Breakdown of شذب الشجرة فتثمر تفاحا.
شجرةshajara
tree
تفاحtuffâh
apples
فfa
so, then / for (giving a reason)
شذبshadhdhaba
to prune
أثمرathmara
to bear fruit
Questions & Answers about شذب الشجرة فتثمر تفاحا.
Why is the verb after the ف in the subjunctive mood (تثمرَ) instead of the indicative (تثمرُ)?
The ف here is Faa' al-Sababiyyah (the fa of causality), which connects a cause (pruning) to a result (bearing apples). It requires the following present tense verb to be in the subjunctive mood (mansub), which is why تثمر ends with a fatha.
What allows Faa' al-Sababiyyah to be used in this specific sentence?
Faa' al-Sababiyyah cannot just be placed anywhere to mean 'so that.' It must be preceded by a demand, request, or negation. In this sentence, the trigger is the imperative verb (command) شذب (prune!).
The command شذب doesn't start with an alif like اكتب (uktub). Why is that?
شذب (shadhdhib) is a Form II verb, which is marked by the shadda on the middle root letter. To make a Form II imperative, you drop the present tense prefix. Because the first remaining letter already has a vowel, you don't need to add a helper alif to pronounce it.
Why is there an extra alif at the end of تفاحا (apples)?
It is the direct object of the verb تثمر (it bears), so it is in the accusative case (mansub). Since it is an indefinite noun, it takes the tanween fatha (double fatha) ending. In Arabic spelling, a tanween fatha almost always requires adding a silent alif at the end of the word.
Learn شذب الشجرة فتثمر تفاحا 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