Questions & Answers about أي لغة تتكلم؟
How does the word for "which" (أي) work here, and why isn't there a word for "the"?
أي (ayy) works a lot like "which" in English. It comes immediately before the noun you are asking about. Also, just like we say "which language" in English instead of "which the language", the noun after أي does not take the "the" prefix (الـ). That is why it is أي لغة and not أي اللغة.
Does أي change if the noun is feminine?
No, أي stays exactly the same whether the noun following it is masculine or feminine. Even though لغة (language) is a feminine word because it ends in the taa marbuta (ة), the question word remains أي.
Who exactly is this question addressing?
This question is addressed to a single male. We know this because of the verb تتكلم (tatakallam). The prefix تـ (ta-) at the beginning of a present tense verb is used for "you" (masculine singular). If you were asking a woman, you would add the feminine ending ـين (-iin) to make it أي لغة تتكلمين؟ (ayy lughah tatakallamiin?).
Where is the word for "do" in this question?
Arabic doesn't use helper verbs like "do" or "does" to form questions. The combination of the question word أي and the present tense verb تتكلم (you speak) is entirely sufficient to mean "Which language do you speak?".
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