كشف الحساب واضح بالفعل.

Questions & Answers about كشف الحساب واضح بالفعل.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

Because Arabic often uses a nominal sentence in the present tense, with no overt verb for to be.

So:

  • كشف الحساب = the subject
  • واضح = the predicate/adjective

Together, كشف الحساب واضح means The account statement is clear.

If you wanted a past-tense version, Arabic would use a form of كان:

  • كان كشفُ الحسابِ واضحًا = The account statement was clear

What kind of phrase is كشف الحساب?

It is an iḍāfa construction, often called a genitive/construct phrase.

Structure:

  • كشف = statement / report / disclosure
  • الحساب = the account

Literally, it is something like statement of the account, but in natural English it usually means:

  • account statement
  • bank statement
    depending on context.

In an iḍāfa:

  • the first noun does not take ال
  • the second noun can make the whole phrase definite

So because الحساب is definite, كشف الحساب as a whole is also definite.


Why doesn’t كشف have الـ if the whole phrase means the account statement?

That is a normal feature of iḍāfa.

In Arabic, the first noun in an iḍāfa normally does not take الـ. Definiteness is determined by the second noun.

So:

  • كشف حساب = an account statement / statement of an account
  • كشف الحساب = the account statement / statement of the account

Even though كشف has no الـ, the whole phrase can still be definite because الحساب is definite.


Why is واضح masculine singular?

Because it agrees with كشف الحساب, which is treated here as masculine singular.

The head noun is كشف, and that noun is masculine singular, so the predicate is also masculine singular:

  • كشف الحساب واضح

If the subject were feminine, you would usually use a feminine form:

  • الفاتورة واضحة = The invoice is clear

Is واضح an adjective here or something else?

It is an adjective in form, but in this sentence it functions as the predicate of the sentence.

So it is not directly modifying a noun inside the phrase. It is telling you something about the subject:

  • كشف الحساب = the account statement
  • واضح = clear

So the structure is:

  • The account statement
    • clear
  • meaning: The account statement is clear

Should there be case endings here?

In fully vowelled formal Arabic, yes.

A careful grammatical version would be:

  • كَشْفُ الحِسَابِ وَاضِحٌ بِالفِعْلِ

Case roles:

  • كَشْفُ = nominative, because it is the subject
  • الحِسَابِ = genitive, because it is the second term of the iḍāfa
  • وَاضِحٌ = nominative, because it is the predicate
  • بِالفِعْلِ = genitive after the preposition بـ

In normal unvowelled writing, these endings are usually not written.


What exactly does بالفعل mean here?

بالفعل often means:

  • indeed
  • actually
  • really
  • sometimes already, depending on context

In this sentence, it most naturally adds emphasis:

  • The account statement is indeed clear
  • The account statement is actually clear

So although English sometimes translates بالفعل as already, here it is probably closer to indeed/actually than a time meaning.


Does بالفعل always mean already?

No. That is a very common learner mistake.

بالفعل can mean different things depending on context:

  1. indeed / actually / really

    • هو موجود بالفعل = He is indeed there / He is actually there
  2. Sometimes something close to already, especially in context

    • but Arabic often uses other expressions for a clearly temporal already, such as قد with a verb, depending on the sentence

So in كشف الحساب واضح بالفعل, the sense is probably indeed/actually, not strongly temporal already.


Why is بالفعل at the end of the sentence?

That is a very natural position for an adverbial expression in Arabic.

Arabic often places words like بالفعل after the main statement to add emphasis:

  • كشف الحساب واضح بالفعل

This is similar to saying in English:

  • The account statement is clear indeed
  • The account statement is clear, actually

You could sometimes move adverbials for emphasis, but the final position here is very normal.


How would this sentence be pronounced?

A careful fully vocalized pronunciation would be roughly:

  • kashfu l-ḥisābi wāḍiḥun bil-fiʿli

In pause, many endings are dropped in actual reading, so you may also hear something closer to:

  • kashf al-ḥisāb wāḍiḥ bil-fiʿl

A few notes:

  • كشف = kashf
  • ح in الحساب is a deeper ḥ sound, not the English h
  • واضح = wāḍiḥ
  • ض is an emphatic consonant
  • بالفعل = bil-fiʿl

Could كشف الحساب mean bank statement specifically?

Yes, very often it can.

Depending on context, كشف الحساب may mean:

  • account statement
  • statement of account
  • bank statement

The exact English translation depends on the situation. In banking or finance, bank statement is often the most natural translation.


Can the word order be changed?

Yes, but the given order is the most straightforward.

Normal order here is:

  • كشف الحساب واضح بالفعل

This starts with the subject and then gives the predicate.

Arabic can sometimes front the predicate for emphasis, but that would sound more marked or literary in many contexts. For a learner, the given version is the standard one to understand first.


How would I say The account statement is not clear?

You can simply negate the nominal sentence with ليس:

  • كشف الحساب ليس واضحًا = The account statement is not clear

Or, in less formal styles, you may also encounter:

  • كشف الحساب غير واضح = The account statement is unclear

Both are useful, but ليس واضحًا is a very direct grammatical negation.


What is the root of كشف, and does that help with meaning?

Yes. كشف comes from the root ك-ش-ف, which has meanings related to:

  • uncovering
  • revealing
  • disclosing

That is why كشف can be used in words referring to a statement, report, or disclosure—something that lays information out clearly.

So كشف الحساب is, in a literal sense, something like a revealing/listing of the account.


Could I translate واضح as obvious instead of clear?

Sometimes, yes, but clear is usually the safer choice here.

واضح can mean:

  • clear
  • obvious
  • evident

In this sentence, because the subject is كشف الحساب (an account statement), clear sounds most natural in English:

  • The account statement is clear

If the context were different, obvious or evident might work better.

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