Lesson 41 – الدَّرْس الحادي والأرْبَعُونَ
Interrogative (questioning) Articles (1 of 3) – أدَوَات الاسْتِفْهام (١ من ٣)
The Interrogative (questioning): لِمَاذَا/Limādhā/
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- Limādhā (لِمَاذَا) is an Arabic interrogative (questioning) noun used to ask about the reason for an action. It is indeclinable with a sukūn case-ending. See the following examples on how questions are formed with limādhā and how we answer them:
Picture | Translation | Answer | Translation | Question |
| To become fat. | /li-akūna samīnan./ | Why do you eat much? | /Limādhā ta’kulu kathīran?/ |
| Because I am very thin. | /li-annani naħīfun ĵiddan./ | And why do you want to become fat? | وِلِماذا تُرِيدُ أنْ تَكُونَ سَمِينا؟ /wa limādhā turīdu an takūna samīnan?/ |
| To study the Arabic language. | لِيَدْرُسَ اللُّغَةَ العَرَبِيِّةَ. /li-yadrusa al-lughata al-ξarabiyya-ta./ | Why did Sa’id travel to Yemen? | لِمَاذا سَافَرَ سَعِيدٌ إِلَى اليَمَنِ؟ /Limādhā sāfara saξīdun ilā al-Yamani?/ |
| Because I got up late. | لأنَّنِي اِسْتَيْقَظْتُ مُتَأَخِّراً. /li-annani istayqađhtu muta’akhir-an./ | Why haven’t you gone to school today? | لِمَاذَا لَمْ تَذْهَب اليَوْمَ إلى المَدْرَسَةِ؟ /Limādhā lam tadhhab al-Yawma ilā al-madrasa-ti?/ |
- From the examples above, we will note some points as follows:
Translation | Transliteration | Example |
Why have not you gone to school? | Limādhā lam tadhhab ilā al-madrasa-ti |
- The sign of the verb (تَذْهَبْ) changes from đammah to sukūn because it is preceded by lam (لَمْ).
- When we ask a question using (limādhā), the answer may start with the particle (لـِ) which means “in order to”. In the answer, this particle is always followed by a present verb with a Fatħah case-ending, as in the following examples:
Translation | Answer | Translation | Question |
To study the Arabic language | لأدْرُسَ اللُّغَةَ العَرَبِيَّةَ. /li-adrusa al-lughata al-ξarabiyya-ta./ | Why are you in Egypt? | /Limādhā anta fī miŝra?/ |
To work in an Arab country. | لِأَعْمَلَ فِي دَوْلَةٍ عَرَبِيَّةٍ. /li-aξmala fī dawlatin ξarabiyya-tin./ | Why do you study Arabic? | /Limādhā tadrusu al-ξarabiyya-ta?/ |
To wake up early. | /li-astayqiđha mubakiran./ | Why do you sleep early? | /Limādhā tanāmu mubakiran?/ |
- In the examples above, we notice that the verbs in the question (تَدْرُسُ، تَنَامُ) are in the present form with đammah case-ending. In the answer, these verbs are preceded by the particle (لـِ) which is one of the accusative (naŝb) particles. It changed its case-ending from nominative (rafξ) to naŝb, i.e. from đammah to Fatħah in this case, thus becoming:(لأَدْرُسَ، لأَسْتَيْقِظَ).