Breakdown of رتبي المفرش الأبيض على المائدة.
الal
the
على'ala
on / of (evidence of) / to (lie to someone) / for (difficult for someone)
أبيضabyad
white / pure (of heart)
رتبrattaba
to arrange
مائدةmâ'ida
the dining table
مفرشmifrash
tablecloth
Questions & Answers about رتبي المفرش الأبيض على المائدة.
How do we know رتبي is a command addressing a female?
The final ي is the feminine singular suffix for imperative verbs. The root is ر-ت-ب and it is a Form II verb meaning to arrange. If you were addressing a male, you would simply use رتّب without the final ي.
The word for tablecloth, المفرش, starts with a meem. Does this follow a specific root pattern?
Yes, it follows the common pattern for a noun of instrument or place. The root is ف-ر-ش, which relates to spreading or laying things out. Adding the مـ prefix gives us the literal meaning of a thing that is spread out, which perfectly describes a tablecloth.
Why is the adjective الأبيض in the masculine form when the sentence ends with a feminine word?
The adjective الأبيض (white) describes the tablecloth (المفرش), which is masculine, rather than the dining table (المائدة), which is feminine. In Arabic, adjectives must agree in gender with the specific noun they modify, regardless of other nouns in the sentence.
I usually use the word طاولة for table. Is المائدة interchangeable with it?
Not entirely. While طاولة is the general word for any kind of table, المائدة specifically refers to a dining table or a table that is set with food for a meal. You would not typically use المائدة for a work desk or a bare coffee table.
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