مات
māta
The Arabic word for "died" is مات (māta).
مات is used to state that a person or an animal has stopped living.
Which one should you use?
While مات is the standard term, the word توفي is a more formal and respectful way to express that someone has passed away.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb مات changes its ending depending on the subject: use ماتت to agree with feminine subjects (she died / it died) and use ماتوا to agree with masculine plural subjects (they died).
How do you pronounce it?
māta
Did you know?
- While مات is the general word for 'died', the respectful term توفي actually comes from a root meaning 'to complete' or 'to receive in full'. It implies that the person has completed their allotted term of life.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, it is common to respond to the news of a death with the phrase إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون, which means 'To God we belong and to Him we return'.
- The word مات is a cognate of the Hebrew word מֵת and the ancient Egyptian word mwt, showing a shared linguistic root across several ancient Middle Eastern languages.
Examples in context
- مات عمي منذ سنة.My uncle died a year ago.This sentence shows how to use مات to talk about a relative.Tatoeba #375537 by saeb, translation #266635 by CK
- كم من بقرة ماتت؟How many cows died?This sentence demonstrates the use of مات when referring to animals.Tatoeba #12083996 by dididodo, translation #11927988 by Amastan
- ماذا إن مات زيري؟What if Ziri died?This sentence uses مات in a hypothetical question.Tatoeba #11238680 by Amghar, translation #10216669 by Amastan
- 66 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sara and Ziad are talking about an old pet in a park.
- سارة Saraهل مات قطك القديم؟hal mata qittuka al-qadim?Did your old cat die?
- زياد Ziadنعم، مات الأسبوع الماضي.na'am, mata al-usbu' al-madi.Yes, it died last week.
- سارة Saraأنا آسفة جداً يا زياد.ana asifa jiddan ya ziyad.I am very sorry, Ziad.
- زياد Ziadشكراً لكِ يا سارة.shukran laki ya sara.Thank you, Sara.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries مات, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
