عِنْدِي سُؤَال
ʕindī suʔāl
The English phrase "I have a question" can be translated into Arabic as عِنْدِي سُؤَال (ʕindī suʔāl) or لَدَيَّ سُؤَال.
Meaning: I have a question (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| عِنْدِي سُؤَال | ʕindī suʔāl |
| لَدَيَّ سُؤَال | ladayya suʔāl |
In Arabic, possession of an abstract concept like a question is typically expressed using the concept of having something "with" you.
What does it mean word for word?
The word عِنْدِي literally translates to "with me", which is the standard way to express that you have an abstract concept like a question.
Which one should you use?
عِنْدِي سُؤَال is the more common way to express this in everyday spoken Arabic and in Modern Standard Arabic, whereas لَدَيَّ سُؤَال is reserved for highly formal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word سُؤَال is a singular noun meaning "a question". If you wish to say "I have questions" (plural), you should use the plural form أَسْئِلَة.
How do you pronounce it?
ʕindī suʔāl
Did you know?
- Arabic has a specialized term for a 'rhetorical question', which is a question that does not seek an answer. This is expressed as سُؤَال اسْتِنْكَارِي, literally a 'question of denial'.
- The word سُؤَال shares a root with the verb 'to ask' and the noun for 'request'. In Arabic, the act of questioning and the act of requesting something are linguistically linked.
- If you are in a formal lecture and want to interrupt with a question, it is culturally polite to start with لَوْ سَمَحْتَ (law samaht), which means 'if you permit', rather than just stating you have a question.
Examples in context
- أود أن أسأل سؤالًاI would like to ask a question.
- لدي استفسار بخصوص…I have a question about…
- لدي استفسار بخصوص الدرس الأخيرI have a question about the last lesson.
- هل بإمكاني طرح سؤال؟Can I ask a question?
- عندي سؤالI have a question.
- بدي أسأل سؤالI want to ask a question.
- عِنْدِي سُؤَال لِلْمُعَلِّمِ.ʿindī suʾāl lil-muʿallim.I have a question for the teacher.
- عِنْدِي سُؤَال عَنِ الْحَافِلَةِ.ʿindī suʾāl ʿani l-ḥāfilah.I have a question about the bus.
- لَوْ سَمَحْتِ، عِنْدِي سُؤَال.law samaḥti, ʿindī suʾāl.Excuse me, I have a question.
Example conversation
Ziyad is asking Layla for help with a map.
- زياد Ziadلَيْلَى، عِنْدِي سُؤَال.Laylā, ʿindī suʾāl.Layla, I have a question.
- ليلى Laylaتَفَضَّلْ يَا زِيَاد، مَا هُوَ؟tafaḍḍal yā Ziyād, mā huwa?Go ahead, Ziyad, what is it?
- زياد Ziadأَيْنَ هَذَا الْمَطْعَمُ؟ayna hadhā l-maṭʿam?Where is this restaurant?
- ليلى Laylaإِنَّهُ قَرِيبٌ مِنْ هُنَا.innahu qarīb min hunā.It is close to here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I have a question” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
