Breakdown of هل كانت جدتك تشاهد التلفاز في الثلاثينيات؟
الal
the
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
فيfî
in / about, regarding
كka
your / you (object)
شاهدshâhada
to watch
تلفازtilfâz
television
كانkâna
to be
جدةjadda
grandmother
ثلاثينياتthalâthîniyyât
thirties
Questions & Answers about هل كانت جدتك تشاهد التلفاز في الثلاثينيات؟
How exactly is the word for 'the thirties' formed in this sentence?
It is built from the cardinal number ثلاثين (thirty). To turn it into a decade, we add the Nisba suffix (which transforms it into an adjective relating to the number) followed by the feminine sound plural ending ـات. Together, they form the definite noun الثلاثينيات (the thirties).
What case ending does الثلاثينيات take here?
Because it comes directly after the preposition في, it is in the genitive case and takes a kasra, pronounced as الثلاثينياتِ (ath-thalathiniyyati). Remember that feminine sound plurals ending in ـات always take a kasra for both the genitive and accusative cases.
Why do we use both كانت and تشاهد to mean 'was watching'?
This combination creates the past continuous tense. The past tense verb كانت establishes that the event happened in the past, and the present/imperfect verb تشاهد shows that the action of watching was ongoing or habitual during that time.
Why is the word التلفاز used here instead of the common word تلفزيون?
While تلفزيون is a very common loanword across Arabic dialects and everyday media, التلفاز is the stricter, more formal Modern Standard Arabic term. It was adapted using a standard Arabic noun pattern for tools and devices.
If I wanted to ask this about my grandfather instead, what would change?
The subject would change to جدك (your grandfather). Because the subject is now masculine, the verbs must drop their feminine ت markers. كانت becomes كان, and تشاهد becomes يشاهد.
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