Breakdown of فاتورة الكهرباء كبيرة للغاية.
Questions & Answers about فاتورة الكهرباء كبيرة للغاية.
Why is there no word for is in this sentence?
In Arabic, the verb to be is usually not written in the present tense.
So:
- فاتورة الكهرباء كبيرة للغاية
literally: The electricity bill very large
But in natural English, this means:
- The electricity bill is extremely high/large
This is a very common Arabic pattern. In the present tense, Arabic often just puts the subject and the description next to each other.
Compare:
- البيت كبير = The house is big
- الجو جميل = The weather is nice
If you wanted a past or future meaning, then Arabic would use a verb such as كان.
Why is كبيرة feminine?
Because it describes فاتورة, and فاتورة is a feminine noun.
In Arabic, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in:
- gender
- number
- definiteness
So:
- فاتورة = feminine singular
- therefore the adjective must be كبيرة = feminine singular
Compare:
- كتاب كبير = a big book
- فاتورة كبيرة = a big bill
The ـة at the end of كبيرة is a common sign of the feminine form.
Why doesn’t فاتورة have الـ on it if the meaning is the electricity bill?
Because فاتورة الكهرباء is an iḍāfa construction, often called a possessive or noun-link construction.
It literally works like:
- فاتورة الكهرباء
- bill of the electricity
In English, we usually translate that as:
- the electricity bill
In an iḍāfa:
- the first noun usually does not take الـ
- the second noun shows whether the whole phrase is definite or indefinite
Here:
- الكهرباء = the electricity
- so فاتورة الكهرباء becomes definite: the electricity bill
So فاتورة الكهرباء is correct, not الفاتورة الكهرباء.
What exactly is الكهرباء here?
الكهرباء means electricity.
In this sentence, it is the second part of the iḍāfa:
- فاتورة الكهرباء = the electricity bill
So it functions like electricity in English expressions such as:
- electricity bill
- water bill
- phone bill
Other similar Arabic examples:
- فاتورة الماء = the water bill
- فاتورة الهاتف = the phone bill
What does للغاية mean?
للغاية means something like:
- extremely
- very much
- to a great extent
So:
- كبيرة للغاية = extremely large / very large
It is a fairly formal or neutral MSA expression.
You can think of it as an intensifier that strengthens the adjective.
Examples:
- مهم للغاية = extremely important
- صعب للغاية = extremely difficult
- كبير للغاية = extremely big
Can I say فاتورة الكهرباء كبيرة جداً instead?
Yes, absolutely.
Both are correct:
- فاتورة الكهرباء كبيرة للغاية
- فاتورة الكهرباء كبيرة جداً
The difference is mostly one of style:
- جداً = very common, everyday way to say very
- للغاية = a bit more formal or emphatic in MSA
So both work, but للغاية may sound slightly more formal or written.
Why does the adjective come after the noun?
Because in Arabic, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.
So:
- فاتورة كبيرة = a big bill
not:
- كبيرة فاتورة
This is the normal Arabic order:
- noun + adjective
More examples:
- بيت كبير = a big house
- سيارة جديدة = a new car
- مشكلة صعبة = a difficult problem
In your sentence:
- فاتورة = noun
- كبيرة = adjective describing it
Why is كبيرة indefinite even though the bill is definite?
It may look indefinite in English terms, but in Arabic predicate adjectives in sentences like this are typically not marked with الـ.
This is because كبيرة here is not an attributive adjective inside the noun phrase. It is the predicate of the sentence.
Compare these two patterns:
- Attributive adjective inside a noun phrase:
- الفاتورة الكبيرة = the big bill
Here both are definite.
- Predicate adjective in a sentence:
- الفاتورة كبيرة = the bill is big
Here the adjective normally does not take الـ.
Your sentence uses the second pattern:
- فاتورة الكهرباء = the electricity bill
- كبيرة للغاية = is extremely large
Is كبيرة really the best way to talk about a bill? Doesn’t it literally mean big?
Yes, كبيرة literally means big/large, but in Arabic it is also natural to use it for things like bills, costs, numbers, and amounts.
So in context:
- فاتورة الكهرباء كبيرة means
The electricity bill is high / large
This is similar to English, where we can say:
- a big bill
- a large amount
- high expenses
So although big is the literal meaning, the natural English translation here is often high.
How is الكهرباء pronounced, especially the ending?
It is pronounced roughly as:
- al-kahrabāʾ
A few notes:
- الـ = al-
- كهرباء = kahrabāʾ
- the final ء is a hamza, a glottal stop
So the last part is not just a long aa sound; it ends with a hamza sound.
A rough breakdown:
- كَهْ = kah
- رَ = ra
- بَا = bā
- ء = glottal stop
In careful MSA pronunciation, the final hamza is heard clearly.
What would the full vowelled version of the sentence look like?
A fully vowelled version would typically be:
- فاتورةُ الكهرباءِ كبيرةٌ للغايةِ
This shows the grammatical case endings used in formal MSA.
Very roughly:
- فاتورةُ = subject
- الكهرباءِ = second noun in the iḍāfa
- كبيرةٌ = predicate adjective
- للغايةِ = prepositional expression meaning extremely
In normal writing, these short vowels are usually omitted, so you will most often see:
- فاتورة الكهرباء كبيرة للغاية
Can the word order be changed?
Yes, but the original order is the most straightforward and natural for a neutral statement.
Normal order:
- فاتورة الكهرباء كبيرة للغاية
You may sometimes see other word orders for emphasis, but for learners, the best pattern is:
- subject + description
So this sentence is a very good model for basic nominal sentences in Arabic.
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