لِمَاذَاwhy in Arabic

Example sentences

• قال فلماذا مت حمارتي؟

  He said, 'Then why did my donkey die?'

  فَلِمَاذَا — then why. A question-word, 'why', built from the connector 'then' plus 'for what'. It asks the cause and ties the question to the exchange just had.

  From: Reflections on Literal Obedience →

• فقالوا له لماذا دعوت بهذا؟

  They asked him: Why did you pray for this?

  لِمَاذَا — why. A question word 'why', built from li- 'for what' plus the pointing 'that'; it stands at the front of the clause, Arabic's fixed slot for a question, asking the reason.

  From: Bedouin Manners →

• فقال له البائع لماذا لم تحمله مقلوبًا؟

  The seller said to him: Why didn't you carry it upside down?

  لِمَاذَا — why. A question word 'why', built from li- 'for what' plus 'that'; it sits at the front, the Arabic slot for a question, asking the reason.

  From: Heedless Choices →

• وَلِهٰذَا قَالَ فَلِمَاذَا أَخْرَجْتَنَا وَنَفْسِكِ مِنَ الْجَنَّٰةِ؟

  And because of this he said, "So why did you expel us and your self from Paradise?"

  فَلِمَاذَا — so why. This fuses a 'so/then' connector to a question word 'why', opening the quoted question as a consequence of what was just claimed. The 'so' ties the question to the prior reasoning, while 'why' demands the cause behind the expulsion.

  From: Patience Under Decree →