة comes from the root ص ب ر (patience). By putting it into the فَعُول pattern, we create an intensive adjective meaning someone who is habitually or extremely patient. Because it describes a feminine noun (الفتاة), we add a taa marboota to the end, making it صَبورة.
I noticed the adjective الصبورة has a taa marboota. Is this required for the فَعُول pattern?
In strict classical Arabic grammar, intensive adjectives on the فَعُول pattern are often the same for both masculine and feminine nouns, so you could say الفتاة الصبور. However, in Modern Standard Arabic, it is extremely common to add the taa marboota to explicitly match a feminine noun, giving us الصبورة as seen here.
What case ending does الفتاة take after the word إلا (except)?
It takes the accusative case (mansoob), ending in a fatha (الفتاةَ). When إلا is used in a positive, non-negated sentence like this one, the excluded noun immediately following it must be in the accusative case. Since the adjective الصبورة follows it, it also takes a fatha to match.
Why is the verb هرب (fled) singular when the subject is الجميع (everyone)?
Just like the English word everyone, the Arabic word الجميع is treated as a grammatically singular masculine noun. Therefore, it takes the standard third-person singular masculine verb form هرب instead of a plural verb.
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