Breakdown of فضل الفتى القراءة وحيدا، كفى بالكتاب جليسا.
الal
the
كتابkitâb
book
فضلfaddala
to prefer
قراءةqirâ'ah
reading
كفىkafâ
to suffice
وحيدwahîd
alone
فتىfatâ
lad, teenage boy
بbi
emphatic marker (adds emphasis, no English equivalent)
جليسjalîs
companion (someone you sit with)
Questions & Answers about فضل الفتى القراءة وحيدا، كفى بالكتاب جليسا.
Why does بالكتاب have the preposition بـ attached to it if 'the book' is the subject of 'suffices'?
This is a special structure with the verb كفى (to suffice). The preposition بـ is added to the logical subject of the verb for emphasis. It is called a 'redundant' preposition because it does not translate to 'with' or 'by' in English. Even though بـ forces the word into the genitive case grammatically, الكتاب is still the doer of the action (the thing that suffices).
Why is جليسا (companion) in the accusative case here?
It acts as the accusative of specification (Tamyiiz). After the كفى بـ structure, you often need to clarify in what capacity the subject is sufficient. Here, the book suffices 'as a companion'. This clarifying noun is always indefinite and in the accusative case.
What is the grammatical role of وحيدا (alone) and why is it accusative?
The word وحيدا is functioning as a Haal (adverb of state or condition). It describes the physical or mental state of the subject, الفتى (the boy), at the time he was reading. Nouns or adjectives acting as a Haal are always indefinite and in the accusative case.
Both الفتى (the boy) and كفى (suffices) end in the same letter shape (ى). Do their endings behave the same way grammatically?
They share the same phonetic ending (alif maqsura), but they are different parts of speech so the grammar rules differ. الفتى is a noun acting as the subject of the first clause, and its nominative damma is implied because the final vowel cannot take a physical mark. كفى is a past tense verb, and its final vowel is also unwritten for the same phonetic reason.
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