Breakdown of لم نكن قد استلمنا استفسارك قبل اليوم.
كka
your / you (object)
ناnâ
our / us (object) / we (subject suffix on past verb)
استلمistalama
to receive
قبلqabla
before
كانkâna
to be
اليومal-yawma
today
قدqad
already
لمlam
did not
استفسارistifsâr
inquiry
Questions & Answers about لم نكن قد استلمنا استفسارك قبل اليوم.
How is the past perfect ('had not received') formed in this sentence?
In Arabic, the past perfect is usually formed using the past tense of كان followed by قد and another past tense verb. To make it negative, we negate the helping verb using لم followed by its jussive form نكن (we were not). The main verb استلمنا stays in the past tense.
Why is the particle قد included between the two verbs?
The particle قد is used with a past tense verb to emphasize that an action was already completed. When combined with the negated helping verb لم نكن, it explicitly forms the past perfect tense, locking the meaning into 'we had not (already) received'.
What verb form is استلمنا and what is its root?
It is a Form VIII verb, which is characterized by an added ت after the first root letter. The root is س-ل-م (s-l-m), which generally relates to peace, safety, or handing things over. In Form VIII, استلم takes on the meaning 'to receive'.
How does the noun استفسار (inquiry) get its meaning?
The root is ف-س-ر (f-s-r), which relates to explaining or interpreting. استفسار is the verbal noun (masdar) of Form X. Because Form X often carries the meaning of 'asking for' or 'seeking' something, seeking an explanation naturally becomes an inquiry. The final ك is simply the attached pronoun meaning 'your'.
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