ماذا

Arabic

Etymology

Composed of مَا‎ (mā, “what [is]”) + ذَا‎ (ḏā).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /maː.ðaː/
    • (file)
    IPA(key): [ˈmæː.ðæ], [ˈmæː.zæ] (Egypt)
    IPA(key): [ˈmaː.ða], [-æː-], [ˈmaː.za], [-æː-] (Levant)
    IPA(key): [ˈmæː.ðɐ] (central Arabia)
    IPA(key): [ˈmɑː.ðɐ] (Persian Gulf)
    IPA(key): [ˈmɛː.ðæ] (Tunisia)

Pronoun

مَاذَا • (māḏā) m

  1. what (interrogative pronoun)
  2. what on earth

Usage notes

  • As an interrogative pronoun, generally the simple form ما‎ is used only in nominal sentences, while the extended form ماذا is used in verbal sentences:
‏مَا رَأْيُكَ فِي هٰذِهِ ٱلْمَسْأَلَةِ؟‎‎
mā raʾyuka fī hāḏihi l-masʾalati?
What is your opinion on this issue?
‏مَاذَا تُفَكِّرُ فِي هٰذِهِ ٱلْمَسْأَلَةِ؟‎‎
māḏā tufakkiru fī hāḏihi l-masʾalati?
What do you think about this issue?

References

  • Wehr, Hans (1979), “ما”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN
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