Interrogative sentences, or questions, are
two types: yes/no questions (verification questions), and questions
requesting additional information about the sentence by using words such
as what, who, when, etc. Yes/no questions can become multiple choice
questions when the word "or" is used.
Yes/No Questions
Yes/no questions are formed in Germanic
languages, of which English is one, by inverting the subject and the
verb of the sentence; e.g. "you are" becomes "are you?" and "you can"
becomes "can you?" etc. Of course modern English has its own way with
the verb "do," which is used before the subject in place of most of the
verbs.
Turning a sentence into a yes/no question is
easier in Arabic than in English. Here we will not need to invert the
subject and the verb or anything like that. We will just put a particle
in front of the sentence and that will turn it into a yes/no question.
No changes in cases or moods are required.
There are two particles that we can use to
create yes/no questions, or multiple choice questions with the addition
of "or."
Here are those two particles:
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Particles of Interrogation
حَرْفَاْ
الاِسْتِفْهَاْمِ |
|
Is it that ? |
'a- |
أَ |
|
hal |
هَلْ |
Those particles resemble
in meaning the French est-ce que = "is it that?"
Multiple-Choice-Questions
Multiple
choice questions have the conjunction "or" in them; e.g. "do you like
apples more or bananas?"
The particle
hal
is not used in questions containing the word "or." Only
'a-
will be used here.
In Arabic, there are two
versions of the conjunction "or," one for regular sentences and another
one for questions or sentences preceded by
'a-.
If the sentence containing "or" were not preceded by
'a-,
the version
'aw
أَوْwould
be used for "or." If the sentence were
preceded by
'a-,
the version
'am
أَمْ
would
be used.
'a-
Meaning If/Whether
The particle
'a-
becomes in certain sentences a conjunction word that introduces
alternatives like "if" or "whether."
The six uses of this particle are at (2:6:6),
(7:193:9),
(14:21:28),
(26:136:4),
(36:10:3),
and (63:6:3).
In each of these verses, the noun sawāon ("the same")
is also used.
But it is not necessary it can be without it 6:143
Example:
سَنَبْدَأُ
سَوَاْءٌ
أَحَضَرُوْا
أَمْ
لَمْ يَحْضُرُوْا
sa-nabda'(u)
sawaa'(un) 'a-hadaroo
'am lam yahduroo
= (we) will begin, a same
(it is) if/whether (they
plu. masc.)
came or did not came
Translation: we will begin
whether they came/showed up or not
The word
sawaa'(un)
= "a same" is often employed in such sentences, but it can be done
without:
سَنَبْدَأُ
أَحَضَرُوْا
أَمْ
لَمْ يَحْضُرُوْا
sa-nabda'(u)
'a-hadaroo
'am lam yahduroo
= (we) will begin
if/whether (they
plu. masc.)
came or did not came
Translation: we will begin
whether they came/showed up or not
The
'a-
itself can also be omitted in such sentences:
سَنَبْدَأُ
سَوَاْءٌ حَضَرُوْا
أَمْ
لَمْ يَحْضُرُوْا
sa-nabda'(u)
sawaa'(un) hadaroo
'am lam yahduroo
= (we) will begin, a same
(it is) (if/whether) (they
plu. masc.)
came or did not came
Translation: we will begin
whether they came/showed up or not
A mostly reduced
version:
سَنَبْدَأُ
حَضَرُوْا
أَمْ
لَمْ يَحْضُرُوْا
sa-nabda'(u)
hadaroo 'am lam yahduroo
= (we) will begin
(if/whether) (they
plu. masc.)
came or did not came
Translation: we will begin
whether they came/showed up or not
When the
'a-
in the negative question is separated from negative word (e.g.
lays(a)) by the subject,
the emphasis of the question will be on the subject, making the question
primarily about the subject rather than the verb or the action.
When the
'a-
in the negative question is followed directly by the negative word, the
emphasis of the question will be on the verb or action, making the
question primarily about it rather than about the subject.
|
Negative Sentence
الْطَّقْسُ
لَيْسَ
مُشْمِسًاْ
'at-taqs(u)
lays(a) mushmis(an)
=
the
weather is/exists not sunny
Translation: it is not sunny
|
|
Negative Sentence
لَيْسَ
الْطَّقْسُ
مُشْمِسًاْ
lays(a)
('a)t-taqs(u)
mushmis(an)
=
is/exists not
the weather sunny
Translation: it is not sunny
|
|
Negative Question
آلْطََّقْسُ
لَيْسَ
مُشْمِسًاْ ؟
'aa-t-taqs(u)
lays(a)
mushmis(an)
=
is
it that
the
weather is/exists not sunny
Translation: is it not sunny?
|
|
Negative Question
أَلَيْسَ
الْطَّقْسُ
مُشْمِسًاْ
؟
'a-lays(a)
('a)t-taqs(u)
mushmis(an)
=
is it that
is/exists not
the weather sunny
Translation: is not it sunny?
|
|
Positive Answer
نَعَمْ
الْطَّقْسُ
لَيْسَ
مُشْمِسًاْ
na"am
('a)t-taqs(u)
lays(a) mushmis(an)
=
yes
the
weather is/exists not sunny
Translation: no, it is not sunny
|
|
Positive Answer
نَعَمْ
لَيْسَ
الْطَّقْسُ
مُشْمِسًاْ
na"am
lays(a)
('a)t-taqs(u)
mushmis(an)
=
yes
is/exists not the weather sunny
Translation: no, it is not sunny
|
|
Negative Answer
بَلَىْ
الْطَّقْسُ
مُشْمِسٌ
balaa
('a)t-taqs(u)
mushmis(un)
=
no the weather (is) sunny
Translation: yes, it is sunny
|
|
Negative Sentence
لا
تَتَكَلَّمُ
الْعَرَبِيَّةَ
laa
tatakallam(u) ('a)l-"arabiyya(ta)
=
not (you
sing.
masc.)
speak the Arabic
Translation: you don't speak Arabic
you are not speaking Arabic
|
|
Negative Question
أَلا
تَتَكَلَّمُ
الْعَرَبِيَّةَ
؟
'a-laa
tatakallam(u) ('a)l-"arabiyya(ta)
=
is
it that
not (you
sing.
masc.)
speak the Arabic
Translation: don't you speak Arabic?
Aren't you speaking Arabic?
|
|
Positive Answer
نَعَمْ
لا
أَتَكَلَّمُ
الْعَرَبِيَّةَ
na"am
laa 'atakallam(u)
('a)l-"arabiyya(ta)
=
yes
not (I)
speak the Arabic
Translation: no, I don't speak Arabic
no, I'm not speaking Arabic
|
|
Negative Answer
بَلَىْ
أَتَكَلَّمُ
الْعَرَبِيَّةَ
balaa
'atakallam(u) ('a)l-"arabiyya(ta)
=
no
(I) speak the Arabic
Translation: yes, I do speak Arabic
yes, I'm speaking Arabic
|
|
Negative Sentence
لَمْ
تَقُلْ
شَيْئًاْ
lam
taqul shay'a(n)
=
did not
(you sing.
masc.)
say a thing
Translation: you didn't say anything
you haven't said anything
|
|
Negative Question
ألَمْ
تَقُلْ
شَيْئًاْ ؟
'a-lam
taqul shay'a(n)
=
is
it that
did not
(you sing.
masc.)
say a thing
Translation: didn't you say anything?
haven't you said anything?
|
|
Positive Answer
نَعَمْ
لَمْ
أَقُلْ
شَيْئًاْ
na"am
lam 'aqul shay'a(n)
=
yes
did not
(I) say a thing
Translation: no, I didn't say anything
no, I haven't said anything
|
|
Negative Answer
بَلَىْ
قُلْتُ
شَيْئًاْ
balaa
qult(u) shay'a(n)
=
no
(I) said a thing
Translation: yes, I did say something
yes, I have said something
|
|
Negative Sentence
لَنْ
تَكُوْنَ هُنَاْكَ
lan
takoon(a) hunaak(a)
=
will not
(you
sing. masc.)
be there
Translation: you won't be there
|
|
Negative Question
ألَنْ
تَكُوْنَ هُنَاْكَ ؟
'a-lan
takoon(a) hunaak(a)
=
is
it that
will not
(you
sing. masc.)
be there
Translation: won't you be there?
|
|
Positive Answer
نَعَمْ
لَنْ
أَكُوْنَ
هُنَاْكَ
na"am
lan 'akoon(a)
hunaak(a)
=
yes
will not
(I) be there
Translation: no, I won't be there
|
|
Negative Answer
بَلَىْ
سَأَكُوْنُ
هُنَاْكَ
balaa
sa-'akoon(u) hunaak(a)
=
no
(I) will be there
Translation: yes, I will be there
'a-conjunction-
As we have mentioned before on this
site, Arabs tended to use a lot of unnecessary "and's" in their
talk. Here we are going to see another manifestation of this fact.
However, the
wa-
= "and" will not come here before the interrogative particle
'a-
, but it will rather come between it and the word following it.
Examples:
أَوَتَعْرِفُ
الْجَوَاْبَ ؟
'a-wa-ta"rif(u)
('a)l-jawaab(a)
= is it that
and
(you sing. masc.)
know the answer?
= and
is it that (you sing.
masc.) know the answer?
Translation: do you know the answer?
أَوَلا
تَعِيْ مَاْ أَقُوْلُ
؟
'a-wa-laa
ta"ee maa 'aqool(u)
= is it that
and
(you sing. masc.)
not comprehend what (I) say?
= and
is it that (you sing.
masc.) not comprehend what (I)
say?
Translation: don't/won't you understand what I'm saying?
don't/won't you understand what I say?
أَوَلَمْ
تُؤْمِنْ بَعْدُ ؟
'a-wa-lam
tu'<min ba"d(u)
= is it that
and
(you sing. masc.)
did not believe yet?
= and
is it that (you sing.
masc.) did not believe yet?
Translation:
haven't you
believed yet?
However,
wa-
was not the only particle that could be inserted between
'a- and the word following
it. Other conjunctions could be inserted as well, like
fa-
= "then/so," and
thumm(a)
= "after that/afterwards"
أَفَلا
تَعِيْ مَاْ أَقُوْلُ
؟
'a-fa-laa
ta"ee maa 'aqool(u)
= is it that
then/so
(you sing. masc.)
not comprehend what (I) say?
= then/so
is it that (you sing.
masc.) not comprehend what (I)
say?
Translation: so don't/won't you understand what I'm saying?
so don't/won't you understand what I say?
أَثُمَّ
إِذَاْ مَاْ وَقَعَ
آمَنْتُمْ
بِهِ ؟
'a-thumm(a)
'ithaa maa waqa"(a) 'aamantum bi-h(i)
= is it that
after that
if that (he/it) fell (you
plu. masc.) believed in him/it?
= after that
is it that if that (he/it)
fell (you plu. masc.)
believed in him/it?
Translation:
after that, if it
happened, will you believe in it (the punishment)?
This was a difficult sentence from the
Koran (the Muslim holy book).
-
The verb
وَقَعَ
= "fell" means
"happened" in classical Arabic.
-
The verbs were in the perfective
because it was a hypothetical situation, and perfective verbs in
Arabic are used for hypothetical situations (the subjunctive
mood).
-
The word
maa
مَاْ
here was an
infinitival
maa,
which means "that" (like
'an
أَنْ
). This will be covered
later
on this site.
The insertion of conjunction words
after
'a-
is common in the Koran.
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Tag
Questions
Tag questions in the
English way are not employed in Arabic. However, there is one formula of
a tag question:
Tag
Question in Arabic
أَلَيْسَ
كَذَلِكَ ؟
'a-lays(a) ka-thaalik(a)?
= is it that (he/it) is/exists not like
that?
Translation:
isn't it so?
Examples:
|
إِنَّهُ
يَعْلَمُ ،
أَلَيْسَ
كَذَلِكَ ؟
'inna-h(u)
ya"lam(u) 'a-lays(a)
ka-thaalik(a)?
= it is true that him knows,
isn't it so?
Translation: he knows, doesn't he? |
