ما هذا؟
mā hādhā?
The English phrase 'what is it?' can be translated into Arabic as ما هذا؟ (mā hādhā?).
This phrase is used to ask for the identity or name of an object.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ما هذا؟ is composed of mā meaning 'what' and hādhā meaning 'this' (masculine).
Which one should you use?
While ما هذا؟ uses the masculine demonstrative pronoun, you should use ما هذه؟ when asking about a feminine noun.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic (spoken in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan), the informal phrase شو هاد؟ is commonly used. In Egyptian Arabic, the informal phrase إيه ده؟ is used to ask 'What is it?'
How does it change in a sentence?
When asking about a feminine noun, replace the masculine form with ما هذه؟.
How do you pronounce it?
mā hādhā?
Did you know?
- The word ما is a cognate with the Hebrew word מָה and the Ugaritic 𐎎𐎅, showing a shared linguistic root across ancient Semitic languages.
- In Classical Arabic, ما can also be used as a negation to mean 'not', meaning the word for 'what' and the word for 'not' are identical in writing.
- The Egyptian phrase إيه ده؟ is often spoken with a specific rising intonation and a hand gesture, such as palms up, to emphasize curiosity or confusion.
Examples in context
- أنا لا أعرف، ما هذا؟anā lā a'rif, mā hadhā?I don't know, what is it?
Example conversation
Sarah points to a mysterious gift on the table.
- سارة Saraما هذا؟mā hadhā?What is this?
- عمر Omarهذه هدية لكِ يا سارة.hadhihi hadiyya laki yā Sārah.This is a gift for you, Sarah.
- سارة Saraحقاً؟ شكراً لك يا عمر!haqqan? shukran laka yā 'Umar!Really? Thank you, Omar!
- عمر Omarعفواً، أتمنى أن تعجبكِ.'afwan, atamannā an tu'jibaki.You're welcome, I hope you like it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ما, CC BY-SA 4.0.
