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? | /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. | /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? | /Mādhā taξmalu?/ |
