Breakdown of زعم زميلي أن الشوارع فارغة، لكنها في الواقع مزدحمة.
الal
the
شارعshâri'
street
زميلzamîl
colleague
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
هاhâ
her / her (object) / it (feminine)
لكنlâkin
but
أنanna
that (conjunction)
مزدحمmuzdaḥim
crowded
فارغfârigh
empty
زعمza'ama
to claim (allege)
في الواقعfi al-wâqi'
in reality, actually
Questions & Answers about زعم زميلي أن الشوارع فارغة، لكنها في الواقع مزدحمة.
Why is the adjective فارغة (empty) in the feminine singular when الشوارع (streets) is plural?
In Arabic, non-human plurals like الشوارع (the streets) are treated grammatically as feminine singular. Because of this rule, any adjectives describing them, like فارغة (empty) and مزدحمة (crowded), must take the feminine singular form.
Why do we use أن (that) here instead of إن?
The word إن (with the vowel kasra under the alif) is used specifically after the verb قال (to say) and at the absolute beginning of a sentence. Since the verb here is زعم (to claim), we must use أن (with the vowel fatha on the alif) to introduce the noun clause.
What does the suffix ـها in the word لكنها refer to?
The suffix ـها is the feminine singular attached pronoun meaning it or they. It refers back to the non-human plural الشوارع (the streets). Because لكن (but) is a sister of Inna, it requires a noun or pronoun immediately attached to it to serve as its subject.
How does the nuance of زعم (claimed) compare to just using قال (said)?
Using زعم instead of قال adds a distinct layer of skepticism. It translates to claimed or alleged and strongly implies that the speaker doubts the truth of the statement. The second half of the sentence confirms this doubt by contrasting the colleague's claim with the reality.
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