Then We forgave you after that so perhaps you would be grateful.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُم
(Then We forgave you)
Root عفو — to pardon, forgive, forgo; surplus, excess · 35 times in the Quran
ثُمَّword 1
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. ثُمَّ · 'then' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word that ties statements together; ثُمَّ means 'then', joining with a step in time: after the calf, THEN came the forgiving. L4 · R4
عَفَوْنَاword 2
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. عَفَوْ speaks of an action already carried out: 'We forgave', from the root عفو: to pardon, forgive, forgo; surplus, excess. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed — and it shows who by a small ending fastened to the verb's tail. On عَفَوْنَا that ending is نَا, telling exactly who is meant: 'We forgave', from the root عفو: to pardon, forgive, forgo; surplus, excess. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of عَفَوْ is عفو: to pardon, forgive, forgo; surplus, excess — and its last letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits at the very end of the root. L24 · R7
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. نَا · 'us/our' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — عَفَوْنَا — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending نَا is that doer, 'We'; an attached pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
عَنكُمword 3
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. عَن · 'from/about' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. عَن · 'from/about' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'me / us / them' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. كُم · 'you all/your' hangs on the little relation-word in عَنكُم, governed by the word it is fastened to. L3 · R6
Allah said, 'Remember My favor on you when I forgave you for worshipping the calf.'
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:52
So far: “Then We forgave you”
مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ
(…after that)
Root بعد — after, distance, remoteness · 235 times in the Quran
مِّنۢword 4
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. مِّنۢ · 'from/of' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. مِّنۢ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
بَعْدِword 5
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. بَعْدِ names such a thing: 'after', from the root بعد: after, distance, remoteness. L1 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. بَعْدِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: بَعْدِ. L2 · R12
ذَٰلِكَword 6
Demonstrative Pronoun · اسم إشارةA demonstrative pronoun is a pointing word that singles out a specific thing, near or far. ذَٰلِكَ points from afar to 'that' — the taking of the calf; pointing words keep one fixed shape whatever their role. L3 · R8
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. ذَٰلِكَ fills that owner slot after بَعْدِ: 'after OF-that'; a pointing word keeps one fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears — the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
(…so perhaps you would be grateful.)
Root شكر — gave thanks, became grateful · 75 times in the Quran
لَعَلَّكُمْword 7
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعللَعَلَّ — one of the family of particles that sit before a topic-plus-comment sentence, each carrying the doubling shaddah ـّ, seen here on its لَّ — expresses hope or expectation, 'perhaps / so that'; in Allah's speech it typically reveals the purpose behind His act: the pardon was given SO THAT you might be grateful. L15 · R8
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending كُمْ on لَعَلَّكُمْ stands for 'you all' — the ones the hope is spoken over; this particle family pushes its topic into the accusative, the form usually shown by a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the letter, but a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so the accusative is the role it fills. L3 · R6
تَشْكُرُونَword 8
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَشْكُرُ is an action unfolding now: '(be) grateful', from the root شكر: gave thanks, became grateful. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. تَشْكُرُ opens with exactly such a letter: '(be) grateful', from the root شكر: gave thanks, became grateful. L8 · R3
The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present-tense shapes whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. تَشْكُرُونَ is one of them: its ending ونَ keeps that closing ن, and for these five shapes the kept ن is itself the grammar-sign that the verb stands in its plain, ordinary mood. L10 · R10
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. ونَ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — تَشْكُرُونَ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The و in the ending ونَ names the doers of the hoped-for thanking, 'you all'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
So far: “Then We forgave you after that so perhaps you would be grateful.”