بِكُمَاfor you both

Example sentences

• لَفَعَلْتُ، وَلَكِنِّي أَرْغَبُ بِكُمَا عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَأَزْوِيهِ عَنْكُمَا،

  I would have done it, but I prefer to spare you both that, and I will keep it away from you both.

  بُكْمًا — for you both. The bi- here is a preposition governing the pronoun attached to it, and that pronoun is the dual 'you two' (-kuma), so the word means 'for you two'. Paired with the verb of preferring, this bi- marks the persons on whose behalf the choice is made. The -kuma is Arabic's 'exactly two' object form.

  From: Under God's Shield →