ماذاwhat in Arabic

Example sentences

• وإن أراد سرقة شيء منه، فماذا يسرق؟،

  And if he wanted to steal something from it, what could he steal?!

  فَمَاذَا — so what. 'Fa-' (the 'then' answering the 'if') plus 'what', a fronted question word — 'then what is there to steal?'. A rhetorical question expecting 'nothing'.

  From: Repelling the Devil →

• فليت شعري أنت ماذا عرفت؟ وما علمك،

  I wish to know what you have understood? And what is your knowledge,

  مَاذَا — what. This is a compound question word, 'what', built to ask directly about a thing, heading the question that follows. It fronts the interrogation, putting the queried thing first as Arabic questions do.

  From: When Recitation Breeds Pride →