بدلا من أن تتابع الطلب، اقرأ حالة الطلب في الحساب.

بدلًا من means instead of or rather than.

In this sentence, it introduces an alternative:

• بدلًا من أن تتابع الطلب = instead of following up on the order/request

A very close variant you may also see is بدل أن with the same general meaning.

Here, أن introduces a verb clause after بدلًا من.

So:

• بدلًا من
  • noun
    = instead of
    • noun
• بدلًا من أن
  • verb
    = instead of
    • verb-ing / instead of doing

In this sentence:

• بدلًا من أن تتابع literally means instead of that you follow
• natural English: instead of following

Arabic often uses أن + present tense verb where English uses an -ing form.

After أن, Arabic normally uses the present tense verb.

So although English says following, Arabic says:

• أن تتابع

This is not a simple present meaning you follow. In this structure, it functions more like to follow / following depending on the translation.

Also, أن makes the present verb subjunctive in grammar terms. In this particular verb, that mainly shows up in the ending vowel:

• تتابعُ = indicative
• تتابعَ = subjunctive after أن

In normal writing without full vowel marks, you usually just see تتابع.

Yes. تتابع comes from the root ت ب ع, which has the basic idea of following.

The verb here is from Form III:

• past: تابع
• present: يُتابِع
• you (masc. sg.) present: تُتابِع

This verb often means:

• to follow
• to follow up on
• to monitor

So تتابع الطلب means something like:

• follow the request/order
• track the order
• follow up on the application/request

The exact English choice depends on context.

Both verbs are addressing one masculine singular person: you.

• تتابع = you follow / you follow up
• اقرأ = read!

So the sentence is directed to one male addressee, or to a generic singular user in standard instructional language.

If the addressee were female, you would expect:

• بدلًا من أن تتابعي الطلب، اقرئي حالة الطلب في الحساب.

If it were addressed to more than one person, the forms would change again.

اقرأ is the imperative form, so it means read!

The sentence is giving an instruction:

• بدلًا من أن تتابع الطلب، اقرأ حالة الطلب في الحساب.
• Instead of following the order/request, read the order status in the account.

So the structure is:

1. Instead of doing X
2. Do Y

That is why the second verb is an imperative.

اقرأ is the imperative of the verb قرأ (to read).

Related forms:

• قرأ = he read
• يقرأ = he reads / he is reading
• تقرأ = you read / she reads
• اقرأ = read! (to one masculine singular person)

A point learners often notice: the imperative begins with ا here because Arabic imperatives are built in a specific pattern, and this verb contains a hamza in the root.

Literally, it means the state/status of the request/order.

This is an iḍāfa (possessive/genitive construction):

• حالة = state, condition, status
• الطلب = the request/order/application

Together:

• حالة الطلب = the request’s status
• more natural English: the order status / the status of the request

This is a very common Arabic structure: two nouns placed next to each other, where the second one specifies the first.

Because in an iḍāfa construction, the first noun usually does not take الـ unless the whole phrase requires it in a special way.

So:

• حالة الطلب = the status of the request

Even though حالة does not have الـ, the whole phrase can still be definite because the second noun is definite:

• الطلب = the request/order

This is a key feature of Arabic noun phrases. The definiteness of the second noun can make the whole expression definite.

It can mean several related things depending on context.

Common possibilities include:

• request
• order
• application
• demand

In service, shopping, or delivery contexts, الطلب often means order.
In government, school, or administrative contexts, it may mean application or request.

So learners should not memorize just one English equivalent. The Arabic word is broader, and context decides the best translation.

في الحساب literally means in the account.

Arabic can use a definite noun like this when the relevant account is already understood from context, especially in instructions on websites or apps. It can sound like:

• in the account
• in your account

depending on the situation.

If the sentence wanted to explicitly say your account, it could say:

• في حسابك

So في الحساب is not wrong; it is just a bit more general or system-style in tone.

The comma helps separate the two parts of the instruction:

1. بدلًا من أن تتابع الطلب
2. اقرأ حالة الطلب في الحساب

It works much like English punctuation in a sentence such as:

• Instead of tracking the order, read the order status in the account.

In Arabic, punctuation is used in modern writing, but sentence structure itself is what really shows the relationship.

Yes. Arabic often has several natural ways to express the same idea. For example, close alternatives might include:

• بدلًا من متابعة الطلب، اقرأ حالة الطلب في الحساب.
• بدل أن تتابع الطلب، اقرأ حالة الطلب في الحساب.

The first version uses a verbal noun:

• متابعة = following up / tracking

The second uses the shorter بدل أن instead of بدلًا من أن.

All of these are natural, with small differences in style rather than major differences in meaning.