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Nouns of Interrogation أَسْمَاْءُ الاِسْتِفْهَاْمِ |
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What |
maa |
مَاْ |
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Who |
man |
مَنْ |
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When |
mataa |
مَتَىْ |
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‘ayyaan(a) |
أَيَّاْنَ |
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Where |
‘ayn(a) |
أَيْنَ |
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How |
kayf(a) |
كَيْفَ |
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How many |
kam |
كَمْ |
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How much |
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How |
‘annaa |
أَنَّىْ |
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When |
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Where |
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Which (of) |
‘ayy(u) |
أَيُّ |
Except for ‘ayy(u), all of the interrogative nouns are “built” words, which means that they do not show case inflection. They also do not change to suit different genders or numbers.
They are used in a similar way to the interrogative particles.
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.
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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.
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مَاْ +ذَاْ=مَاْذَاْ |
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maa + thaa = maathaa |
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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?