Breakdown of ألا تحبين الخوخ والمشمش يا مريم؟ بلى، أحبهما.
الal
the
وwa
and
أa
is / are / do / does (question particle)
لاlâ
not (with present verb)
أحبuhibbu
to love
ياyâ
O
مريمmaryam
Maryam
بلىbalâ
yes (answering a negative question)
هماhumâ
their / them (two)
خوخkhawkh
peach
مشمشmishmish
apricot
Questions & Answers about ألا تحبين الخوخ والمشمش يا مريم؟ بلى، أحبهما.
Why is the response بلى rather than the standard نعم for "yes"?
Because the question is negative, starting with ألا (Don't you...?). If Maryam answered with نعم (yes), it would mean "Yes, I agree with your negative statement" (meaning "Yes, I don't like them"). To contradict a negative question and say "Actually, I do", you must use بلى.
What exactly is the word ألا made of?
It is a combination of the interrogative (question) prefix أ and the present-tense negative particle لا. Together, they form "Don't...?". You will often see أ used instead of هل before negative words because هل cannot directly attach to a negative.
Why does the verb تحبين keep its final ن here?
The verb is in the indicative mood, which is the default present tense. The ن at the end of the "you (feminine)" conjugation is only dropped if the verb is preceded by a subjunctive particle (like أن or لن) or a jussive particle (like لم). Since there is no such particle affecting it here, the ن remains.
Why does Maryam say أحبهما with the dual suffix ـهما?
The suffix ـهما means "them (two)". She uses the dual form because she is referring back to exactly two distinct items mentioned in the question: الخوخ (peaches) and المشمش (apricots).
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