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- Topic: Arabic >
- "أَهْلاً يا رَواد."
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To those wondering - as I understand it, يا
marks that you're using the vocative.
The vocative particle يا
is used when you're directly addressing someone. It might be helpful to compare it to the vocative particle in old English: "O"
(O brother where art thou? O ye of little faith!)
In modern English, we'll often use a pause (usually represented by a comma) to indicate the vocative. Compare "Let's eat, Grandma"
and "Let's eat Grandma"
. It's important to be able to distinguish between the two!