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### Asking "Who" with من

To ask about a person's identity, use the question word من (who). Just like in English, question words in Arabic are placed at the very beginning of the sentence. 

Because simple Arabic sentences do not use a present-tense verb for "is" or "are", you simply place من right before the person or phrase you are asking about.

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### Asking "Where" with أين

When you want to know the location of a person, place, or thing, start your question with أين (where).

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When answering an أين question, you will often use a preposition to describe the location.

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### Asking "What" with ما

While من is strictly for people, you will use ما (what) to ask questions about non-human things, such as objects, ideas, or names.

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Basic questions (من، ما، أين)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

interrogative

noun

numeral

particle

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite article and locatives (الـ)

Basic noun gender (ة)

Sun and moon letters

Singular subject pronouns (أنا، أنت، هو، هي)

Indefinite nouns and nominal sentences (ـٌ)

Demonstrative pronouns for 'this' (هذا / هذه)

Separate prepositions (في، من، إلى، على)

Attributive adjectives

Predicative adjectives

Yes/No questions (هل، أ)

Singular possessive pronouns (ـي، ـك، ـه، ـها)

Plural subject pronouns (نحن، أنتم، هم)

Plural possessive pronouns (ـنا، ـكم، ـهم)

Noun possession

Attached prepositions (بـ، لـ، كـ)

Pronouns with prepositions

Having and possessing (عند، لـ، مع)

Regular plural nouns (ـون، ـين، ـات)

Broken plurals

Dual nouns (ـان / ـين)

Plural and distant demonstratives (هؤلاء، ذلك، تلك)

Non-human plural agreement

Present tense singular verbs

Verbal sentences (VSO)

Present tense plural verbs

Topicalized sentences (SVO)

The indefinite accusative case (ـاً)

Verb object pronouns (-ني، -ك، -ه)

Present tense negation (لا)

Question words with verbs (متى، كيف...)

Adverbs of time and place

The future tense (سـ / سوف)

Intentions and desires (أن)

Negating states and possession (ليس)

Past tense singular suffixes

Past tense plural suffixes

Negating past events (ما)

Singular commands

Numbers 1 to 10

Number agreement for 1 and 2 (واحد، اثنان)

Asking how many (كم)

Numbers 3 to 10 (ثلاثة إلى عشرة)

Ordinal numbers 1 to 10 (الأول، الثاني)

Basic conjunctions (فـ، أو، لكن)

Ordering at a café (واحد، اثنان)

Food and drink with conjunctions (و، ف، أو، لكن)

There is and there are (هناك / ليس هناك)

Direct address (يا)

Giving reasons (لأنّ)

Relative pronouns (الذي / التي)

Quantifiers (كل / بعض)

The past tense of 'to be' (كان)

Past possession

Numbers 11 to 19 and tens to 80

Telling time (الساعة)

This book vs this is a book (هذا الكتاب، هذا كتاب)

Greetings (مرحبا، السلام عليكم)

How are you? and goodbye (كيف حالك، مع السلامة)

Nationalities (مصري، مصرية)

Roots and patterns (كتب، كتاب، مكتب)

Politeness (من فضلك، آسف)

Complex possession chains

Colors and traits (أفعل / فعلاء)

Plural colors and traits (فُعْل)

Comparative adjectives (أفعل من)

Superlative adjectives (أفعل)

Adverbs of manner (ـاً)

The nominative case (ـُ)

The genitive case (ـِ)

The accusative case (ـَ)

Dual noun cases (ـان / ـين)

Masculine plurals and 'the best of' (أفضل النجارين)

Emphasizing sentences (إنّ)

Connecting clauses (أنّ)

Reporting speech (قال إنّ)

Expressing contrast (لكنّ)

Comparison and probability (كأنّ, لعلّ)

Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Plural relative pronouns (الذين, اللواتي)

Past habits (كان + present)

Ongoing actions (ما زال)

Masculine plurals online (مبرمجون، مؤثرون)

Perfective past (قد)

Probability (قد)

The subjunctive mood (أن)

Expressing purpose (لـ)

Question	Answer
who	منman
guest	ضيفdayf
Who is this guest?	من هذا الضيف؟man hâdhâ ad-dayfu?
friend	صديقsadîq
The guest is a new friend.	الضيف صديق جديد.ad-dayfu sadiiqun jadiidun
Who is this friend?	من هذا الصديق؟man hâdha as-sadîq?
neighbor	جارjâr
Where is the neighbor?	أين الجار؟ayna al-jâru
The neighbor is a hardworking man.	الجار رجل مجتهد.al-jâru rajulun mujtahid
brother	أخakh
Who is this brother?	من هذا الأخ؟man hâdha l-akh?
The brother is busy now.	الأخ مشغول الآن.al-akhu mashghûlun al-ân.
father	أبabun
Where is the father?	أين الأب؟ayna al-abu?
The father is a smart man.	الأب رجل ذكي.al-abu rajulun zhakiyy
sister	أختukht
Who is this sister?	من هذه الأخت؟man hâdhihi al-'ukhtu?
The sister is a nurse.	الأخت ممرضة.al-ukhtu mumarridatun
colleague	زميلzamîl
Where is the colleague?	أين الزميل؟ayna az-zamîl?
professor / teacher	أستاذustâdh
The colleague is an old professor.	الزميل أستاذ قديم.az-zamîlu ustâdhun qadîm.
Where is the professor?	أين الأستاذ؟ayna al-ustâdh?
party / concert	حفلةhafla
The professor is in the party.	الأستاذ في الحفلة.al-ustâdhu fî al-haflati
Where is the party?	أين الحفلة؟ayna al-haflatu
name	اسمism
What is the name?	ما الاسم؟mā al-ismu?
The name is beautiful.	الاسم جميل.al-ismu jamîlun