Breakdown of فقد ابني أول سن له في سن السادسة.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
هhu
his / him (object) / it (dummy pronoun after لأن)
Questions & Answers about فقد ابني أول سن له في سن السادسة.
Why is the word سن used twice in this sentence? Do they mean the same thing?
No, they are completely different words that just happen to look and sound identical (homonyms). The first سن (sinn) means "tooth", and the second سن means "age". The context makes it obvious which is which.
Why does the sentence say أول سن له (first tooth to him) instead of just attaching the "his" suffix to the word tooth (أول سنه)?
When a phrase starts with أول (first), it forms an Idafa (possession structure) with the noun that follows (أول سن). While adding the "his" suffix directly to the noun (أول سنه) is grammatically possible, it creates a tricky visual trap here: without short vowel marks, سنه looks exactly like the word for "year" (سنة). Using له (to/for him) is a natural and elegant way to avoid any confusion.
Why is the number six written as السادسة (the sixth) rather than just the normal number six (ستة)?
In Arabic, formal expressions of age like في سن... (at the age of...) use ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) with the definite article, rather than standard counting numbers (one, two, three). So, you literally say "at the age of the sixth."
Why is السادسة in the feminine form?