Breakdown of رأس الطفل حار، ويده باردة.
الal
the
وwa
and
باردbâred
cold
حارhârr
hot / warm (cordial)
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
يدyad
hand
طفلtifl
child
رأسra's
head
Questions & Answers about رأس الطفل حار، ويده باردة.
Why is the adjective باردة feminine when it refers to a male child's hand?
In Arabic, adjectives must agree in gender with the noun they directly describe, not the possessor. Here, باردة describes the hand (يد), which is feminine, so the adjective takes the feminine ending ـة.
Why is the word for hand (يد) treated as feminine, even though it lacks a taa marbuta (ـة)?
In Arabic, body parts that come in pairs (like hands, eyes, and ears) are almost always grammatically feminine. Single body parts, like the head (رأس), are usually masculine. This is why رأس takes the masculine adjective حار and يد takes the feminine adjective باردة.
Why doesn't the word for head (رأس) have the definite article الـ attached to it?
It is part of an Idafa (possession) construction: رأس الطفل means 'the head of the child.' In an Idafa, the first word (the possessed item) never takes الـ but is still understood as definite because the second word (الطفل) is definite.
How does the attached pronoun in يده work?
The suffix ـه means 'his' and attaches directly to the noun يد (hand). It refers back to the child (الطفل). If the sentence was about a girl, it would use the feminine suffix ـها to make يدها (her hand).
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