Breakdown of النزاهة في التجارة هي أن تدفع سعرا منصفا للعمال.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
هيhiya
she / her (attached)
سعرsi'r
price
Questions & Answers about النزاهة في التجارة هي أن تدفع سعرا منصفا للعمال.
Why is the pronoun هي used here when the English translation just says "is"?
In Arabic, the present tense of "to be" is usually implied. However, when the subject (النزاهة) and the predicate (the clause starting with أن) are both definite or complex, a "pronoun of separation" (like هي for feminine subjects) is often inserted. It acts as an equals sign to clearly show where the subject ends and the predicate begins.
The translation says "to pay", but doesn't أن تدفع literally mean "that you pay"?
Yes! Arabic doesn't have a direct equivalent to the English infinitive. To express a general idea like "to pay", Arabic often uses أن followed by a present tense verb in the second-person masculine singular. This acts just like the generic "you" or "one" in English.
Why do both سعرا and منصفا end with an alif?
They are in the accusative case (mansub) because سعرا (price) is the direct object of the verb تدفع. The adjective منصفا (fair) must match the noun it modifies in case, gender, and definiteness, so it also takes the accusative ending. The alif is the written carrier for the indefinite accusative suffix.
How does the word منصفا get the meaning of "fair"?
It comes from the root ن ص ف (n-s-f), which is the exact same root used for the word نصف (half). The word منصفا is an active participle from the Form IV verb أنصف (to treat justly), which gives the literal imagery of "one who divides things equally in half".