GoalUse both word orders and ask questions with مَاذَا، أَيْن، مَتَى، مَعَ مَن، لِمَاذَا and هَل.
New words
مَاذَا (mādhā) · what (before a verb)مَاذَا تَفْعَل؟ (mādhā tafʿal?) · what are you doing? (to a man)مَتَى تَذْهَب؟ (matā tadhhab?) · when do you go?أَيْن تَسْكُن؟ (ʾayn taskun?) · where do you live?مَعَ مَن تَلْعَب؟ (maʿa man talʿab?) · with whom do you play?لِمَاذَا تَدْرُس؟ (li-mādhā tadrus?) · why do you study?
Explanation
Arabic has two word orders. With the subject first we say أَحْمَد يَشْرَب الشَّاي. With the verb first we say يَشْرَب أَحْمَد الشَّاي. Both mean “Ahmad drinks tea”. The subject-first order is common in speech and the verb-first order is common in news and stories. For a question, put the question word first, then the verb, then the subject: مَاذَا يَشْرَب أَحْمَد؟ Use مَاذَا (mādhā) before a verb, and مَا before a noun, as in مَا هَذَا؟. For a yes-no question put هَل in front.
Question word
Asks
Example
مَاذَا
what
مَاذَا تَشْرَب؟
أَيْن
where
أَيْن تَعْمَل؟
مَتَى
when
مَتَى تَقْرَأ؟
مَعَ مَن
with whom
مَعَ مَن تَدْرُس؟
لِمَاذَا
why
لِمَاذَا تَكْتُب؟
هَل
yes or no
هَل تَفْهَم؟
Worked examples
One idea, two orders, one question.
Karim
مَاذَا تَشْرَبِين؟
Layla
أَشْرَب الشَّاي.
Karim
مَتَى تَذْهَبِين إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَة؟
Layla
أَذْهَب فِي الصَّبَاح.
Karim asks Layla three questions.
The same question to a man and to a woman. Listen to the ending.
Class activity
Interview. Ask a friend, or imagine one, six questions with the six question words in the table. Write each question with its answer, like مَاذَا تَشْرَب؟ — أَشْرَب الْمَاء. Then write the same question to a woman, with ـِين. Last, turn two of your sentences into the verb-first order.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Which question word do you hear: أَيْن، كَيْف or مَتَى?
…
كَيْف (kayf), “how”. The question is كَيْف حَالُك؟, “how are you?”.
2
Write in Arabic: “What does Karim write?”
مَاذَا يَكْتُب كَرِيم؟
3
The picture shows a woman. Ask her: “what do you drink?”
مَاذَا تَشْرَبِين؟
4
The picture shows a man. Ask him: “where do you work?”
أَيْن تَعْمَل؟
5
Change to verb first: مَرْيَم تَفْتَح النَّافِذَة.
