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Level A1

Asking Questions

10 words · ~13 min

Grammar focus

Forming basic questions in Arabic using question words. Arabic questions often begin with the question word, similar to English. 'Hal' is a special yes/no question marker placed at the start of a sentence. 'Kam' (how many) is used for counting questions.

Cultural note

In Arabic culture, asking 'Kayfa haluka?' (How are you?) is more than a formality. People genuinely expect a meaningful answer, and it is polite to ask about someone's family and health before getting to the point of a conversation.

Words in this lesson

مَاذَا
mādhā
what
مَنْ
man
who
أَيْنَ
ayna
where
كَيْفَ
kayfa
how
مَتَى
matā
when
لِمَاذَا
limādhā
why
كَمْ
kam
how many / how much
هَلْ
hal
is/are/do (question particle)
أَيّ
ayy
which / any
مَا
what / not