Breakdown of ظل عالم الفلك يدرس الكون، لكنه لما يفهمه.
هوhuwa
he / his / him (attached)
درسdarasa
to study
فهمfahima
to understand
لكنlâkin
but
عالمâlim
scientist
كونkawn
universe
ظلdhalla
to keep on, remain (+ present verb)
فلكfalak
astronomy
لماlammâ
not yet
Questions & Answers about ظل عالم الفلك يدرس الكون، لكنه لما يفهمه.
How does لما affect the verb يفهمه in this sentence?
لما means "not yet" and it forces the following present tense verb into the Jussive mood (majzoom). Here, the core verb يفهم (yafham) takes a sukoon (a vowelless marker) on the meem because it is a regular verb. The suffix ـه (hu) is simply the attached object pronoun "it" tacked onto the end.
Does لما always mean "not yet"? I remember seeing it translated as "when" in other texts.
Great observation! When لما is followed by a present tense verb in the Jussive mood (like لما يفهم here), it functions as a negative particle meaning "not yet". However, if لما is followed by a past tense verb, it acts as an adverb of time meaning "when" (for example, لما وصل meaning "when he arrived").
Why do we use the present tense verb يدرس right after the past tense verb ظل?
ظل is one of the "Sisters of Kana" (verbs that affect the case of nominal sentences) and means "to remain" or "to keep doing something". To express a continuous past action like "kept studying", Arabic pairs the past tense of ظل with a present tense verb (يدرس) which serves as the action's predicate.
How is the term for "astronomer" constructed in the phrase عالم الفلك?
This is an Idafa (possessive addition) construction that literally means "the scientist of astronomy". The first word عالم (scientist or scholar) takes no definite article, while the second word الفلك (astronomy) takes the definite article, fusing them into a single compound title.
Learn ظل عالم الفلك يدرس الكون، لكنه لما يفهمه 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