Breakdown of فحص الطبيب المريضة الشاحب وجهها.
الal
the
مريضةmarîḍa
patient
طبيبtabîb
doctor
هاhâ
her / her (object) / it (feminine)
وجهwajh
face
فحصfaḥaṣa
to examine
شاحبshâhib
pale
Questions & Answers about فحص الطبيب المريضة الشاحب وجهها.
Why is الشاحب (pale) masculine when it comes right after المريضة (the female patient)?
This sentence uses a formal structure called the causal adjective (al-na't al-sababi). Instead of describing the patient directly, the adjective describes a noun related to her—in this case, her face (وجه). Because وجه is masculine, الشاحب must also be masculine.
If الشاحب describes her face, why does it have the definite article ال?
In the causal adjective structure, the adjective must still match the preceding noun (المريضة) in definiteness and grammatical case. Since المريضة is definite (it has ال) and is the object of the verb, الشاحب also takes ال and an accusative case ending (الشاحبَ).
What grammatical case does وجهها (her face) take in this sentence?
It takes the nominative case (وجهُها). In this advanced structure, the noun following the adjective acts as the subject of that adjective. You can think of it literally as 'the patient whose face does the action of being pale.'
Is there a simpler way to say 'whose face is pale' without using this complex structure?
Yes! You can use the relative pronoun التي and a regular nominal sentence: المريضة التي وجهها شاحب. That version is very common and perfectly correct, but the structure used in the example is an elegant hallmark of written Modern Standard Arabic that you will see often in literature.
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