Breakdown of هل الهواتف مسموح بها في الامتحان؟
الal
the
هلhal
is / are (question marker)
فيfî
in / about, regarding
هاhâ
her / her (object) / it (feminine)
Questions & Answers about هل الهواتف مسموح بها في الامتحان؟
Why is مسموح (masculine singular) used here instead of the feminine singular مسموحة to match the non-human plural الهواتف?
This is a special rule for passive participles of verbs that require prepositions. Because the verb سمح (to allow) takes the preposition بـ, the passive participle مسموح stays locked in the default masculine singular form. The grammatical matching happens on the attached pronoun instead.
What is the exact function of بها in this sentence?
The verb سمح requires the preposition بـ to indicate what is being allowed. Since the sentence puts the allowed item (الهواتف) at the beginning, we must use a pronoun referring back to it. The pronoun ها is used because non-human plurals are treated as feminine singular in Arabic, creating بها.
Could I drop بها and just ask هل الهواتف مسموحة في الامتحان؟
No, that would be grammatically incorrect. Because the base verb takes a preposition, that preposition cannot be dropped in the passive form. Dropping it would feel similar to saying 'Are phones disposed?' instead of 'Are phones disposed of?' in English.
What is the literal translation of the phrase الهواتف مسموح بها?
It translates literally to 'The phones, it is allowed with them.' This impersonal passive structure is very common in Arabic when dealing with verbs that are inseparable from their prepositions.