Lesson 41 – الدَّرْس الحادي والأرْبَعُونَ

Interrogative (questioning) Articles (1 of 3) – أدَوَات الاسْتِفْهام (١ من ٣)

The Interrogative (questioning) noun ماذا /mādhā/

  • We are still in lesson forty one of our free Arabic language course. This Arabic course with images and audios will help you learn Arabic.
  • (ماذا) Mādhā is an Arabic indeclinable Interrogative (questioning) noun which has a sukūn case-ending. We render both mā and Mādhā in English as “what”. In Arabic, however, there is a difference between them. When /mā/ is used to ask about an inanimate thing, it is always followed by a noun and when /Mādhā/ is used to ask about an action, it is followed by a verb.
  • Study the following examples:

Picture

Translation

Answer

Translation

Question

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I am eating rice, chicken and vegetables.

أَأْكُلُ الأُرْزَ والدَّجَاجَ وَالخَضْرَاواتِ.

/a’akulu al-urza wad-daĵāĵa wal-khu đrawāt-i./

What are you eating, Mustafa?

مَاذا تَأكُلُ يَا مُصْطَفَى؟

/Mādhā ta’kulu yā muŝŧafā?/

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I studied and played with my friends.

دَرَسْتُ وَلَعِبْتُ مَعَ أَصْدِقَائِي.

/darastu wa laξibtu maξa aŝdiqâ’i /

What have you done today at school?

مَاذا فَعَلْتَ اليَوْمَ فِي المَدْرَسَةِ؟

/Mādhā faξalta al-yawma fil-madrasa-ti?/

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I heard very good news.

سَمِعْتُ أَخْبَارا جَيِّدَةً جِدًّا.

/samiξtu akhbār-an jayyīda-tan ĵiddan/

What type of news have you heard today?

مَاذا سَمِعْتَ مِنْ الأَخْبارِ اليَوْمَ؟

/Mādhā samiξta min al-akhbāri al-yawm-a?/

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I understood all the lesson, thanks God.

فَهِمْتُ كُلَّ الدرْسِ والحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ.

/fahimtu kulla ad-darsi wal-hamdu lillāhi/

What did you understand of today’s lesson?

مَاذا فَهِمْتَ مِنَ دَرْسِ اليَوْم؟

/Mādhā fahimta min darsi al-yawm-i/

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I prefer coffee.

أُفَضِّلُ القَهْوَةَ.

/Aufađđilu al-Qahwata./

What do you prefer: tea or coffee?

مَاذا تُفَضِّلُ، الشَّايَ أم القَهْوَةَ؟

/Mādhā tufađđilu: al-shāya aw al-qahwata/

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I am a physician in a hospital.

أَعْمَلُ طَبِيبًا فِي المُسْتَشْفَى.

/aξmalu ŧabīb-an fī al-mustashfā./

What do you do?

مَاذا تَعْمَلُ؟

/Mādhā taξmalu?/