What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of ماذا, which means "what" and the verb تفعل, which means "you do" or "you are doing" in the present tense.
Which one should you use?
The form ماذا تفعل؟ is the Modern Standard Arabic version. In spoken dialects, speakers typically use different words for "what" and different verb conjugations.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine dialects, the informal phrase شو أنت عم تعمل؟ is used. Additionally, the word شو is an informal way to say "what", while إيه is a colloquial word for "what".
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb conjugation changes depending on who you are addressing: the default form ماذا تفعل؟ is used for a single male, ماذا تفعلين؟ is used when addressing a female and ماذا تفعلون؟ is used when addressing a group of people.
How do you pronounce it?
mādhā taf‘al?
Did you know?
- In many Arabic dialects, asking 'what are you doing?' is not just a query about an activity, but can be used as a way to express shock or disapproval at someone's behavior.
- If you use the formal ماذا تفعل؟ in a casual street market in Cairo or Beirut, you may sound like a character from a historical movie or a formal news broadcast rather than a local.
- The word ماذا is actually a combination of two words: ما meaning 'what' and ذا meaning 'this'. It functions as a single unit to mean 'what' in Modern Standard Arabic.
Examples in context
- ماذا تفعل؟mādhā taf‘alu?What are you doing?
Example conversation
Ziad walks into the room and sees Sarah working.
- زياد Ziadمرحباً سارة، ماذا تفعل؟marhaban sara, madha taf'al?Hello Sarah, what are you doing?
- سارة Saraأنا أقرأ كتاباً جديداً.ana aqra' kitaban jadidan.I am reading a new book.
- زياد Ziadهل هو ممتع؟hal huwa mumti'?Is it interesting?
- سارة Saraنعم، هو رائع جداً.na'am, huwa ra'i' jiddan.Yes, it is very wonderful.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ماذا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
