# أ



## Andrew___

Hi guys,

When the letter أ is used as a synonym of هل, is there a space between the أ and the word which follows?

My textbooks in Dubai did not have a space between the أ and the following word, but in Morocco there seems to be a space.  
For example   *أ تحب* هذا الكتاب؟ vs *أتحب* هذا الكتاب؟

Once again, أنا متلخبط جدًا


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## ayed

No, there is no any space.
*أتحب*


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## cherine

بعد الشر عليك من اللخبطة يا أندرو 

The hamza and hal are synonyms, I don't know of a case where one of them is better than the other, at least in MSA usage.
And, as Ayed said, there's no space between them. Maybe the Moroccan book does this to highlight it or something.


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## Thamir

Hey you

i'm a new member , and i would be glad to reply to this thread

first of all, as Ayed said there is no space between them, it's just like English ( e.g. when you add the "+ing OR -s (plural) you don't put any space)

the quesition is : 

why my Moroccan book dose that ?

that becaus the two books use different fonts, and some of these fonts made that space when it's printed.


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## Josh_

Al Sulhafa said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> When the letter أ is used as a synonym of هل, is there a space between the أ and the word which follows?
> 
> My textbooks in Dubai did not have a space between the أ and the following word, but in Morocco there seems to be a space.
> For example   *أ تحب* هذا الكتاب؟ vs *أتحب* هذا الكتاب؟
> 
> Once again, أنا متلخبط جدًا


حينما تجابه سؤالا مثل هذا فتذكر القولة الحكيمة التي كتبها صاحبنا العزيز إيلروي في هذه المشاركة:

لا توجد أية كلمة تتكون من حرف واحد في العربية!



			
				cherine said:
			
		

> The hamza and hal are synonyms, I don't know of a case where one of them is better than the other, at least in MSA usage.
> And, as Ayed said, there's no space between them. Maybe the Moroccan book does this to highlight it or something.


There is at least one case in which أ is preferred over هل , and that is in the asking of a rhetorical question in which the expected answer is yes.  أليس كذلك؟


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## ayed

josh_ said:


> حينما تجابه سؤالا مثل هذا فتذكر القولة الحكيمة التي كتبها صاحبنا العزيز إيلروي في هذه المشاركة:
> 
> لا توجد أية كلمة تتكون من حرف واحد في العربية!


*بل توجد كلمة في اللغة العربية تتكون من حرف واحد *


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## Josh_

أسلم بما تقول ولكن تقتصر الكلمات المتكونة من حرف واحد على صيغة الأمر للأفعال المعتلة الفاء واللام وبقدر ما أعلم هذه الأوامر هي غير مستعملة في العصر الراهن. فلم أعددها.


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## cherine

josh_ said:


> There Is At Least One Case In Which أ Is Preferred Over هل , And That Is In The Asking Of A Rhetorical Question In Which The Expected Answer Is Yes. أليس كذلك؟


بلى، معك حقك


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## ayed

josh_ said:


> أسلم بما تقول ولكن تقتصر الكلمات المتكونة من حرف واحد على صيغة الأمر للأفعال المعتلة الفاء واللام وبقدر ما أعلم هذه الأوامر هي غير مستعملة في العصر الراهن. فلم أعددها.


* هل لك أن تذكر لي شيئا منها؟*


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## Andrew___

Thanks guys.

I raised this issue with my Moroccan tutor, and he disagrees with the views on this forum - he said it is necessary to put a space between the alef and the following word when alef is used in place of هل

I realise this is clearly wrong, but I didn't press the point.

I'm starting to realise that learning MSA in Morocco is quite unique, since you can hear the strangest things!! And this is a very basic point which one would expect to be straightforward!!

I suppose I should realise that even teachers of MSA are essentially teaching a second language. I guess it would be like me trying to teach French in some ways. There is no such thing as a native speaker of MSA.


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## Josh_

ayed said:


> * هل لك أن تذكر لي شيئا منها؟*



نأخذ مثلا فعل الأمر من "وفى."  عندما يُؤمَر أحد بالوفاء بوعده هل يقال "فِ بوعدك!" أم شيء آخر، مثلا "أوف بوعدك!" أو "اصدق في وعدك!" أو "بر بوعدك!"؟

ومثل ثان: هل نستطيع أن نقول "ع إلى كلامي!" بمعنى "اكترث لكلامي!"؟


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## elroy

Al Sulhafa said:


> I suppose I should realise that even teachers of MSA are essentially teaching a second language. I guess it would be like me trying to teach French in some ways. There is no such thing as a native speaker of MSA.


 This is slightly off-topic, but I just want to remark that your comparison with French is not valid.  True, no one's mother tongue is MSA, but that doesn't mean that to an Arab it's the same as a second language.  It's somewhere in between the two extremes.  And nitty-gritty rules of spelling are not mastered by many native speakers of every language.

I must say, however (to bring this back on-topic ), that what your Moroccan tutor told you really surprises me.  I have never, ever seen أ written separately and would find that extremely strange.  Maybe it's a special way of writing that's unique to Morocco, but even that I find highly doubtful.  I wonder if your tutor can provide an authoritative source that justifies his view.


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## ayed

josh_ said:


> نأخذ مثلا فعل الأمر من "وفى." عندما يُؤمَر أحد بالوفاء بوعده هل يقال "فِ بوعدك!"
> 
> ومثل ثان: هل نستطيع أن نقول "ع إلى كلامي!" بمعنى "اكترث لكلامي!"؟


* 
شكرا ياجوش على الأمثلة الذي ذكرت.فقط أردت لمن لايعلم عن هذه الصيغة أن يعيها وحسب
* 


elroy said:


> I have never, ever seen أ written separately


So have I , Elroy!



Al Sulhafa said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> I raised this issue with my Moroccan tutor, and he disagrees with the views on this forum - he said it is necessary to put a space between the alef and the following word when alef is used in place of هل
> 
> I realise this is clearly wrong, but I didn't press the point.
> 
> I'm starting to realise that learning MSA in Morocco is quite unique, since you can hear the strangest things!! And this is a very basic point which one would expect to be straightforward!!
> 
> I suppose I should realise that even teachers of MSA are essentially teaching a second language. I guess it would be like me trying to teach French in some ways. There is no such thing as a native speaker of MSA.


marhaba Sulhafa..
Click on the photo I have attached from our official website in Saudi Arabia .I circled an example in red.
Here is the link of this website .Check the verse No.12 
http://quran.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?nType=1&nSeg=0&l=arb&nSora=49&nAya=10&0

Please , bring us any source from your teacher has relied on .


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## Andrew___

أنا معكم

ُEven I realised that this spelling was very strange, as I have seen it many times in Dubai and it was never written with a space.

I asked the tutor the basis of his view, and he said that it's a matter of logic (I think "منطقي" was the word he used in Arabic if I remember correctly).  He said that if أ takes the place of هل, then the alef should be written separately, because هل is written separately.

As I said before, I know this is odd, but I'm not going to press the point.  I also note that my English is not perfect even though it is my native language, and we all make mistakes.


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## clevermizo

Al Sulhafa said:


> أنا معكم
> 
> ُEven I realised that this spelling was very strange, as I have seen it many times in Dubai and it was never written with a space.
> 
> I asked the tutor the basis of his view, and he said that it's a matter of logic (I think "منطقي" was the word he used in Arabic if I remember correctly).  He said that if أ takes the place of هل, then the alef should be written separately, because هل is written separately.
> 
> As I said before, I know this is odd, but I'm not going to press the point.  I also note that my English is not perfect even though it is my native language, and we all make mistakes.



This sounds like his own idiosyncratic point of view then. Well, tough for him.


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## elroy

clevermizo said:


> This sounds like his own idiosyncratic point of view then. Well, tough for him.


 Exactly.  Is it "logical" that هذا does not have an alif after the ha even though the vowel sound is long?  Or that there is a silent alif in words like ذهبوا?  Or that عمرو has a silent waw?

Language is not math.  Otherwise, languages would be a lot easier to learn.


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