Breakdown of تعطلت الثلاجة في إحدى الشقق.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
شقةshaqqa
apartment
تعطلta'attala
to break down
أحدahad
one, one of
ثلاجةthallâja
refrigerator
Questions & Answers about تعطلت الثلاجة في إحدى الشقق.
Why do we use إحدى here instead of أحد?
We use إحدى, the feminine form of "one", because it forms an idafa (possessive construction) with الشقق (the apartments). In Arabic, "one of" must match the gender of the singular form of the noun that follows it. Since the singular, شقة (apartment), is feminine, we must use إحدى.
What is the root of تعطلت (broke down) and how does its verb form affect the meaning?
The root is ع-ط-ل, which generally relates to being idle, empty, or not working (you might recognize it from عطلة, meaning holiday). Here, it is used in Form V, which often gives a reflexive or resulting meaning to the action. So instead of breaking something else, the refrigerator broke itself, or simply "broke down".
How is the plural word الشقق (the apartments) pronounced, and what is its singular form?
It is pronounced "ash-shuqaq". The singular is شقة (shiqqa). This plural follows a specific pattern (fu'al) that is common for feminine nouns with a doubled root letter, similar to how قطة (cat) becomes قطط (qitat).
How would the grammar change if the sentence simply said "in one apartment" instead of "in one of the apartments"?
Instead of using إحدى before a definite plural noun, you would use the singular noun followed by the standard number adjective: في شقةٍ واحدةٍ (fi shuqqatin wahidatin). The word إحدى is required here specifically for the "one of..." structure.
Learn تعطلت الثلاجة في إحدى الشقق and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free