Breakdown of استدار الرجل لأنه كان تائها.
الal
the
رجلrajul
man
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
لأنli'anna
because
كانkâna
to be
استدارistadâra
to turn around
تائهtâ'ih
lost (of a person, wandering)
Questions & Answers about استدار الرجل لأنه كان تائها.
Why is the verb استدار spelled with an alif instead of a waw, given its root is د-و-ر?
This is a Form X verb. Because the root is hollow (its middle letter is a weak letter, waw), the waw transforms into an alif in the past tense to make it easier to pronounce. So instead of istadwara, we get استدار.
Why does the word تائها take the accusative case (mansub) with the double fatha ending?
It is the predicate (khabar) of the verb كان. In Arabic, the subject of كان (here, the hidden pronoun for he) is in the nominative case, but the predicate (what he was) must always be in the accusative case.
What type of word is تائها and how is it derived?
It is the active participle (ism fā'il) of the Form I hollow verb تاه (to get lost or wander). While it translates to the adjective lost in English, it literally means one who is wandering.
Why do we need the pronoun suffix ـهُ on لأنه, instead of just putting the verb directly like لأن كان تائها?
The particle أنَّ (which makes up the second half of لأن) belongs to a group of words that must always be followed by a noun or an attached pronoun, never directly by a verb. We must attach the pronoun ـهُ (he) to make لأنه before we can introduce the verb كان.
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