maxay
The Somali word for "what" is maxay.
maxay is an interrogative pronoun used to ask "what?" when referring to a subject that is either plural or feminine.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Which one should you use?
Use maxay when the subject of your question is a plural or feminine noun. In contrast, use maxaa when the subject is a singular masculine noun or when asking a general "what" (for example, "What happened?").
How does it change in a sentence?
The form maxay is specifically used when the subject of the question is plural or feminine.
Did you know?
- Somali is a Cushitic language, meaning it is more closely related to Oromo than to Arabic, despite using the Latin alphabet and borrowing many Arabic words.
- The word maxay is part of a complex system of 'focus markers' in Somali grammar, where the position of the word in the sentence changes the entire emphasis of the question.
- In Somali, the word maxay can function as both a question word and a relative pronoun meaning 'that which'. This allows it to act as a bridge between a subject and its description in a way English doesn't.
Examples in context
- Magacaygu waa maxay?What is my name?This sentence is useful for asking "What is my name?" using maxay.Tatoeba #12977436 by abiniz, translation #12975760 by jeremyisggg
- Maxay tahay sababtu?What is the reason?
- Maxay ka dhacday?What happened?
Example conversation
Sagal and Farah are talking about a book.
- SagalFarah, buuggan maxay ku qoran tahay?Farah, what is written in this book?
- FarahWaxay ku saabsan tahay taariikhda.It is about history.
- SagalMa xiiso leh baa?Is it interesting?
- FarahHaa, aad bay u xiiso badan tahay.Yes, it is very interesting.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
