Breakdown of لم ينم جيدا لأنه رأى كابوسا مخيفا.
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
رأىra'â
to see
نامnâma
to sleep
مخيفmukhîf
scary
لأنli'anna
because
جيدjayyid
good / well
لمlam
did not
كابوسkâbûs
nightmare
Questions & Answers about لم ينم جيدا لأنه رأى كابوسا مخيفا.
Why is the verb ينم missing its middle long vowel?
The negative particle لم makes the present tense verb take the jussive case (majzoom). Because ينام is a hollow verb, its final letter gets a sukuun (no vowel sound), and Arabic drops the middle long vowel to prevent two unvowelled letters from clashing.
Why does جيدا have the "an" ending (tanwin fatha)?
Could I just write لأن رأى instead of لأنه رأى?
No, the word لأن belongs to a grammatical group called the sisters of inna. These words must be followed immediately by a noun or an attached pronoun. Here, the attached pronoun ـه (he) serves as the subject of the "because" clause.
Why is the verb رأى (saw) used with كابوسا (nightmare) instead of a verb like "to have"?
In Arabic, you literally "see" a dream or a nightmare. The verb رأى is the standard and most natural way to express experiencing a dream or a nightmare, unlike English which usually uses "had."
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