Breakdown of أقام المديرون مأدبة كبيرة.
الal
the
كبيرkabîr
big
مديرmudîr
manager
أقامaqâma
to host (an event, a party)
مأدبةma'duba
banquet
Questions & Answers about أقام المديرون مأدبة كبيرة.
The verb أقام usually means "to reside" or "to stay". Why does it mean "hosted" here?
You are right that أقام followed by the preposition في means "to reside". However, when it takes a direct object like an event, party, or project, it means "to hold", "to establish", or "to host". It is the standard verb to use with an event like a banquet (مأدبة).
I frequently see the plural of "manager" written as المدراء. Why is it المديرون in this sentence?
Grammatically, the word مدير is an active participle, so its strictly correct plural is the regular masculine plural المديرون. The broken plural المدراء is extremely common in modern media and everyday speech, but المديرون is preferred in formal Modern Standard Arabic texts.
Why does المديرون end with ـون instead of ـين?
The managers are the subject doing the action of the verb, so the word must be in the nominative case. For regular masculine plurals, the nominative case is marked by the ـون ending. If the managers were the object of the sentence, it would be المديرين.
The word for banquet, مأدبة, looks like it shares a root with other common words. What is it related to?
It comes from the root أ-د-ب, which is the exact same root used for أدب (meaning "literature" or "good manners"). Historically, a مأدبة was a feast or gathering characterized by good hospitality and refined etiquette.
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