Breakdown of ماذا سنفعل في العطلة؟
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
ماذاmâdhâ
what (with verbs)
فعلfa'ala
to do
Questions & Answers about ماذا سنفعل في العطلة؟
How does the word سنفعل show the future tense?
It uses the future prefix سـ (sa-), which attaches directly to the beginning of a present tense verb. Here, it is attached to نفعل (we do) to make سنفعل (we will do).
Where is the word for "we" in this sentence?
It is built into the verb! After the future prefix سـ, you see the letter نـ (noon). This نـ at the start of a present tense verb means "we". The rest of the word is فعل (to do).
Why does the sentence use ماذا for "what" instead of ما?
In Arabic, ماذا is used when asking "what" before a verb (like سنفعل). The word ما is usually used before nouns, like when asking "what is your name?".
Does في العطلة literally mean "on vacation"?
It literally translates to "in the vacation" or "in the holiday". Arabic uses the preposition في (in) rather than "on" for this phrase.