What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of ماذا, which literally means "what" and تحب, which means "you like" in the masculine singular form.
Which one should you use?
Other forms exist depending on the desired level of formality or specific nuance. ما الذي يُعجبك؟ and ما الشيء الذي تحبه؟ are used to ask "What do you like?" in a formal manner, the latter specifically asking "What thing do you like?" In informal settings, you might use شو اللي بتحبه؟ for "What do you like?" or ايش اللي يعجبك؟ to ask "What do you find appealing?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, you can use the variation شو بتحب؟ to ask "What do you like?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb in this phrase must change to match the gender and number of the person you are addressing. When addressing a man, use the masculine form ماذا تحب؟. When addressing a woman, use the feminine form ماذا تحبين؟. When addressing a group of people, use the plural form ماذا تحبون؟.
How do you pronounce it?
madha tuhibbu?
Did you know?
- The root of the verb تحب is the same as the word for 'love', meaning that asking what someone 'likes' in Arabic often carries the same weight as asking what they 'love'.
- The word ماذا is a combination of two parts, where ما means 'what' and ذا is a demonstrative particle meaning 'this'.
- Depending on the country, a person might use شو in Lebanon or ايش in Saudi Arabia to ask 'what', and using one over the other immediately signals the speaker's regional origin.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ماذا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
