Breakdown of انكسر غصن الشجرة بسبب الرياح.
الal
the
شجرةshajara
tree
رياحriyâh
winds
انكسرinkasara
to break (intransitive)
بسببbisababi
because of
غصنghusn
branch
Questions & Answers about انكسر غصن الشجرة بسبب الرياح.
Since this lesson covers Form XI verbs (like احمرّ), is انكسر an example of one?
No, انكسر (inkasara) is a Form VII verb. You can tell because it adds an alif and nuun prefix to the root (ك-س-ر). Form XI verbs, which are used to describe intense colors or physical defects, add an alif but double the final root letter instead (for example, احمرّ means "to turn red").
Why is the Form VII verb انكسر used here instead of the Form I passive كُسِرَ (was broken)?
Form VII (انْفَعَلَ) often expresses a reflexive or consequence-driven action, focusing on the resulting state of the object rather than who or what did it. Using انكسر implies the branch simply "broke" or "snapped" (intransitive), whereas the passive كُسِرَ strongly implies a specific but unnamed outside agent broke it.
The English translation says "the wind," so why is the Arabic word الرياح in the plural?
While you can definitely use the singular الريح (ar-rīḥ), Modern Standard Arabic frequently uses the broken plural الرياح (ar-riyāḥ) to refer to standard weather conditions and natural forces, even when English naturally defaults to the singular "wind."
What grammatical case does الرياح take after بسبب?
It takes the genitive case (majrūr), making it الرياحِ (ar-riyāḥi). The phrase بسبب (because of) consists of the preposition بـ and the noun سبب. This noun then forms an Idafa (construct state) with the word that follows it, forcing that second word into the genitive case.
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