Arabic What – مَاْ ؟ – What İn Arabic
1) What
مَاْ هَذَاْ ؟
maa haathaa
= what this (is)
Translation: what is this?
مَاْ هَذَاْ الْشَّيْءُ ؟
maa haathaa (‘a)sh-shay’(u)
= what this the thing (is)
Translation: what is this thing?
*See the section on demonstrative for information on their usage.
| Question مَاْ اِسْمُكَ ؟ maa (‘i)smu-k(a) = what (the) name (of) you (is) Translation: what is your name?
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| Answer اِسْمِيْ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ ‘ism-ee “abd(u) (‘a)r-rahmaan(i) = (the) name (of) me (is) (the) servant (of) the merciful (=God) Translation: my name is Abdurrahman
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مَاْ قُلْتَ ؟
maa qult(a)
= what (you sing. masc.) said (is)
Translation: what did you say?
مَاْ تُرِيْدِيْنَ ؟
maa tureedeen(a)
= what (you sing. fem.) want (is)
Translation: what do you want?
مَاْ سَتَقُوْلُوْنَ ؟
maa sa-taqooloon(a)
= what will (you plu. masc.) say (is)
Translation: what will you say?
مَاْ يُوْجَدُ هُنَاْكَ ؟
maa yoojad(u) hunaak(a)
= what exists there (is)
Translation: what is there?
*Note: yoojad(u) يُوْجَدُ is a passive verb and the literal sense of it is “is/being found.”
Maa + thaa
Interrogative maa مَاْ is commonly combined to the demonstrative thaaذَاْ= “this.“
This combination changes nothing, but it is commonly used, especially with verbs.
| مَاْ +ذَاْ=مَاْذَاْ |
| maa + thaa = maathaa |
| what + this→ what |
Examples:
مَاْذَا قُلْتَ ؟
maathaa qult(a)
= what (you sing. masc.) said (is)
Translation: what did you say?
مَاْذَا تُرِيْدِيْنَ ؟
maathaa tureedeen(a)
= what (you sing. fem.) want (is)
Translation: what do you want?
مَاْذَاْ سَتَقُوْلُوْنَ ؟
maathaa sa-taqooloon(a)
= what will (you plu. masc.) say (is)
Translation: what will you say?
مَاْذَاْ يُوْجَدُ هُنَاْكَ ؟
maathaa yoojad(u) hunaak(a)
= what exists there (is)
Translation: what is there?
Maa + (‘a)l-lathee
When used before verbs, interrogative maa مَاْ can be followed by the general
relative pronoun (‘a)l-lathee الَّذِيْ= “which/that.“
This also will change nothing. However, the difference here is that the two words will not be combined into a single word.
Example:
مَاْ الَّذِيْ قُلْتَ ؟
maa (‘a)l-lathee qult(a)
= what that (you sing. masc.) said (is)
Translation: what did you say?
As we showed in the relative pronoun section, it is more usual in Arabic to attach an object pronoun to the verb in such sentences; so the sentences will be as follows:
مَاْ الَّذِيْقُلْتَهُ ؟
maa (‘a)l-lathee qulta-h(u)
= what that (you sing. masc.) said him (is)
Translation: what did you say?
مَاْ الَّذِيْ تُرِيْدِيْنَهُ ؟
maa (‘a)l-lathee tureedeena–h(u)
= what that (you sing. fem.) want him (is)
Translation: what do you want?
مَاْ الَّذِيْ سَتَقُوْلُوْنَهُ ؟
maa (‘a)l-lathee sa-taqooloona-h(u)
= what that will (you plu. masc.) say him (is)
Translation: what will you say?
مَاْ الَّذِيْ يُوْجَدُ هُنَاْكَ ؟
maa (‘a)l-lathee yoojad(u) hunaak(a)
= what that that exists there (is)
Translation: what is there?
In this last sentence there was not a pronoun attached to the verb. The reason behind this shouldn’t be a mystery. Simply, this verb is an intransitive verb and it is impossible for it to have an object. It won’t make sense.
Maathaa + (‘a)l-lathee
This combination is also possible, but not in the regular language. This is a pompous mixture that can be found in classical literature, also in the Koran.
مَاْذَاْ الَّذِيْقُلْتَهُ ؟
maathaa (‘a)l-lathee qulta-h(u)
= what that (you sing. masc.) said him (is)
Translation: what did you say?
مَاْذَاْ الَّذِيْ تُرِيْدِيْنَهُ ؟
maathaa (‘a)l-lathee tureedeena–h(u)
= what that (you sing. fem.) want him (is)
Translation: what do you want?
مَاْذَاْ الَّذِيْ سَتَقُوْلُوْنَهُ ؟
maathaa (‘a)l-lathee sa-taqooloona-h(u)
= what that will (you plu. masc.) say him (is)
Translation: what will you say?
مَاْذَاْ الَّذِيْ يُوْجَدُ هُنَاْكَ ؟
maathaa (‘a)l-lathee yoojad(u) hunaak(a)
= what that that exists there (is)
Translation: what is there?