Breakdown of كان الطريق طويلا، لكننا وصلنا.
الal
the
طويلtawîl
tall / long
ناnâ
our / us (object) / we (subject suffix on past verb)
لكنlâkin
but
Questions & Answers about كان الطريق طويلا، لكننا وصلنا.
Why does the word for long end with an extra alif in طويلا?
It is because of كان (was). In Arabic grammar, when a sentence uses كان, the subject remains in the default nominative case, but the predicate (the descriptive part, which is long here) changes to the accusative case. For indefinite words like طويلا, this is marked by adding a double fatha (tanwin fatha) and an extra alif at the end.
Why do we attach the pronoun directly to the word for but to make لكننا?
The word لكن belongs to a special group of particles known as Inna and its sisters. When the subject following them is a pronoun like we, the pronoun cannot stand alone as a separate word. It must be attached as a suffix, combining لكن and نا to form لكننا.
Could I just say لكن وصلنا without attaching a pronoun?
Not in Modern Standard Arabic. The particle لكن (lakinna) must be followed by a noun or an attached pronoun; it cannot be followed immediately by a verb. If you want to place a verb directly after but, you must use the lighter version of the word, which is ولكن (wa-lakin).
What happens to the first letter of وصلنا when converting it to the present tense?
The root of وصلنا is و ص ل. Verbs that start with و are a type of weak verb. While the و is perfectly visible here in the past tense, it drops out completely in the present tense. For example, he arrives is simply يصل (yaṣilu), where the waw has completely disappeared!