{"id":15615,"date":"2018-04-04T02:43:31","date_gmt":"2018-04-04T02:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/arabic\/?p=15615"},"modified":"2018-04-04T02:43:31","modified_gmt":"2018-04-04T02:43:31","slug":"questions-words-in-arabic-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/arabic\/questions-words-in-arabic-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Questions Words in Arabic (1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A question<\/em> word<\/em> is a word that is used to ask for information. To ask in Arabic, we use interrogative particles \u062d\u064f\u0631\u064f\u0648\u0652\u0641\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0627\u0650\u0633\u0652\u062a\u0650\u0641\u0652\u0647\u064e\u0627\u0645<\/strong> and interrogative nouns \u0623\u064e\u0633\u0652\u0645\u064e\u0627\u0621\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0627\u0650\u0633\u0652\u062a\u0650\u0641\u0652\u0647\u064e\u0627\u0645<\/strong>, using Arabic grammatical terms. Combined, they are called \u0623\u064e\u062f\u064e\u0648\u064e\u0627\u062a\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0627\u0650\u0633\u0652\u062a\u0650\u0641\u0652\u0647\u064e\u0627\u0645 \u2013 <\/strong>interrogative particles. The former are used to asked a yes-no questions, while the latter are used to ask information questions. They are used with both nominal and verbal sentences. This post is about how make yes-no- and wh-questions in Arabic.<\/p>\n

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Asking Yes-no Questions:<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Like English, a yes-no question in Arabic asks for an answer that is either yes<\/em> (i.e. positive) or no<\/em> (i.e. negative). Besides, it asks for specifying one of two things. To do this, you can use the hamzah <\/em>\u0623 <\/strong>or \u0647\u064e\u0644\u0652<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

(1) Using the hamzah <\/em>\u0623: <\/strong><\/p>\n

The use of hamzah <\/em>\u0623<\/strong> is formal. If you use it with verbal sentences, you simply add it as a prefix to the start of the (present or past) verb, as in (a). The answer to a question of this type is either \u0646\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0645\u0652 <\/strong>\u2018yes\u2019 or \u0623\u064e\u062c\u064e\u0644 <\/strong>\u2018yes\u2019 (\u0623\u064e\u062c\u064e\u0644 <\/strong>is more formal than \u0646\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0645<\/strong>) if your answer is positive or \u0644\u0627 <\/strong>\u2018no\u2019 if your answer is negative.<\/p>\n

(a)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0623\u064e\u062a\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0645 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u064e\u0631\u064e\u0628\u0650\u064a\u0651\u064e\u0629\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Do you speak Arabic?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u0623\u064e\u0637\u064e\u0628\u064e\u062e\u064e\u062a\u0652 \u0623\u064f\u0645\u0651\u0650\u064a \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0635\u064f\u0648\u0652\u0644\u0650\u064a\u064e\u0627\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Did my mother cook pinto beans?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u0623\u064e\u0634\u064e\u0627\u0647\u064e\u062f\u062a\u064e \u0647\u064e\u0630\u064e\u0627 \u0627\u0644\u0641\u0650\u064a\u0652\u0644\u0645\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Did you see this movie?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u0623\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0634\u0652\u0631\u064e\u0628\u064f \u062e\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0650\u062f \u0627\u0644\u062e\u064e\u0645\u0652\u0631\u061f \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Does Khalid drink wine?’<\/p>\n

If used with nominal sentences, we must use the coordinating conjunction of choice \u0623\u064e\u0645\u0652 <\/strong>so that person who answers chooses one of the two cited things, as in (b).<\/p>\n

(b)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0623\u0623\u064e\u0646\u0652\u062a\u064e \u0635\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0650\u062d \u0623\u064e\u0645 \u0633\u064e\u0639\u0650\u064a\u0652\u062f\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Are you Saleh or Saeed?’<\/p>\n

\u0623\u064e\u0628\u064e\u0631\u0652\u0634\u064e\u0644\u064f\u0648\u0646\u064e\u0629 \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0632\u064e \u0623\u064e\u0645\u0652 \u0631\u0650\u064a\u064e\u0627\u0644 \u0645\u064e\u062f\u0652\u0631\u0650\u064a\u0652\u062f\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Did Barcelona win or Real Madrid?’<\/p>\n

\u0622\u0644\u0634\u0651\u064e\u0627\u064a \u062a\u064f\u062d\u0650\u0628\u0651\u064f \u0623\u064e\u0645\u0652 \u0627\u0644\u0642\u064e\u0647\u0652\u0648\u064e\u0629\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Do you like tea or coffee?’\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u0623\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0651\u064e\u0627\u064a –><\/strong>\u00a0\u0622\u0644\u0634\u0651\u064e\u0627\u064a <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0623\u064e\u0633\u064e\u0627\u0645\u0650\u064a \u0630\u064e\u0643\u0650\u064a\u0651\u064c \u0623\u064e\u0645\u0652 \u0633\u064e\u0644\u0650\u064a\u0652\u0645\u061f \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Is Sami smart or Saleem?’<\/p>\n

(2) Using \u0647\u064e\u0644\u0652:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The use of \u0647\u064e\u0644\u0652 <\/strong>is less formal. It is used with both nominal and verbal sentences in the same way, that is by simply placing it at the start of the sentence. The answer to the question in this case is either \u0646\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0645\u0652 <\/strong>or \u0623\u064e\u062c\u064e\u0644 <\/strong>if the answer is yes<\/em> or \u0644\u0627 <\/strong>if the answer is no<\/em>, as in (c), same examples as in (a) except for replacing \u0623 <\/strong>with \u0647\u064e\u0644\u0652<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

(c)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0647\u064e\u0644\u0652 \u062a\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0645 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u064e\u0631\u064e\u0628\u0650\u064a\u0651\u064e\u0629\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Do you speak Arabic?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u0647\u064e\u0644\u0652 \u0637\u064e\u0628\u064e\u062e\u064e\u062a\u0652 \u0623\u064f\u0645\u0651\u0650\u064a \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0635\u064f\u0648\u0652\u0644\u0650\u064a\u064e\u0627\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Did my mother cook pinto beans?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u0647\u064e\u0644\u0652 \u0634\u064e\u0627\u0647\u064e\u062f\u062a\u064e \u0647\u064e\u0630\u064e\u0627 \u0627\u0644\u0641\u0650\u064a\u0652\u0644\u0645\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Did you see this movie?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u0647\u064e\u0644\u0652 \u064a\u0652\u0634\u0652\u0631\u064e\u0628\u064f \u062e\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0650\u062f \u0627\u0644\u062e\u064e\u0645\u0652\u0631\u061f \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Does Khalid drink wine?\u2019<\/p>\n

The informal way to ask the above questions is by simply saying the sentence with a rising intonation at the end, as in (d).<\/p>\n

(d)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u062a\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0645 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u064e\u0631\u064e\u0628\u0650\u064a\u0651\u064e\u0629\u061f <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018You speak Arabic?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u0637\u064e\u0628\u064e\u062e\u064e\u062a\u0652 \u0623\u064f\u0645\u0651\u0650\u064a \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0635\u064f\u0648\u0652\u0644\u0650\u064a\u064e\u0627\u061f \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018My mother cook pinto beans?\u2019<\/p>\n

Asking Wh-questions:<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

To ask a wh-question in Arabic, we use one of seven interrogative nouns. These are: \u0645\u064e\u0646\u0652 <\/strong>\u2018who\u2019, \u0645\u064e\u0627 <\/strong>\u2018what\u2019, \u0645\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0649 <\/strong>\u2018when\u2019, \u0623\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0646\u064e <\/strong>\u2018where\u2019, \u0643\u064e\u0645\u0652 <\/strong>\u2018how many\/much\u2019, \u0643\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0641\u064e <\/strong>\u2018how\u2019, and \u0623\u064e\u064a\u0651 <\/strong>\u2018which.\u2019 The answer must be information that is not known before, by mentioning what is asked about.<\/p>\n