Breakdown of اسقوا الشتلة دائما فتزهر.
دائماdâ'iman
always
فfa
so, then / for (giving a reason)
سقىsaqâ
to water
شتلةshatla
seedling
أزهرazhara
to bloom
Questions & Answers about اسقوا الشتلة دائما فتزهر.
Why is the verb تزهر in the subjunctive mood here?
The ف attached to تزهر is known as فاء السببية (the Faa of Causality). It links a preceding action to its result. When this ف is used to show a result, it causes the following present tense verb to take the subjunctive mood (al-mansub), which is why تزهر technically ends with a fatha (تزهرَ).
What is the rule for using فاء السببية in a sentence like this?
To use فاء السببية correctly, the clause must be preceded by a demand, command, wish, or negative statement. Here, the condition is met by the opening command اسقوا (Water!). Without a preceding command or similar structure, you could not use this specific ف to trigger the subjunctive.
The root for watering is س-ق-ي. Why is the weak letter missing in the command اسقوا?
When forming the plural imperative for defective verbs (verbs ending in a weak root letter like yaa or waw), the final weak letter is dropped before adding the plural ending وا. So, the yaa is removed, leaving us with اسقوا instead of an awkward form containing the yaa before the waw.
Why does تزهر start with a damma sound on the first letter (tuzhira) rather than a fatha?
This verb belongs to Form IV, which is أزهر (to bloom). In the present tense, all Form IV verbs take a damma on their prefix letter. Because it is in the subjunctive mood here due to فاء السببية, the final vowel is a fatha, making the full pronunciation fa-tuzhira.
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