Breakdown of في رمضان، نأكل مع العائلة كل مساء.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
معma'a
with
عائلة'â'ilah
family
أكلakala
to eat
مساءmasâ'an
in the evening / evening
كلkull
all / every
رمضانramadân
Ramadan
Questions & Answers about في رمضان، نأكل مع العائلة كل مساء.
Why doesn't رمضان (Ramadan) take a kasra (an "i" sound) after the preposition في?
رمضان belongs to a special category of nouns called diptotes (ممنوع من الصرف). These nouns do not take tanween (double vowel endings), and more importantly, they take a fatha (an "a" sound) instead of a kasra in the genitive case. Because of this, even after the preposition في, it is pronounced في رمضانَ (fi Ramadaana).
How do we know كل مساء means "every evening" and not "all evening"?
The meaning of كل changes based on the definiteness of the noun that follows it. When followed by an indefinite singular noun like مساء (evening), it means "every". If you wanted to say "all evening," you would use كل followed by a definite noun (with Alif-Laam): كل المساء.
What case ending does كل take in this sentence, and why?
It takes a fatha and is pronounced كلَّ (kulla). This is because it is functioning as an adverb of time indicating when the action happens, which puts it in the accusative case. The word after it, مساءٍ (masaa'in), takes a double kasra because it's the second part of a possessive (Idhafa) structure with كل.
What case does the word العائلة (the family) take after مع?
It takes the genitive case, ending in a single kasra: العائلةِ (al-'aa'ilati). In Arabic grammar, مع (ma'a) is technically a noun of accompaniment rather than a true preposition. Therefore, the word following it acts as a possessor in an Idhafa construction, which forces it into the genitive case.
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