In this lesson, you’ll learn how to form the beginning of every good question with some basic question words who, what, where, and when.
Basic Question Words
These are the questions any good journalist or police investigator should ask; who, what, where, when, why and how?
These questions help the researcher piece together the “whole story.” They are even more important for the language learner whose understanding of the “story” is often much less.
The first four questions (who, what, where, when) are especially useful to the language learner as these questions can usually be answered quite simply, whereas the last two (why, how) normally require greater explanation and thus a higher level of comprehension
The word what(weish ) usually comes in the beginning of a sentence when used to ask about a noun, pronoun or active participle.
| ? | إيش eish? What |
| شنو Shinuu What? | |
| وين weein Where? | |
| مِتى mitaa ? When | |
| مَن miin Who man? | |
| مِين miin Who ? | |
| معَ مَن ma3a mann With whom ? | |
| من وين min ween Where from ? | |
| كَم kam How much ? | |
| كم واحد kam waa7id? How many | |
| كَم واحِة waa7idah? How many kam | |
| أي واحِد ay waa7id Which | |
| أي واحِدة ay wa7idah Which ? | |
| على وين 3laa ween Where to | |
| ليش leesh Why ? | |
| ليش لا eesh laa Why not l ? | |
| إيش كثير وقت eish kathir wagti How long ? | |
| إيش تقصد eish taqsid What do you mean ? | |
| إيش تبي eish tab bii What do you want (to a male) ? | |
| إيش تبين eish tabbiin What do you want ( to a female) | |
| شنوصار shnuuSaar What happened? | |
| إيش صار EshSaar What happened? | |
| إتكلم من itklam miin Who you are talking to? M | |
| إتكلمين من iktakalimiin miin F |
| متى بنروح mitaa binaruu7 When are going |
| وين بنروح ween binaruu7 Where are we going | |
| وين بتروح Wein bitaruu7 Where are you going to a male | |
| وين رايح Ween raayi7 Where are you going to a male | |
| وين بتروحين ( verb) Ween bitaruu7 Where are you going to a female | |
| وين رايحة Ween raayi7a Where are you going to a female (Active participle ) | |
| وين بتروحين ween bitaruu7iin Where are you going? to (plural) | |
| وين بتروحون ween bitaruu7uun Where are you going to Plural | |
Past Tense | |
| وين رحت Ween ru7t Where did you go to a male | |
| وين رحتي Ween ruu7tey Where did you go to a female | |
| وين رحتوا Ween ru7tow Where did you go to plural | |
| ليش تبي تعرف leesh tabii ta3arif Why do you want to know? | |
| ليش تبين تعرفين leesh tabiina ta3aarif Why do you want to know? |
Is there/ are there halfii … ? هل في
Can you speak slowly mumkin tatakallim shway shwayy ( to a male )
مُمكِن تتكلم شُوي شُويCan you speak slowly mumkin titkallmiin shway shuwayy ( to a female )
مُمكِن تتكلمين شُوي شُويDo you have (to a male) 3indak ….?
عندكWhat is this shinuu haay?
شنو هايWhose is this haay 7ag mann ?
هاي حق منWhat are you doing eish tsawii?( to a male )
إيش تسويWhat are you doing shi-tsawii?
شِتسوّيWhat do you call this in Arabic shu tsammii hay bil 3arabi?
شو تسمي هاي بل عربي