Learn Arabic (Modern Standard): ما هذه الأشياء الجديدة؟

In Arabic, all non-human plurals are treated grammatically as feminine singular. Since الأشياء (things) is a non-human plural, we must use the feminine singular 'this' (هذه) instead of the human plural 'these' (هؤلاء).

How is الأشياء (things) a broken plural? What is its singular form?

The singular form is شيء (thing). Instead of adding a regular plural suffix to the end of the word, it completely breaks its original structure and adds new letters to become الأشياء. Broken plurals have many different patterns, so it is best to memorize them alongside their singular nouns.

Why is the adjective الجديدة (new) in the feminine singular form?

This follows the exact same non-human plural rule! Because الأشياء is a non-human plural, any adjective describing it must also act as a feminine singular word. That is why الجديدة ends with the feminine marker, the taa marbuta.

Why do we use ما (what) here instead of ماذا?

We use ما when asking 'what' before a noun or a pronoun, just like هذه in this sentence. The word ماذا also means 'what', but it is strictly used before verbs.

Why do both الأشياء and الجديدة have the prefix (the)?