Breakdown of أهدى الجد حفيده وحفيدته هدية جميلة.
الal
the
وwa
and
جميلjamîl
beautiful
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
هديةhadiyya
gift
جدjadd
grandfather
أهدىahdâ
to gift
حفيدhafîd
grandson
حفيدةhafîda
granddaughter
Questions & Answers about أهدى الجد حفيده وحفيدته هدية جميلة.
Why isn't there a preposition like 'to' before the grandchildren?
The verb أهدى (to gift) can take two direct objects without needing a preposition. The first object is the recipient (حفيده, his grandson), and the second object is the item given (هدية, a gift).
What case endings do the words for grandson and granddaughter take here?
They are both in the accusative case (manṣūb) because they act as the direct object of the verb. You would pronounce a fatḥa on the final letter of the root noun, right before the attached pronoun: حفيدَهُ (ḥafīdahu) and حفيدتَهُ (ḥafīdatahu).
Is هدية (gift) considered a cognate accusative (maf'ūl muṭlaq) because it shares the same root as أهدى?
No, here هدية is simply the second direct object. A cognate accusative is usually the verbal noun (maṣdar) used for emphasis or description, such as if the sentence had used إهداءً جميلاً. In this sentence, هدية is a concrete noun referring to the physical gift itself.
Could I change the word order and put the gift before the grandchildren?
Yes, but if you move the item given (هدية) before the recipient, you usually need to add a preposition. You would say أهدى الجد هدية جميلة لحفيده وحفيدته (using the preposition لـ).
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