المحادثة: فِي الْمَكْتَبِ — لِمَنْ هٰذَا الْكِتَابُ؟
Dialogue: In the office — asking “Whose book is this?” with Idafa
أَحْمَد
مَا هٰذَا الْكِتَابُ عَلَى الْمَكْتَبِ؟
What is this book on the desk?
زَيْنَب
هٰذَا كِتَابُ الطَّالِبِ.
This is the student’s book.
أَحْمَد
أَأَنْتِ تَقْصِدِينَ كِتَابًا لِلطَّالِبِ، أَمْ كِتَابَ الطَّالِبِ؟
Do you mean “a book for the student”, or “the student’s book”?
زَيْنَب
أَقْصِدُ كِتَابَ الطَّالِبِ، لِأَنَّهُ كِتَابٌ مَخْصُوصٌ لَهُ.
I mean “the student’s book”, because it is a book specific to him.
زَيْنَب
وَمَا هٰذَا الْمِفْتَاحُ؟ أَهُوَ مِفْتَاحُ الْبَيْتِ أَمْ مِفْتَاحُ الْمَسْجِدِ؟
And what about this key? Is it the house’s key or the mosque’s key?
أَحْمَد
لَا، هٰذَا مِفْتَاحُ الْفَصْلِ.
No, this is the classroom’s key.
أَحْمَد
مَنْ صَاحِبُ هٰذِهِ الْحَقِيبَةِ؟ هَلْ هِيَ حَقِيبَةُ الْمُعَلِّمِ أَمْ حَقِيبَةُ الطَّالِبِ؟
Whose bag is this? Is it the teacher’s bag or the student’s bag?
زَيْنَب
هِىَ حَقِيبَةُ الْمُعَلِّمِ، وَالْحَقِيبَةُ الصَّغِيرَةُ هِيَ حَقِيبَةُ الطَّالِبِ.
It is the teacher’s bag, and the small bag is the student’s bag.
زَيْنَب
أَيْنَ بَيْتُ الطَّالِبِ يَا أَحْمَدُ؟ أَقَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ؟
Where is the student’s house, Ahmad? Is it near the school?
أَحْمَد
نَعَمْ، بَيْتُ الطَّالِبِ قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ، وَلٰكِنَّ بَيْتَ الْمُعَلِّمِ بَعِيدٌ قَلِيلًا.
Yes, the student’s house is near the school, but the teacher’s house is a little far.
أَحْمَد
وَمَا هٰذَا الْكِرْسِيُّ عِنْدَ النَّافِذَةِ؟ هَلْ هُوَ كُرْسِيُّ الْمُدِيرِ؟
And what is this chair by the window? Is it the principal’s chair?
زَيْنَب
نَعَمْ، هٰذَا كُرْسِيُّ مُدِيرِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ.
Yes, this is the chair of the principal of the school.
زَيْنَب
أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ كِتَابَ اللهِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ.
I love to read the Book of Allah in the mosque.
أَحْمَد
وَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ فِي غُرْفَةِ الْوَلَدِ فِي الْبَيْتِ.
And I like to read in the boy’s room at the house.
أَحْمَد
الْآنَ أَفْهَمُ أَنَّ كِتَابَ الطَّالِبِ غَيْرُ كِتَابٍ لِلطَّالِبِ.
Now I understand that “the student’s book” is not the same as “a book for the student”.
زَيْنَب
نَعَمْ، هٰذَا هُوَ جَمَالُ الْإِضَافَةِ فِي اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ.
Yes, that is the beauty of Idafa in the Arabic language.
Grammar Note
In this dialogue you see many examples of Idafa such as
كِتَابُ الطَّالِبِ، مِفْتَاحُ الْفَصْلِ، حَقِيبَةُ الْمُعَلِّمِ.
The first noun (Mudhaf) never has AL or Tanween, and the second noun (Mudhaf Ilayh) is always Majroor with Kasra.