Question 1

Why does the sentence say وكنته (and his daughter-in-law) instead of grouping both nouns together like صهر وكنة المدير?

Accepted Answer

In Arabic, you cannot have two nouns sharing the exact same "owner" in a single Idafa (genitive possession structure). You must attach the first noun to the owner (صهر المدير, the manager's son-in-law), add the conjunction و (and), and then attach a pronoun to the second noun referring back to the owner (كنته, his daughter-in-law).

Question 2

Since two people arrived, why is the verb حضر in the singular form rather than the dual?

Accepted Answer

Because Arabic typically uses Verb-Subject-Object (VSO) word order, the verb comes before the subject. In this position, the verb always stays singular, even if the subject is dual or plural. It only needs to match the gender of the first subject noun, which is masculine here (صهر).

Question 3

Are صهر and كنة the only ways to express "son-in-law" and "daughter-in-law"?

Accepted Answer

صهر is a broad term for a male in-law by marriage (often a son-in-law or brother-in-law), while كنة specifically means a daughter-in-law or sister-in-law. While these are standard formal terms, you will also frequently see descriptive phrases like زوج ابنته (his daughter's husband) or زوجة ابنه (his son's wife) used to avoid any ambiguity.

Question 4

Why is the preposition إلى used here, when the verb حضر often takes a direct object without a preposition?

Accepted Answer

When حضر means "to attend" an event, it takes a direct object, as in حضر الاجتماع (he attended the meeting). However, when it is used to mean "to physically come" or "to show up" to a location, it is followed by the preposition إلى, similar to how you would use the verb جاء (he came).

حضر صهر المدير وكنته إلى مكتب الشركة.

Breakdown of حضر صهر المدير وكنته إلى مكتب الشركة.

Questions & Answers about حضر صهر المدير وكنته إلى مكتب الشركة.

Learn حضر صهر المدير وكنته إلى مكتب الشركة and more in Arabic