Breakdown of رحبت الأم بكنتها الجديدة في العائلة.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
جديدjadeed
new
هاhâ
her / her (object) / it (feminine)
عائلة'â'ilah
family
أمumm
mother
رحب بrahhaba bi
to welcome
كنةkannah
daughter-in-law
Questions & Answers about رحبت الأم بكنتها الجديدة في العائلة.
Why is the preposition بـ attached to the word for daughter-in-law (بكنتها)?
In Arabic, the verb رحب (to welcome) requires the preposition بـ to indicate who is being welcomed. Instead of taking a direct object, you use رحب بـ followed by the person. Therefore, 'welcomed her daughter-in-law' becomes رحبت بكنتها.
Why does the adjective الجديدة (new) have the definite article ال, but the noun it modifies (كنتها) does not?
The noun كنة (daughter-in-law) is already made definite by the attached possessive suffix ـها (her). Because the noun is grammatically definite, the adjective describing it must also be definite to match. We achieve this by adding the definite article ال to make الجديدة.
The English translation says 'into the family,' but the Arabic uses في (in). Can I use إلى (to) here instead?
While English uses 'into' to show joining a group, Arabic naturally uses في (in) when expressing inclusion or membership within a group like العائلة (the family). Using إلى would sound unnatural here, as it usually implies physical movement toward a physical destination.
What is the base form of the word for 'daughter-in-law' here?
The base word is كنة (kanna). In Modern Standard Arabic, it specifically means a daughter-in-law (a son's wife) or a brother's wife. This highlights how Arabic uses single, highly specific words for extended kinship relations rather than combining words like English does with '-in-law'.
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