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لما استلمت رسالة التأكيد، دفعت الرسوم.

لما استلمت رسالة التأكيد، دفعت الرسوم.lammâ istalamtu risâlata at-ta'kîdi, dafa'tu ar-rusûm
When I received the confirmation message, I paid the fees.
From Lesson 399:Booking a Vacation·Arabic (Modern Standard)

Questions & Answers about لما استلمت رسالة التأكيد، دفعت الرسوم.

I usually use عندما for "when". Can I always use لما instead?
Not always. While عندما can be used with both past and present tense verbs, لما meaning "when" or "after" is strictly used with past tense verbs. Since both halves of this sentence use past tense verbs (استلمت and دفعت), لما works perfectly here.
I thought لما meant "not yet". Why does it mean "when" in this sentence?
The meaning of لما changes depending on the verb tense that directly follows it. When it is followed by a present tense verb in the jussive mood, it means "not yet". However, when followed by a past tense verb like استلمت (I received), it acts as a time conjunction meaning "when".
If I were reading this sentence with full case endings, what vowel would رسالة take?
It takes a fatha, making it رسالةَ (risalata). It is the direct object of the verb استلمت (I received), so it must be in the accusative case. As the first word of an Idafa (genitive construct), it drops the nunation (tanween) but still takes the case ending dictated by its grammatical role.
What is the root and form of the word التأكيد (the confirmation)?
It comes from the root أ-ك-د. The word تأكيد is the verbal noun (masdar) of the Form II verb أكّد (to confirm). Form II verbal nouns reliably follow this "taf'īl" pattern.

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