Learn Arabic (Modern Standard): قالت لي جدتي مثلا عربيا قديما. - My grandmother told me an old Arabic proverb.

قالت لي جدتي مثلا عربيا قديما.

My grandmother told me an old Arabic proverb.

Breakdown of قالت لي جدتي مثلا عربيا قديما.

قديمqadîm

old

يi

my / me (after a preposition)

Questions & Answers about قالت لي جدتي مثلا عربيا قديما.

Why is the translation 'told me' when قالت usually means 'said'?

When the verb قال (to say) is followed by the preposition لـ (to), it is the standard way to express telling someone something. So قالت لي literally means 'she said to me,' but translates naturally as 'she told me.' You could use a verb like أخبرت (she informed), but قال لـ is much more common for sharing a proverb or story.

Is it normal for the subject جدتي to come after the prepositional phrase لي?

Yes, this is very common and preferred. In Arabic verb-initial sentences, a short prepositional phrase with an attached pronoun like لي (to me) usually slips in right after the verb and before the subject. It flows much better than putting جدتي before لي.

I know مثل usually means 'like' or 'example,' but here it translates to 'proverb'?

Exactly! The noun مثل has a few related meanings. While you often see it meaning 'example' (as in the phrase مثلا meaning 'for example'), it is also the standard word for a proverb, idiom, or traditional saying.

Why do مثلا, عربيا, and قديما all end with an extra alif?

They are all in the accusative case because مثل is the direct object of the sentence, and the other two words are adjectives describing it. Since they are indefinite masculine words, the accusative case is marked by a double fatha sound (-an). In written Arabic, this sound requires adding a silent alif to the end of the word.