Breakdown of بإمكانك أن تعرفه من مشيته المتمايلة.
الal
the
منmin
from
كka
your / you (object)
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
عرفarafa
to know
أنan
to (with verbs)
بإمكانbi'imkâni
can (lit. in the power of)
مشيةmishya
gait
متمايلmutamâyil
swaying
Questions & Answers about بإمكانك أن تعرفه من مشيته المتمايلة.
How does the word مشية translate to "gait" instead of just "walking"?
This word is a Noun of Manner (Ism al-Hay'ah). It is built from the verb مشى (to walk) using the specific pattern فِعْلَة (fi'lah). While a standard verbal noun just names the action, this pattern describes the manner or state in which the action is performed. Therefore, مشية specifically means "manner of walking" or "gait".
Why does the adjective المتمايلة take the definite article الـ when the noun it describes, مشيته, does not?
The noun مشيته (his gait) is already definite because it ends with the possessive pronoun ـه (his). In Arabic, adjectives must match their noun in definiteness. Since a possessive suffix makes a noun definite, the adjective describing it must take the definite article الـ to match.
What verb form is المتمايلة derived from, and how does that affect its meaning?
It is the active participle, acting as an adjective here, of the Form VI verb تمايل (to sway). Form VI verbs often convey a sense of gradual, continuous, or back-and-forth motion. By using the active participle, it describes the gait as actively and continuously "swaying".
Why does the pronoun suffix on مشيته take a Kasra (hi) instead of a Damma (hu) when spoken aloud?
The pronoun suffix ـه (his) usually takes a Damma (hu). However, because the noun is preceded by the preposition من, it is in the genitive case, meaning the letter before the pronoun takes a Kasra (مِشْيَتِـ). When ـه follows a Kasra or a Ya, it changes to "hi" for easier pronunciation, making it مِشْيَتِهِ (mishyatihi).
Why use بإمكانك أن instead of the standard verb تستطيع for "you can"?
Both expressions are perfectly valid for "you can" or "you are able to". بإمكانك (literally "by/in your capability") is a very common prepositional phrase used to express ability in MSA. It is followed by أن plus the subjunctive verb, providing a stylistic alternative to تستطيع that B2 learners will encounter frequently.
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