Questions & Answers about رحب المضيف بالضيوف.
Why is there a بـ attached to الضيوف instead of it just being a direct object?
In Arabic, the verb رحب (to welcome) requires the preposition بـ to introduce the person being welcomed. You cannot just say رحب المضيف الضيوف, you must use بالضيوف. This is a highly common verb-preposition pairing to memorize: رحب بـ.
What is the root and form of the verb رحب?
It comes from the root ر ح ب (meaning spacious or wide) and is a Form II verb. Form II verbs often carry a causative meaning. Literally, رحب means to make a place wide or spacious for someone, which culturally expresses the idea of welcoming them.
The word for host is المضيف. How does this relate to the word for guest, ضيف?
They share the exact same root: ض ي ف. The word المضيف is the active participle (the doer of the action) derived from the Form IV verb أضاف (to host). So while ضيف is the guest, مضيف is the one who does the hosting.
How should I pronounce the connected word بالضيوف in this sentence?
It is pronounced bid-duyuuf. When the preposition بـ attaches to a word starting with the definite article الـ, the first letter (alif) becomes silent. Furthermore, because ض is a sun letter, the second letter (laam) is assimilated. This means you skip straight from the short vowel of the بـ sound into a doubled ض sound.
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