Breakdown of تعرضت المدينة لعاصفة شديدة أمس.
الal
the
مدينةmadîna
city
أمسams
yesterday
شديدshadîd
severe
عاصفةâSifah
storm
تعرض لta'arrada li
to be exposed to, to suffer (an attack, an accident)
Questions & Answers about تعرضت المدينة لعاصفة شديدة أمس.
Why does the English translation use the passive "was hit by" when the Arabic verb تعرضت is active?
The Form V verb تعرض literally means "to be exposed to" or "to be subjected to." While grammatically active in Arabic, the most natural way to express this concept in English when talking about storms, accidents, or attacks is usually the passive voice (such as "was hit by" or "was struck by").
Why is the preposition لـ attached to the word عاصفة (storm)?
The verb تعرض requires the preposition لـ to introduce the thing being experienced. Just as you say "exposed to" in English, you must say تعرض لـ in Arabic. Because عاصفة is attached to this preposition, it takes the genitive case.
Could I use a different adjective instead of شديدة for a "severe" storm?
You could use قوية (strong), but شديدة (intense/severe) is the most standard and natural collocation in Arabic for harsh weather, pain, or criticism. Notice how it strictly agrees with the noun it modifies, عاصفة, in gender (feminine) and definiteness (indefinite).
The word for yesterday is أمس. Should it be preceded by a preposition like في to mean "on yesterday"?
No, adverbs of time like أمس (yesterday) usually function directly as the time reference without needing a preposition, similar to English. As a reminder for spoken MSA, أمس is grammatically indeclinable and always ends with a fixed "kasra" vowel sound ('amsi), regardless of its role in the sentence.
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