Arabic A1, Unit 12: How, how many, when, why

How, how many, when, why

Arabic A1 · Unit 12

GoalAsk how, how much, when and why, and answer with a time word.

New words

كَيْف (kayf) · howكَم (kam) · how many, how muchمَتَى (matā) · whenلِمَاذَا (li-mādhā) · whyالْيَوْم (al-yawm) · todayغَدًا (ghadan) · tomorrowالْآن (al-ʾān) · nowكَم السَّاعَة؟ (kam as-sāʿa?) · what time is it?

Explanation

Here are four more question words. كَيْف (kayf) means “how”, and you know it from كَيْف الْحَال؟. كَم (kam) means “how many” or “how much”: كَم السَّاعَة؟ asks “what time is it?”. مَتَى (matā) means “when”: مَتَى الدَّرْس؟ is “when is the lesson?”. لِمَاذَا (li-mādhā) means “why”. To answer a question with “when”, use a time word such as الْيَوْم (today), غَدًا (tomorrow) or الْآن (now). As before, the question word comes first.

Word	Meaning	Example
كَيْف	how	كَيْف الْحَال؟
كَم	how many, how much	كَم السَّاعَة؟
مَتَى	when	مَتَى الدَّرْس؟
لِمَاذَا	why	لِمَاذَا الْبَاب أَبْيَض؟

Worked examples

A question about time and its answers. Listen: when is the lesson, the lesson is tomorrow, what time is it?

Salma

كَيْف الْحَال؟

Yusuf

أَنَا بِخَيْر، شُكْرًا.

Salma

مَتَى الدَّرْس؟

Yusuf

الدَّرْس الْيَوْم.

Salma and Yusuf talk. Press each line.

لِli+مَاmā+ذَاdhā

“Why” is made of three small parts: li + mā + dhā, “for what?”.

Class activity

Question game. Write the four question words كَيْف، كَم، مَتَى، لِمَاذَا on four cards. Pick a card and make a question with it, for example مَتَى الدَّرْس؟. Answer it with الْيَوْم, غَدًا or الْآن. Do this six times. Then ask a friend كَيْف الْحَال؟ and answer.

Practice

Press Listen. Which question word do you hear first: كَم or مَتَى?

Which word means “why”?

Write in Arabic: “when is the lesson?”.

The picture shows a clock. Which question word do you use to ask about the time: كَيْف or كَم?

The picture shows a calendar. Which word means “tomorrow”: الْآن or غَدًا?

Questions and mini dialogues

How, how many, when, why