The question words
| Word | Transliteration | English | Reading | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ما / ماذا | mā / mādhā | what | mā hādhā — what is this? | ما هذا؟ |
| من | man | who | man anta — who are you? | من أنت؟ |
| أين | ayna | where | ayna l-funduq — where is the hotel? | أين الفندق؟ |
| متى | matā | when | matā taṣil — when do you arrive? | متى تصل؟ |
| لماذا | limādhā | why | limādhā — why? | لماذا؟ |
| كيف | kayfa | how | kayfa ḥālak — how are you? | كيف حالك؟ |
| كم | kam | how many / how much | kam as-siʿr — how much is the price? | كم السعر؟ |
| أي | ayy | which | ayy kitāb — which book? | أي كتاب؟ |
Question word first, then the rest of the sentence in normal order.
Yes/no questions — هل, or just your voice
Formal yes/no questions open with هل hal: هل هذا كتاب؟ 'is this a book?'. In ordinary speech people often just raise their intonation. Answers: نعم naʿam 'yes', لا lā 'no'.
| Question | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| هل أنت طالب؟ | hal anta ṭālib | are you a student? (to a man) |
| هل هذا الفندق؟ | hal hādhā l-funduq | is this the hotel? |
| نعم، هذا هو | naʿam, hādhā huwa | yes, this is it |
| لا، ليس كذلك | lā, laysa kadhālik | no, it isn't so |
Negation — pick the right 'not'
Arabic has several 'no/not' words, each tied to a context: ليس negates nominal sentences ('X is not Y'); لا negates present-tense verbs and makes 'don't' commands; ما negates past or present ('didn't / doesn't'); لم negates past ('did not' — verb follows in imperfect minus its ending); لن negates future ('will not').
| Negator | Use | Example | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| ليس | nominal sentences | ليس كبيرا | laysa kabīran — it is not big |
| لا | present verbs + commands | لا أعرف | lā aʿrif — I don't know |
| لا | command 'don't' | لا تذهب | lā tadhhab — don't go |
| ما | past/present negation | ما ذهب | mā dhahaba — he didn't go |
| لم | past negation (formal) | لم يذهب | lam yadhhab — he did not go |
| لن | future negation | لن أذهب | lan adhhab — I will not go |
Beginner priority: ليس for noun sentences, لا for 'don't' + commands, لن for 'won't'. ما is common in speech. Full verb forms shown intentionally in this grammar table (labelled exception).
Putting it together
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| هل تريد شايا؟ | hal turīd shāyan | do you want tea? |
| لا، شكرا | lā, shukran | no, thank you |
| لماذا لن تذهب؟ | limādhā lan tadhhab | why won't you go? |
| ما هذا؟ — هذا كتاب | mā hādhā — hādhā kitāb | what's this? — it's a book |
Mini practice
Q1. أين means:
- when
- where
- who
- how
Answer: where
Q2. هل is used to:
- negate verbs
- open yes/no questions
- mean 'how much'
- mean 'please'
Answer: open yes/no questions
Q3. ليس negates:
- past verbs
- future verbs
- nominal sentences
- commands
Answer: nominal sentences
Q4. لن أذهب means:
- I didn't go
- I don't go
- I will not go
- don't go
Answer: I will not go
Q5. كيف حالك؟ means:
- what is your name?
- where are you?
- how are you?
- how old are you?
Answer: how are you?
