Breakdown of أراد حفيدهم أن يدرس الهندسة، لكنه فضل الزراعة.
الal
the
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
درسdarasa
to study
أرادarâda
to want
أنan
to (with verbs)
فضلfaddala
to prefer
لكنlâkin
but
همhum
their / them (object)
هندسةhandasa
engineering
زراعةzirâ'ah
agriculture
حفيدhafîd
grandson
Questions & Answers about أراد حفيدهم أن يدرس الهندسة، لكنه فضل الزراعة.
Why is the verb أراد (he wanted) singular when it is followed by the plural suffix هم (their)?
The subject of the verb is حفيد (grandson), which is a singular noun. The suffix هم is a possessive pronoun that simply tells us whose grandson he is. Because the core subject is singular, the verb remains singular.
What is the exact vowel on the final letter of يدرس in this sentence?
It takes a fatha, making it يَدْرُسَ (yadrusa). The particle أن forces the following present-tense verb into the subjunctive mood (mansub). For a standard singular verb like this, the subjunctive is marked by a fatha on the last letter.
Could I drop the attached pronoun and just write لكن فضل الزراعة?
You could, but you would technically be using a different grammatical particle. This sentence uses لٰكِنَّ (lakinna), which is a 'sister of inna' and must be followed by a noun or attached pronoun. If you drop the pronoun, you are using the lighter conjunction لٰكِنْ (lakin), which is allowed to precede a verb directly.
The verb فضل is a Form II verb. How does its root connect to the meaning 'he preferred'?
The root is ف-ض-ل (f-d-l), which generally relates to the concepts of excess, grace, or surplus. When put into Form II (فَضَّلَ), the meaning shifts to 'favoring' or 'giving preference to' one thing over another.
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