# Forum Other Languages All other languages Arabic  Need translation help

## dbw44

Can someone tell me how to properly translate this sentence?  هل كانوا سيكتفون بقتلي إذن؟ 
I would especially like to know why the "s-" prefix is used on the verb & what the real root of this verb is.  Thank you

----------


## Der Meister

The second word in the sentence is the verb, it's the third person masculine plural of the verb to be in the past so the verb actually means they were.  I know the s prefix is used for the future but are you sure the third word is a verb it could be a noun with the masculine sound plural.

----------


## a true arab

هل كانوا سيكتفون بقتلي إذن؟ 
Hal Kanoo Sa'yalta'foona bi'Qatlee ith'an?  
هل is an article use for asking yes or no questions.
كانوا  they were 
سيكتفون:
س implies future tense  
يكتفون   they suffice
بقتلي :
ب is prepositional article
قتلي my killing :
قتل  means killing
ي implies property 
إذن  means so
the meaning can be translated as:
did they will suffice by killing me then?

----------


## dbw44

As I understand it, if you use a form of the verb "Kana" (like Kanoo) with the future tense, it becomes the future perfect or something like that.   Is that what is going on here?  does it mean something like:   "Would that be enough for them to kill me?".

----------


## a true arab

Hi 
dbw44,
You are right...
your translation is also correct and to the point but I was trying to translate letterally and to analyze the sentence grammarwise to give a larger image.

----------

