Word
من المفروض أن ينام الأطفال الآن، لكنهم يلعبون.
Meaning
The children are supposed to be asleep now, but they are playing.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of من المفروض أن ينام الأطفال الآن، لكنهم يلعبون.
الal
the
الآنal-ân
now
لعبlaiba
to play
نامnâma
to sleep
Questions & Answers about من المفروض أن ينام الأطفال الآن، لكنهم يلعبون.
How does the phrase من المفروض أن work to mean "are supposed to"?
This is a common impersonal structure in Arabic. المفروض is the passive participle of the verb فرض (to impose or require). The pattern من + [participle/adjective] + أن literally translates to "It is [adjective] that..." So, من المفروض أن means "It is expected/required that..." You will see this same pattern in phrases like من الممكن (it is possible) or من الواضح (it is clear).
Why is the verb ينام (he sleeps) singular when the subject is الأطفال (the children)?
Because the subordinate clause uses Verb-Subject word order. In Arabic, when a verb comes before its explicit subject, it remains in the singular form, even if the subject is plural. It only changes to match the subject's gender (masculine here). If the subject came first, the verb would have to be plural: أن الأطفال يناموا.
Why do we say لكنهم يلعبون instead of just لكن يلعبون?
The word لكنّ (but) belongs to a grammatical group called the "sisters of Inna." A strict rule for these particles is that they must introduce a nominal sentence, meaning they must be followed immediately by a noun or an attached pronoun. You cannot place a verb directly after لكنّ. Attaching هم (they) provides the grammatically required subject.
Why does يلعبون end in ون while the earlier verb was influenced by أن?