Breakdown of ادخرنا المال بالفعل.
المال
money
بالفعلbilfi'li
indeed; actually; already
يدخرyaddakhiru
to save (money)
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Questions & Answers about ادخرنا المال بالفعل.
What does ادخرنا mean, and what does the ending -نا do?
ادخرنا is the verb in the sentence. It means we saved or we put aside.
The ending -نا on a past-tense verb marks the subject we. So:
- ادّخرَ = he saved
- ادّخرنا = we saved
Here, -نا is not our. It is the subject marker attached to the verb.
Is ادخرنا past tense? Why can it also sound like we have saved in English?
Yes. ادخرنا is in the Arabic perfect form, which is often taught as the past tense.
But Arabic and English do not match tense usage exactly. A single Arabic perfect verb can correspond to:
- we saved
- we have saved
The context decides which English translation sounds best. In this sentence, especially with بالفعل, English may naturally use we have already saved the money or we did save the money.
Why is there no separate word for have, as in we have saved?