Breakdown of عمل أبي سابقا في مصنع.
فيfî
in / about, regarding
أبabun
father
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
عمل'amila
to work
مصنعmasna'
factory
سابقsâbiq
previous
Questions & Answers about عمل أبي سابقا في مصنع.
Why does سابقا end with a double fatha (tanwin fatha)?
In Arabic, many adverbs are formed by putting a noun or adjective into the accusative case, which takes a tanwin fatha (-an) ending. Here, the active participle سابق (previous) becomes the adverb سابقا (previously).
Is the word مصنع (factory) related to the verb for 'to make'?
Yes, it comes from the root ص-ن-ع (to make or manufacture). It follows the مَفْعَل (maf'al) pattern, which Arabic uses to create a 'noun of place.' Therefore, مصنع literally means 'a place of manufacturing.'
Could I place سابقا at the beginning or end of the sentence instead?
Yes, Arabic adverbs of time are quite flexible. You could perfectly well say سابقا عمل أبي في مصنع or عمل أبي في مصنع سابقا. Placing it right after the subject أبي is also very common and flows naturally in a Verb-Subject-Object sentence structure.
As the subject of the sentence, does أبي take a nominative case ending (damma)?
Grammatically, it is in the nominative case because it is the subject doing the verb. However, because of the attached possessive pronoun ـي (my), the vowel on أب is forced to be a kasra to blend with the 'ee' sound. In Arabic grammar, we say its nominative damma is 'assumed' or 'hidden' because the pronunciation won't allow it.
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