Breakdown of يعيش الرجل مبتسما، كفى بالقناعة ثراء.
الal
the
رجلrajul
man
عاشâsha
to live
كفىkafâ
to suffice
مبتسمmubtasim
smiling
قناعةqanâ'a
contentment
بbi
emphatic marker (adds emphasis, no English equivalent)
ثراءtharâ'
wealth (affluence, state of being wealthy)
Questions & Answers about يعيش الرجل مبتسما، كفى بالقناعة ثراء.
Why does بالقناعة have the preposition بـ attached to it, and is it the object of the sentence?
The بـ here is a redundant or extra preposition that is classically paired with the verb كفى. Even though it forces the word القناعة into the genitive case, القناعة is actually the logical subject of the verb, not the object. It is the thing doing the sufficing.
Why is ثراء in the accusative case here?
It functions as the accusative of specification (تمييز). When using the كفى بـ structure, you often follow it with an indefinite noun in the accusative case to clarify in what capacity the subject is sufficient. Here, it specifies that contentment suffices specifically as wealth.
Why does مبتسما take the accusative case instead of matching the nominative subject الرجل?
مبتسما acts as a circumstantial qualifier (حال). In Arabic, this describes the condition or state of the subject while the main action takes place. As a rule, it must be indefinite and in the accusative case, explaining the state in which the man lives.
كفى is grammatically a past tense verb form. Why is it translated in the present tense as 'suffices'?
Although its form is past tense, كفى is frequently used in idiomatic phrases, proverbs, or general statements to express a timeless truth. In these contexts, it makes much more sense in English to translate it using the present tense.
Notice that ثراء is in the accusative case but doesn't have an extra alif at the end for the double fatha. Why is that?
As a spelling rule, when an Arabic word ends in a hamza (ء) that is immediately preceded by an alif (ا), you do not add a second alif to carry the accusative case marker. The marker goes directly on the hamza, so it is written as ثراء rather than with a trailing alif.
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