Breakdown of كان مشوار التصليح طويلا.
طويلtawîl
tall / long
كانkâna
to be
مشوارmishwâr
errand
تصليحtaslîh
repair
Questions & Answers about كان مشوار التصليح طويلا.
Why does the word طويلا have an alif at the end instead of just ending with a lam?
The alif holds the tanwin fatha (the -an sound), marking the accusative case. The verb كان (was) forces its predicate (the descriptive part of the sentence, which is 'long' here) into the accusative case. If it were a regular present tense sentence without كان, it would be مشوار التصليح طويل with a standard nominative ending.
Is التصليح a noun or a verb here, and what pattern does it follow?
It is a noun, specifically the verbal noun (masdar) meaning 'repairing' or 'the repair'. It follows the standard تَفْعيل (taf'il) pattern, which is the regular verbal noun pattern for Form II verbs, coming from the verb صلّح (to fix or repair).
The English translation says 'The repair errand' which is definite, so why doesn't مشوار have the definite article ال?
The phrase مشوار التصليح is an Idafa (possessive or genitive construct) literally meaning 'the errand of the repair'. In an Idafa, the first noun never takes the definite article ال. It automatically becomes definite because the second noun (التصليح) has it.
I usually see مشوار translated as 'journey' or 'trip'. Is 'errand' a standard translation in MSA?
Yes, while its core meaning refers to a trip or journey, مشوار is very commonly used in contemporary MSA (as well as spoken dialects) to mean an errand, a chore, or a quick task that requires going somewhere.
Learn كان مشوار التصليح طويلا 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