Breakdown of حاسة النظر عند جدي ضعيفة.
الal
the
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
عند'inda
at / to have
ضعيفda'îf
weak
جدjadd
grandfather
نظرnazar
eyesight, vision
حاسةhâssah
sense (sight, hearing…)
Questions & Answers about حاسة النظر عند جدي ضعيفة.
Why is the adjective ضعيفة in the feminine form when both النظر and جدي are masculine?
The adjective ضعيفة describes the core subject of the sentence, which is حاسة (sense). Because حاسة is a feminine noun, the adjective must also be feminine, even though it is separated from its noun by a string of masculine words.
Why does this sentence use the preposition عند instead of a complex possessive chain (Idafa) like حاسة نظر جدي?
While a three-part Idafa like حاسة نظر جدي is grammatically possible, using عند (literally meaning at or with) is heavily preferred in Arabic when talking about a person's physical attributes, medical conditions, or traits. It breaks up a clunky string of nouns and sounds much more natural.
Could I use the word إحساس instead of حاسة to mean sense here?
Not in this context. The word حاسة is strictly used for the five physical senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch). The word إحساس refers to an internal feeling, emotion, or intuition, such as a sense of fear or an emotional reaction.
Since حاسة النظر is a definite phrase, why doesn't the adjective ضعيفة take the definite article الـ?
This is a standard equational sentence. The entire phrase حاسة النظر عند جدي acts as the definite subject (mubtada). The word ضعيفة is the predicate (khabar) delivering the new information (is weak). Predicates are typically indefinite, which tells the listener that the sentence is complete rather than just being one long, ongoing noun phrase.
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