Breakdown of قل للسائق: إلى الميدان من فضلك.
الal
the
إلىilâ
to
سائقsâ'iq
driver
لli
for, to (attached)
قالqâla
to say
من فضلكmin fadlika
please
ميدانmaydân
public square, plaza
Questions & Answers about قل للسائق: إلى الميدان من فضلك.
Why is the verb قل so short, and where did the alif from the root قال go?
قل is the command (imperative) form of قال (to say). Because it is a hollow verb with a weak middle letter, that middle letter drops out in the command form to avoid having two vowelless consonants right next to each other.
Why do we use the prefix لـ in للسائق instead of just saying "tell the driver" directly?
In Arabic, you cannot use a direct object with the verb "to say" or "to tell". You must always use the preposition لـ (to/for) to indicate the person you are speaking to. So literally, you are saying "Say to the driver".
How does the spelling work in للسائق? Where did the alif of the word "the" go?
When you attach the preposition لـ (to/for) to a definite noun starting with الـ (the), the alif of the definite article is completely dropped in writing. Therefore, لـ plus السائق becomes للسائق.
I know من فضلك means "please", but does it change depending on who I am talking to?
Yes, the ending changes based on the gender of the person you are addressing. If the driver is male, it is pronounced "min fadlika". If the driver is female, it is pronounced "min fadliki". The written text من فضلك usually stays the same because short vowels are rarely written out.
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