هذا السؤال الأول.

هذا means this. It is a masculine singular demonstrative, used to point to something: this.

In this sentence, Arabic is literally saying something like this the first question, which in natural English is this is the first question.

Because السؤال is a masculine singular noun.

• هذا = this for masculine singular nouns
• هذه = this for feminine singular nouns

So:

• هذا السؤال = this question / this is the question
• If the noun were feminine, you would use هذه

There is no separate word for is here because Arabic normally omits the present-tense copula in sentences like this.

So:

• هذا السؤال الأول literally: this the first question
• natural English: this is the first question

This is very normal in Modern Standard Arabic. If you want to say was, will be, and so on, Arabic does use verbs, but in the simple present it usually leaves is/am/are unstated.

Because in Arabic, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• السؤال الأول = literally the question the-first
• natural English = the first question

This is the normal Arabic word order for noun + adjective.

Because الأول is describing السؤال, and Arabic adjectives must match the noun in definiteness.

Here:

• السؤال = the question
• الأول = the first

Since the noun is definite, the adjective must also be definite.

So Arabic says:

• السؤال الأول = the first question

Compare that with an indefinite pattern:

• سؤالٌ أوّلٌ = a first question or a first/initial question

Yes. الأول means first, and here it functions like an adjective describing السؤال.

It is specifically an ordinal number:

• الأول = first
• الثاني = second
• الثالث = third

Like other Arabic adjectives, it comes after the noun and agrees with it.

Then the demonstrative and the ordinal would both change to the feminine forms.

For example:

• هذه السيارة الأولى = this is the first car

Compare:

• هذا السؤال الأول = masculine
• هذه السيارة الأولى = feminine

So the sentence changes according to the gender of the noun.

Because س is a sun letter. When الـ comes before a sun letter, the l sound of الـ is assimilated.

So:

• السؤال is pronounced approximately as-suʾāl

You write ال, but you pronounce it with the doubled s sound.

By contrast, in الأول, the l of الـ is pronounced, so it is approximately:

• al-awwal

Also note that أوّل has a doubled w sound.

In fully vocalized Arabic, it would typically be:

هَذَا السُّؤَالُ الأَوَّلُ

The last two words take -u here because they are in the nominative form in this sentence.

A learner should also know two practical things:

1. In normal Arabic writing, these short vowel endings are usually not written
2. In everyday pause pronunciation, they are often not pronounced

So you will very often just see:

هذا السؤال الأول

For a learner, the most useful answer is: it works as a complete sentence meaning this is the first question.

Arabic often allows a structure like this without an explicit is, so even though it may look compact, it is perfectly normal as a full sentence.

سؤال means question. It comes from the root س-أ-ل, which is connected with asking.

Related forms include:

• سأل = he asked
• يسأل = he asks / he is asking
• سؤال = question / asking

So knowing the root can help you connect this noun with other related vocabulary.