What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ماذا قلت؟ is composed of ماذا (what) and قلت (you said).
Which one should you use?
The choice of phrase depends on the level of formality and the specific dialect. The formal ماذا قلت؟ is used in Modern Standard Arabic, while ماذا قلتم؟ is used when addressing a group. In casual or spoken contexts, you might use شو قلت؟, إيش قلت؟, إيه؟ or شنو قلت؟ depending on the region.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ماذا قلت؟ is the formal version used in Modern Standard Arabic and is appropriate for formal or written contexts. In contrast, شو قلت؟ is an informal way to ask the question and إيه؟ is used informally in Egypt to mean "What?" or "What did you say?" شنو قلت؟ is a casual way to ask the question.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Levant region, the informal إيش قلت؟ is commonly used. In Egypt, the informal إيه؟ is used to mean "What?" or "What did you say?" In Gulf countries, the casual phrase شنو قلت؟ is common and شو قلت؟ is frequently heard in many spoken Levantine dialects.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a female listener, the phrase changes to ماذا قلتِ؟. When addressing a group of people, the plural form ماذا قلتم؟ is used.
How do you pronounce it?
madha qult?
Did you know?
- In some social contexts, instead of asking 'what did you say?', people might use a phrase that translates to 'May God protect you' or other religious blessings to politely signal they missed something.
- Using the formal ماذا قلت؟ in a casual street conversation in Beirut or Cairo would make a speaker sound like a character from a historical movie.
- The formal word ماذا is actually a combination of two words: مَا (what) and the demonstrative ذَا (this), meaning literally 'what is this'.
Examples in context
- عفواً، ماذا قلت؟afwan, mādhā qulta?Excuse me, what did you say?
- لم أسمعك، ماذا قلت؟lam asma'ka, mādhā qulta?I didn't hear you, what did you say?
Example conversation
Ziad and Sarah are sitting in a loud cafe.
- سارة Saraماذا قلت؟mādhā qulta?What did you say?
- زياد Ziadقلت إن القهوة رائعة.qultu inna al-qahwa rā'i'a.I said the coffee is wonderful.
- سارة Saraأوه، فهمت الآن.oh, fahimtu al-ān.Oh, I understand now.
- زياد Ziadلا مشكلة يا سارة.lā mushkila yā Sarah.No problem, Sarah.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ماذا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
