Question 1

Why is the preposition إلى used here instead of a particle like أن for 'to protect'?

Accepted Answer

The verb يهدف (aims) requires the preposition إلى (to/towards). Because إلى is a preposition, it must be followed by a noun, not a verb. That is why the sentence uses the verbal noun or masdar حماية (protection) rather than a conjugated verb.

Question 2

Could I use a conjugated verb and say يهدف هذا المشروع أن يحمي البيئة instead?

Accepted Answer

You would still need to keep the preposition, making it إلى أن يحمي (to that it protects). While grammatically correct, pairing the preposition directly with the verbal noun as in إلى حماية is much more concise, natural, and preferred in formal Modern Standard Arabic.

Question 3

What are the case endings for the phrase حماية البيئة?

Accepted Answer

Both words take the genitive case (kasra). حماية is in the genitive because it directly follows the preposition إلى. البيئة is also genitive because it is the second part of an idafa (possessive construction), literally meaning 'the protection of the environment'.

Question 4

Since هذا acts as the subject, how do we determine the case ending on المشروع?

Accepted Answer

Because هذا (this) is the subject of the sentence, the noun following it takes the nominative case (a damma ending, making it المشروعُ). The noun acts as a grammatical substitute (badal) for the demonstrative pronoun, adopting its underlying nominative status even though هذا itself has a fixed ending.

يهدف هذا المشروع إلى حماية البيئة.

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