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4) Where
أَيْنَ أَنْتَ ؟
‘ayn(a) ‘ant(a)
= where you (sing. masc.) (are)
Translation: where are you?
أَيْنَ سَنَاْءُ ؟
‘ayn(a) sanaa’(u)
= where Sana’a (female name) (is)
Translation: where is Sana’a?
أَيْنَ كُنْتِ ؟
‘ayn(a) kunti
= where (you sing. fem.) were
Translation: where were you?
أَيْنَ تُقِيْمُ ؟
‘ayn(a) tuqeem(u)
= where (you sing. masc.) dwell
Translation: where do you live?
where are you staying?
إِلَىْ أَيْنَ تَذْهَبْنَ ؟
‘ilaa‘ayn(a) tathhabn(a)
= to where (you plu. fem.) go
Translation: where are you going ?
مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكَ هَذَاْ ؟
min‘ayn(a) la-k(a) haathaa
= from where for you this (is)
Translation: wherefrom have you got this?
أَتَعْلَمُ أَيْنَ الْحَفْلَةُ ؟
‘a-ta”lam(u)‘ayn(a) (‘a)l-hafla(tu)
= is it that (you sing. masc.) know where the party (is)
Translation: do you know where the party is?
5) How
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Question كَيْفَ حَاْلُكَ ؟ kayf(a) haalu-k(a) = how (the) state (of) you (sing. masc.) (is) Translation: how are you?
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Answer أَنَاْ بِخَيْرٍ ، شُكْرًا ( لَكَ ) ‘anaa bi-khayr(in) shukra(n) {la-k(a)} = I (am) in a well-being, thanking (to you) Translation: I am fine, thanks
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كَيْفَ هُوَ ؟
kayf(a) huw(a)
= how he (is)
Translation: what is he/it like?
كَيْفَ عَرَفْتِ هَذَاْ ؟
kayf(a) “arafti haathaa
= how (you sing. fem.) knew this
Translation: how did you know this?
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Question كَيْفَ أَبْدُوْ ؟ kayf(a) ‘abdoo = how (I) look Translation: how do I look?
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Answer تَبْدِيْنَ رَاْئِعَةً tabdeen raa’i”a(tan) = (you sing. fem.) look magnificently Translation: you look great/magnificent
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Question كَيْفَ سَنَذْهَبُ ؟ kayf(a) sa-nathhab(u) = how (we) will go Translation: how will we go?
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Answer سَنَذْهَبُ بِالْبَاْصِ sa-nathhab(u) bi-l-baas(i) = (we) will go by bus Translation: we will go by bus
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هَلْ أَخْبَرَكِ كَيْفَ عَرَفَ هَذَاْ ؟
hal ‘akhbara-k(i) kayf(a) “araf(a) haathaa
= is it that (he) told you (sing. fem.)how (he) knew this
Translation: did he tell you how he knew about this?
6) How many / How much
There is only one word to express these things in Arabic, kamكَمْ. This word was originally ka-maaكَمَاْ= “like what?” before it evolved to the form known today.
The nouns after kam must be always singular and in the accusative, or nasb, case.
كَمْ وَلَدًا لَدَيْكَ ؟
kam walada(n) laday-k(a)
= how many a child (in) (the) place (of) you (sing. masc.) (are)
Translation: how many children do you have?
*The words ladaa لَدَىْ & “ind(a) عِنْدَare somewhat similar in meaning to the French chez, but they are also used for time meaning “at,” like in “at sunset.”
كَمْ مَرَّةَ حَذَّرْتُكَ ؟
kam marra(tan) haththartu-k(a)
= how many a time (I) warned you (sing. masc.) (are)
Translation: how many times have I warned you?
هَلْ تَعْلَمُ كَمْ سَاْعَةً اِنْتَظَرْتُكَ ؟!
hal ta”lam(u) kam saa”a(tan) ‘intazartu-k(a)
= is it that (you sing. masc.) know how many an hour (I) waited you (sing. masc.)
Translation: do you know how many hours I’ve been waiting for you?!
كَمْ يَبْلُغُ عَدَدُ سُكَّاْنِ الْبَرَاْزِيْلِ ؟
kam yablur(u) “adad(u) sukkaan(i) (‘a)l-baraazeel(i)
= how much (he/it) reaches (the) number (of) (the) inhabitants (of) Brazil
Translation: how much is the population of Brazil?
If the noun following kam were part of a genitive construction, it would not be in the accusative case but in the regular nominative case.
كَمْ عَدَدُ الْحَاْضِرِيْنَ ؟
kam “adad(u) (‘a)l-haadireen(a)
= how much (the) number (of) the present (people) (is)
Translation: How many are the present people?
The noun following kam can be omitted.
Examples:
كَمْ تُرِيْدُ ؟
kam tureed(u)
= how much/many (you) want
Translation: how much/many do you want?
كَمْ قَاْلَ لَكَأَنَّهُ يُرِيْدُ ؟
kam qaal(a) la-k(a) ‘ann-h(u) yureed(u)
= how much/many (he) said to you that him wants
Translation: how much/many did he tell you that he wanted?
كَمْ هَؤُلاءِ ؟
kam haa’ulaa'(i)
= how many these (are)
Translation: how many are these?
When asking about price, kam will be preceded by preposition bi- بِِـ= “in/by/with.”
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Asking About Price |
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بِـ +كَمْ= بِكَمْ |
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bi- +kam= bi-kam |
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by + how much → by how much (money) |
The noun following bi-kamis often omitted.
Examples:
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Question (Full Form) بِكَمْ دِرْهَمًا هَذَاْ الْحِذَاْءُ ؟ bi-kam dirhama(n) haathaa (‘a)l-hithaa’(u) = by how many a dirham (I may buy) this the shoe Translation: how many dirhams do these shoes cost? *The dirham is an old Arab currency unit. It is still used in several Arab countries today.
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Question (Reduced Form) بِكَمْ هَذَاْ الْحِذَاْءُ ؟ bi-kam haathaa (‘a)l-hithaa’(u) = by how much (money) (I may buy) this the shoe Translation: how much are these shoes?
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Answer بِعِشْرِيْنَ دِرْهَمًا bi-“ishreen(a) dirhama(n) = by twenty a dirham Translation: the shoes cost twenty dirhams
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بِكَمِ الْهَاْمْبرْغَرُ ؟
bi-kam(i) (‘a)l-haambergar(u)
= by how much (money) (I may buy) the hamburger
Translation: how much is the hamburger?
Kam Stating Numerousness
kam can be used in a style that is used to state numerousness instead of interrogation or asking a question.
Example:
كَمْ مِنْ كِتَاْبٍ عِنْدَكَ!ه
kam min kitaab(in) “inda-k(a)
= how many of a book (is) (in) (the) place (of)
you (sing. masc.)
= so many of a book (is) (in) (the) place (of)
you (sing. masc.)
Translation: you have so many books!
Nouns after preposition min = “from/of” must be in the ablative case, or ‘al-jarr case.
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Numerousness Stating Style |
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كَمْمِنْ |
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kam min |
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how many/much of → so many of |
The min after kam in this style can often be omitted.
Example:
كَمْ كِتَاْبٍ عِنْدَكَ!ه
kam kitaab(in) “inda-k(a)
= so many (of) a book (is) (in) (the) place (of)
you (sing. masc.)
Translation: you have so many books!
Emphatic la- لَـ can also be used here.
لَكَمْ مِنْ كِتَاْبٍ عِنْدَكَ!ه
la-kam min kitaab(in) “inda-k(a)
= certainly so many of a book (is) (in) (the) place (of) you (sing. masc.)
Translation: you really have so many books!
لَكَمْ كِتَاْبٍ عِنْدَكَ!ه
la-kam kitaab(in) “inda-k(a)
= certainly so many (of) a book (is) (in) (the) place (of) you (sing. masc.)
Translation: you really have so many books!
لَكَمْمَرَّةٍ حَذَّرْتُكَ
la-kammarra(tin) haththartu-k(a)
= certainly so many (of) a time (I) warned
you (sing. masc.)
Translation: I warned you so many times 7) ‘annaa
This is an obsolete, classical, interrogative word that may mean how, when, or where.
أَنَّىْ يَكُوْنُ لِيْ غُلامٌ ؟!ه
‘annaa yakoon(u) l-ee rulaam(un)
= how will be for me a boy?!
Translation: how am I going to have a son?!
8) Which
The pronoun ‘ayy(u) أَيُّ = “which (of)” is the only interrogative word that undergoes case inflection. The rest are all “built” words, which means that they do not show case inflection.
This pronoun will only mean “which?” when it is in the construct state, or when it is a first part of a genitive construction.
| Which (of) …? | ||
| الرَّفْعُ | ‘ayy(u) | أَيُّ |
| Nominative | ||
| النَّصْبُ | ‘ayy(a) | أَيَّ |
| Accusative / Dative | ||
| الْجَرُّ | ‘ayy(i) | أَيِّ |
| Ablative / Genitive | ||