Breakdown of نظر المتفرج إلى الصندوق، فإذا هو فارغ تماما.
الal
the
هوhuwa
he / his / him (attached)
إلىilâ
to
صندوقsundûq
box
نظرnazhara
to look
تماماtamâman
exactly / completely
فارغfârigh
empty
فإذاfa'idhâ
and suddenly
متفرجmutafarrij
spectator
Questions & Answers about نظر المتفرج إلى الصندوق، فإذا هو فارغ تماما.
Why does إذا mean "suddenly" here instead of its usual meaning "if"?
This is إذا الفجائية, the particle of surprise. When إذا is used this way, it describes an unexpected outcome or sudden realization. It is usually attached to فـ (as in فإذا) and is translated as "suddenly" or "to one's surprise."
I notice فإذا is followed by the pronoun هو. Can I use a verb right after it?
No, you cannot use a verb immediately after إذا الفجائية. A strict rule for this particle of surprise is that it must introduce a nominal sentence (a sentence starting with a noun or independent pronoun). That is why the pronoun هو comes right after it.
Could I use كان (was) after هو to explicitly say "it was empty"?
You do not need to. Since إذا الفجائية requires a nominal sentence, the past tense "was" is naturally implied by the context of the past tense verb نظر (looked) in the first half of the sentence. The phrase هو فارغ literally means "it is empty," but the narrative past tense turns the meaning into "it was empty."
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