Breakdown of الموقف خطير؛ لا بد من حل سريع لهذا اللغز.
الal
the
هذاhâdhâ
this (m)
سريعsarî'
fast
لli
for, to (attached)
حلhall
solution / solving (the act of)
خطيرkhatîr
dangerous / serious, grave
موقفmawqif
situation
لغزlughz
mystery / puzzle
لا بد منlâ budda min
must / there is no avoiding (+ noun)
Questions & Answers about الموقف خطير؛ لا بد من حل سريع لهذا اللغز.
How does لا بد من translate to "we need" here? I thought it meant "it must be that."
The phrase لا بد literally means "there is no escape" or "there is no avoiding." When followed by من and a noun (like حل, "a solution"), it expresses strong necessity: "a solution is absolutely necessary." If it were followed by أن and a clause, it would express strong probability ("it must be that..."). Because it's an impersonal expression, English translations often adapt it to "we need" or "there must be" depending on the context.
Can I attach a pronoun to لا بد من to specify exactly who needs the solution, like saying "we must"?
No, لا بد من is a fixed, impersonal phrase. You cannot attach pronoun suffixes to it to mean "we need" or "I need." To specify who is doing the action, you would switch to using أن followed by a conjugated verb, for example: لا بد أن نجد (it is necessary that we find). In this sentence, using the noun حل keeps the necessity general.
Why do we use the preposition لـ in لهذا اللغز instead of just saying "solution of this mystery" in an idaafa?
In Arabic, the noun حل (solution) naturally pairs with the preposition لـ (to/for) when you want to state what the solution applies to. While English says "solution to" or "solution for," Arabic consistently uses لـ, so it literally reads as "a solution for this mystery." Using an idaafa construction here would feel unnatural for this specific word.
What is the grammatical case of اللغز (the mystery) in this sentence?
It is in the genitive case (majrur) and takes a kasra. The preposition لـ places the demonstrative هذا in the genitive slot. Because اللغز is a definite noun immediately following a demonstrative, it acts as a substitute (a "badal") and copies the genitive case of هذا.
Learn الموقف خطير؛ لا بد من حل سريع لهذا اللغز and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free