أرى السفينة.

• أرى = the verb, I see
• السفينة = the direct object, the ship

So the sentence is literally see-I the-ship, which is normal in Arabic.

It is built into the verb أرى. In Arabic, the subject is often included inside the verb itself, so you do not need a separate word for I.

You can add أنا and say أنا أرى السفينة if you want extra emphasis, but it is not necessary.

Arabic often likes to begin a sentence with the verb, especially in straightforward statements. So أرى السفينة is a very natural way to say I see the ship.

Arabic can also use subject + verb order, such as أنا أرى السفينة, but verb first is very common.

The verb comes from the dictionary form رأى, meaning to see. In the present tense, the أ- at the beginning marks first person singular: I.

This verb is a little irregular, so the form is أرى rather than a more predictable regular pattern. You should learn it as a common present-tense form meaning I see.

It is pronounced roughly ʾarā.

A few important points:

• The first sound أ is a hamza, a light stop at the beginning.
• The last letter ى here represents a long ā sound.
• So the end sounds like -raa, not like English ry.

Because الـ makes the noun definite.

• سفينة = a ship
• السفينة = the ship

So the sentence uses a definite object: the ship.

Because س is a sun letter. When الـ comes before a sun letter, the l sound of الـ is not pronounced; instead, the next consonant is doubled.

So:

• written: السفينة
• pronounced: as-safīna(h) in pause, or as-safīnata in full formal pronunciation with case ending

This happens in pronunciation only. The spelling still stays ال.

Because it is the thing being seen. The verb أرى is transitive, which means it takes a direct object.

In أرى السفينة:

• I = the one doing the seeing
• the ship = what is being seen

So السفينة is the direct object.

Yes. In fully vowelled formal Arabic, the direct object would be السفينةَ with fatḥa, because it is in the accusative case.

So a fully marked version would be:

أرى السفينةَ

In normal everyday writing, short vowels are usually not written, so you just see السفينة.

That letter is called tāʾ marbūṭa (ة). It very often marks a feminine noun.

In this word:

• سفينة is a feminine noun
• with الـ, it becomes السفينة

In pause, the ة is usually pronounced like -a(h). When grammatical endings are pronounced clearly, it can sound like -t, as in السفينةَ pronounced as-safīnata.

Yes, السفينة is grammatically feminine. However, that does not affect the verb in this sentence, because the subject is I, not the ship.

The verb agrees with the subject:

• subject = hidden I
• object = the ship

So the verb is first person singular because of I, regardless of whether ship is masculine or feminine.

Because standard Arabic writing usually leaves out most short vowels in ordinary text.

So you see:

• أرى السفينة

But a learner-friendly or fully vowelled version might be:

• أرى السفينةَ

Native readers usually know the correct vowels from grammar, context, and familiarity with the words.