ماذا

Composed of مَا‎ (mā, “what [is]”) + ذَا‎ (ḏā).

• IPA^(key): /maː.ðaː/

  • (file)

  (Egypt) IPA^(key): [ˈmæː.ðæ], [ˈmæː.zæ]

  (Levant) IPA^(key): [ˈmaː.ða], [-æː-], [ˈmaː.za], [-æː-]

  (central Arabia) IPA^(key): [ˈmæː.ðɐ]

  (Persian Gulf) IPA^(key): [ˈmɑː.ðɐ]

  (Tunisia) IPA^(key): [ˈmɛː.ðæ]

مَاذَا • (māḏā) m

1. what (interrogative pronoun)
2. what on earth

• As an interrogative pronoun, generally the simple form ما‎ is used only in nominal sentences, while the extended form ماذا is used in verbal sentences:

‏مَا رَأْيُكَ فِي هٰذِهِ ٱلْمَسْأَلَةِ؟‎‎

mā raʾyuka fī hāḏihi l-masʾalati?

What is your opinion on this issue?

‏مَاذَا تُفَكِّرُ فِي هٰذِهِ ٱلْمَسْأَلَةِ؟‎‎

māḏā tufakkiru fī hāḏihi l-masʾalati?

What do you think about this issue?

• Wehr, Hans (1979), “ما”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN