المسالة مهمة.

The matter is important.

Breakdown of المسالة مهمة.

• مهم: important
• مسالة: matter; issue

Questions & Answers about المسالة مهمة.

How would I pronounce المسالة مهمة in Levantine?

A natural Levantine pronunciation would be:

il-mas'ale mhimme
or in some areas el-mas'ale mhimme

A few helpful notes:

• الـ is usually pronounced il- or el- in Levantine, not al-.
• In mas'ale, the ' represents a hamza, a small catch in the throat.
• The final ة is usually pronounced like -e in Levantine.
• مهمة is often pronounced mhimme in everyday speech.

So the whole sentence sounds more like il-mas'ale mhimme than a careful textbook pronunciation.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

Because Arabic often leaves out the verb to be in the present tense.

So instead of saying:

• The issue is important

Arabic simply says:

• The issue important

This is completely normal.

If you wanted a past or future meaning, then Arabic would use a verb, for example:

• المسألة كانت مهمة = The issue was important
• المسألة رح تكون مهمة = The issue will be important

Why is مهمة feminine?

Because is a feminine noun, and adjectives in Arabic usually agree with the noun they describe.