Breakdown of يجب أن تعطي أوراقك لمكتب الهجرة لئلا تدفع غرامة.
الal
the
مكتبmaktab
office
ورقةwaraqah
paper / card (playing card)
كka
your / you (object)
لli
for, to (attached)
أنan
to (with verbs)
يجبyajibu
must / has to
دفعdafa'a
to pay
أعطىa'tâ
to give
غرامةgharâma
fine
لئلاli'allâ
so as not to
هجرةhijra
immigration
Questions & Answers about يجب أن تعطي أوراقك لمكتب الهجرة لئلا تدفع غرامة.
What is the word لئلا composed of, and how does it affect the following verb?
It is a contraction of the preposition لِـ (for / so that), the particle أنْ (that), and the negative لا (not). Because it contains أنْ, it forces the following verb into the subjunctive mood, which is why we see a fatha on the final letter of تدفعَ (tadfa'a).
Why does the verb تعطي end in a fatha (tu'tiya) instead of its usual long "ee" vowel (tu'tii)?
The verb follows أنْ, which requires the subjunctive mood. For defective verbs (verbs whose root ends in a weak letter like yaa), the subjunctive is marked by actually pronouncing and writing a fatha on that final weak letter. So, تعطي (tu'tii) becomes تعطيَ (tu'tiya).
What are the case endings for the phrase لمكتب الهجرة?
This is an idaafa (possessive construction) following the preposition لِـ (to). The preposition forces the first word, مكتبِ (maktabi), into the genitive case with a kasra. The second word, الهجرةِ (al-hijrati), also takes a genitive kasra because it is the second term of the idaafa.
Is there another way to say "so that you do not" besides لئلا?
Yes, you can use لكي لا (li-kay laa) or حتى لا (hatta laa). They have the exact same meaning, also require the subjunctive mood on the following verb, and are very common in both formal and conversational Modern Standard Arabic.
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