ماذا تفعل؟
madha taf'al?
To ask "What are you doing?" in Arabic, use ماذا تفعل؟ (madha taf'al?). It asks someone about the activity they are doing right now.
ماذا تفعل؟ is the Modern Standard Arabic question for one man. It is used in formal writing or news, while spoken dialects use different words for what and doing.
What does it mean word for word?
ماذا (madha) means what, and تفعل (taf'al) means you do or you are doing.
Which one should you use?
ما الذي تقوم به؟ is another formal way to ask what are you doing. ما العمل الذي تقوم به؟ asks more specifically what work or activity someone is engaged in.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, people say شو عم تعمل؟. In Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, people say شنو تسوي؟ or شنو تسوين؟ to a woman.
How does it change in a sentence?
ماذا تفعل؟ is for one man. For a woman say ماذا تفعلين؟, and for a group say ماذا تفعلون؟.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced madha taf'al?, with a short catch in the throat before the final a.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use the masculine ماذا تفعل؟ for a woman. Use ماذا تفعلين؟ instead.
Did you know?
- Using the formal phrase ماذا تفعل؟ ('madha taf'al?') in a casual social setting can unintentionally sound accusatory. It might make the listener feel as though you are suspicious of their behavior rather than simply being curious.
- The formal term for 'what', which is ماذا ('madha'), is actually a hidden combination of two words: ما ('ma'), meaning 'what', and ذا ('dha'), a demonstrative meaning 'this'.
- In many Arabic dialects, the phrase شو عم تعمل؟ ('shu am ta'mal?') or شنو تسوي؟ ('shenu taswi?') can function as a casual greeting like 'What's up?' rather than a literal question about a person's actions.
Examples in context
- ماذا تفعل؟mādhā taf‘al?What are you doing?
Example conversation
Omar calls Leila on the phone.
- عمر Omarأهلاً ليلى، ماذا تفعل؟Ahlan Laylā, mādhā taf‘alu?Hello Leila, what are you doing?
- ليلى Laylaأنا أقرأ كتاباً جديداً.Anā aqra'u kitāban jadīdan.I am reading a new book.
- عمر Omarهل الكتاب ممتع؟Hal al-kitāb mumti‘?Is the book interesting?
- ليلى Laylaنعم، إنه رائع جداً.Na‘am, innahu rā'i‘ jiddan.Yes, it is very wonderful.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ماذا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
