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Questions & Answers about متى تستيقظ صباحا؟
Does the question word متى need a helping verb like 'do' next to it?
No, unlike English, Arabic does not use helping verbs to ask questions. You simply place the question word متى (when) directly before the present tense verb تستيقظ (you wake up).
How do we know this means 'you wake up' instead of 'I wake up' or 'he wakes up'?
The present tense verb تستيقظ begins with the letter ت, which usually indicates 'you' (masculine singular) or 'she'. To say 'I wake up', it would start with an alif (أستيقظ), and for 'he wakes up', it would start with a yaa (يستيقظ).
If تستيقظ can also mean 'she wakes up', how do we know this question means 'When do you wake up'?
Context! Without extra information, a direct question like this is almost always addressed to the person you are speaking to. If you wanted to ask a female 'when do you wake up?', the verb would change to تستيقظين.
Why is there an extra alif at the end of صباحا?
The base word is صباح (morning). Adding the 'an' sound at the end (written with an extra alif and two small lines called tanween) changes the noun into an adverb of time. That is why it translates to 'in the morning' without needing a separate Arabic word for 'in'.