This 9th lesson teaches an important aspect in Arabic which is the interrogative form also called questions. In addition, there is a list of vocabulary terms about misunderstanding and finally some commonly used phrases. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Arabic Classes.
Questions
Being able to ask questions is what makes us curious beings, which in turns broadens our knowledge. It is no different when it comes to learning Arabic. You will always be asking questions, and the following are some tools to help you in that quest.
The following are the 5 Ws + "how" commonly used adverbs to express the interrogative form. Most likely, whenever a question needs to be asked, one of them should be used. The table contains 4 columns (English, Arabic, Pronunciation and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.
Interrogative Form in Arabic
Questions
Arabic
Pronunciation
Audio
How?
كيف؟
kayf?
What?
ماذا؟
maza?
When?
متى؟
mata?
Where?
أين؟
ayn?
Who?
من؟
man?
Why?
لماذا؟
lemaza?
Now we will try to implement the adverbs above into full Arabic sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.
Arabic Questions in a Sentence
Can I come?
هل يمكنني المجيء؟
hal yumkenuni almajee'?
Can I help you?
أيمكنني مساعدتك؟
ayumkenuni musa'adatak?
Can you help me?
هل يمكنك مساعدتي؟
hal yumkenuka musa'adati?
Do you know her?
هل تعرفها؟
hal ta'refuha?
Do you speak English?
هل تتكلم بالإنجليزية؟
hal tatakalam belenjlizia?
How difficult is it?
ما مدى صعوبتها؟
mamaza su'ubateha?
How far is this?
كم هو بعده؟
kam huwa bu'duh?
How much is this?
بكم هذا؟
bekam haza?
How would you like to pay?
كيف تريد أن تدفع؟
kaifa tureedu an tadfa'?
What is this called?
ما إسم هذا؟
ma ism haza?
What is your name?
ما إسمك؟
ma ismuk?
What time is it?
كم الساعة؟
kam assa'a?
When can we meet?
متى يمكننا ان نلتقي؟
mata yumkenuna an naltaqi?
Where do you live?
أين تعيش؟
ayna ta'eesh?
Who is knocking at the door?
من يطرق الباب؟
man yatruqu albab?
Why is it expensive?
لماذا هي مكلفة؟
lemaza hiya mukalefa?
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me If you simply want to ask a question, please Arabic contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about Misunderstanding
There are times when you will not understand what a person said in Arabic, or simply that you want them to repeat a word. The following are 24 expressions used to clear misunderstandings. Very essential to any conversation!
Misunderstanding in Arabic
Misunderstanding
Arabic
Pronunciation
Audio
Can you repeat?
هل يمكنك تكرير ما قلته؟
hal yumkenuka takreer maqultah?
Can you speak slowly?
هل يمكنك التحدث ببطء؟
hal yumkenuka attahaduth bebut'?
Did you understand what I said?
هل فهمت ما قلته؟
hal fahemta maqultuh?
Don't worry!
لا تقلق
la taqlaq!
Excuse me? (i.e. I beg your pardon?)
المعذرة؟
alma'zera?
How do you say "OK" in French?
كيف يمكنك أن تقول "اوكي" بالفرنسية؟
kaifa yumkenuk an taqool "okay" belfaransia?
I don't know!
لا أعرف
la a'ref!
I don't understand!
لا أفهم
la afham!
I need to practice my French
أنا بحاجة لممارسة الفرنسية
ana behaja lemumarasat alfaransia
Is that right?
هل هذا صحيح؟
hal haza saheeh?
Is that wrong?
هل هذا خطأ؟
hal haza khata'
Mistake
خطأ
khata'
My French is bad
لغتي الفرنسية ليست جيدة
lughatee alfaransia laysat jayeda
No problem!
ليس هناك أي مشكل
laysa hunaak ay mushkel
Quickly
بسرعة
besur'a
Slowly
ببطء
bebut'
Sorry (to apologize)
آسف
asef
To speak
يتحدث
yatahadath
What does that word mean in English?
ماذا تعني هذه الكلمة بالإنجليزية؟
maza ta'ni hazeh alkalema belinjlizia?
What is this?
ما هذا؟
ma haza?
What should I say?
ماذا يجب أن أقول؟
maza yajeb an aqul?
What?
ماذا؟
maza?
What's that called in French?
ماذا يسمى هذا بالفرنسية؟
maza yusamma haza belfaransia?
Write it down please!
أكتبها من فضلك
uktubha men fazlek!
Daily Conversation in Arabic
Finally, a list of some common phrases that you might come across from time to time. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Arabic Phrases page. Enjoy!
Common Expressions in Arabic
English
Arabic
Pronunciation
Audio
This
هذا
haza
That
ذلك
zalek
Here
هنا
huna
There
هناك
hunaak
In The Morning
في الصباح
fesabah
In the evening
في المساء
felmasaa
At Night
في الليل
felayl
Really!
حقا
haqqan!
Look!
أنظر
unzur!
Hurry up!
بسرعة
besur'a
Fun Facts
Language Quote: The oldest written language was believed to be written in about 4500 BC.
Congratulations! You finished your 9th lesson in Arabic about questions, and misunderstanding. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Arabic Lesson 10. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Arabic homepage.