Questions & Answers about ماذا يعني هذا؟
I know that "ما" also means "what". Why do we use "ماذا" here instead?
In Arabic, ماذا is generally used before verbs, just like the verb يعني in this sentence. On the other hand, ما is mostly used before nouns or pronouns, like asking "what is your name?".
Where is the word for "does" in this sentence?
Arabic does not use helper verbs like "do" or "does" to make questions. You simply put the question word ماذا directly in front of the main verb يعني.
Why is the word for "this" masculine (هذا) instead of feminine (هذه)?
When you are asking about a general situation, an unknown object, or an abstract concept, Arabic automatically defaults to the masculine form هذا.
Why does the verb يعني start with the letter yaa?
The letter yaa at the beginning of a present tense verb shows that the subject is "he" or "it" (masculine). Since the subject of the sentence is the masculine "this" (هذا), the verb takes the matching "he/it" form.
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