ماذا حدث؟
matha hadath?
The English phrase "what happened" is translated into Arabic as ماذا حدث؟ (matha hadath?).
ماذا حدث؟ is a question used to inquire about the events or the specific cause of a situation.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the word ماذا (matha), meaning "what" and the verb حدث (hadath), meaning "happened" or "occurred".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ماذا حدث؟ is the standard way to ask this question in Modern Standard Arabic, making it suitable for formal speech or writing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb حدث (hadath) is used in the past tense, which is why the phrase translates to "happened" rather than "happens".
How do you pronounce it?
matha hadath?
Did you know?
- While ماذا حدث؟ is grammatically perfect, using it in a casual street setting in Cairo or Beirut might make you sound like a character from a historical textbook.
- In certain contexts, the verb root of حدث (h-d-th) is also the root used for the word 'modern', implying that something 'happened' is something that has come into existence recently.
- The concept of 'what happened' is often expressed through the verb صار (sara) in many regions, which literally means 'to become'.
Examples in context
- ماذا حدث؟What happened?This example shows how to use the phrase ماذا حدث؟ as a standalone question.Tatoeba #450149 by saeb, translation #375822 by megamanenm
- هل تقصد أنك لا تعرف ماذا حدث؟Do you mean you don't know what happened?This sentence demonstrates the use of ماذا حدث؟ within a larger query.Tatoeba #13123059 by LdjuherTaqvaylit, translation #2395966 by CK
Example conversation
Maryam sees Omar looking upset in the living room.
- مريم Maryamعمر، تبدو حزيناً. ماذا حدث؟Omar, tabdu hazinan. Madha hadath?Omar, you look sad. What happened?
- عمر Omarلقد أضعت مفاتيحي يا مريم.Laqad ada'tu mafatihi ya Maryam.I lost my keys, Maryam.
- مريم Maryamهل بحثت عنها في الحقيبة؟Hal bahatha 'anha fil-haqiba?Did you look for them in the bag?
- عمر Omarنعم، لكنها ليست هناك.Na'am, lakinnaha laysat hunak.Yes, but they are not there.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
