ما

ما - Algerian Arabic

Noun

ما (mā)

water

ما - Andalusian Arabic

Noun

ما (mā)

water

ما - Arabic

Pronunciation

IPA: /maː/

Pronoun

مَا • (mā) m

(interrogative) what?
- Synonyms: أَيّ شَيْءٍ‎ (ʾayy šayʾin), مَاذَا‎ (māḏā), أَيْشٍ‎ (ʾayšin)
(indefinite) some, a certain
(relative) that which, what
- ‏اِقْرَأْ مَا كَتَبْتُ.‎‎
  - iqraʾ mā katabtu.
  - Read what I wrote.
(relative) something which
(conditional) whichever; whatever, all that
- Synonyms: أَيْمَا‎ (ʾaymā), مَهْمَا‎ (mahmā)
- ‏مَا تَفْعَلْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَنَلْ جَزَاءَهُ‎
  - mā tafʿal min ḵayrin tanal jazāʾahu
  - (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

لِمَا‎ (limā), لِمَ‎ (lima): for what, what for, why

Particle

مَا • (mā)

Conjunction

مَا • (mā)

as long as
A subordinating conjunction following particles or genitival nouns in conditional statements, known as مَا الزَّائِدَة‎ (mā z-zāʾida), 'additional mā'
loosely translates to that; introduces a verbal complement to a preposition, standing in place of the definite verbal noun
- Synonym: أَنْ‎ (ʾan)

Derived terms

(as long as): مَا دَامَ‎ (mā dāma)
بَعْدَمَا‎ (baʿdamā)
عِنْدَمَا‎ (ʿindamā)
حِينَمَا‎ (ḥīnamā)
كَمَا‎ (kamā)

Adverb

مَا • (mā)

whenever
as far as, to the extent that, to the degree that
(with an elative in the accusative) (oh) how...!
- ‏مَا أَجْمَلَ ٱلْحَيَاةَ!‎‎
  - mā ʾajmala l-ḥayāta!
  - How beautiful life is!

Usage notes

(oh how): The above accusative construction is called تَعَجُّب‎ (taʿajjub, “amazement”) in Arabic. According to traditional grammar, if a nominative were used in the example above (resulting in mā ʾajmalu l-ḥayāh), it would turn into a question meaning: “What is the most beautiful kind of life?”

ما - Hassaniya

Noun

ما (mā)

water

ما - Moroccan Arabic

Pronunciation

IPA: /maː/

Noun

ما • (mā) m (plural ميايه‎ (myāyih) or مياه‎ (myāh)) (usually uncountable)

water

Pronunciation

IPA: /maː/
Usually unstressed and shortened to /ma/.

Particle

ما • (ma)

Pronunciation

IPA: /maː/

Pronoun

ما • (mā)

(relative) that which, what

ما - Mozarabic

Determiner

ما (mā) (feminine, masculine مو‎)

ما - Persian

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian): IPA: /mɑː/

(Dari): IPA: /mɒː/

(Iranian Persian): IPA: /mɒː/
(Tajik): IPA: /mɔː/

Pronoun

ما • (mâ)

we
(generally with following را‎) us
(at end of an ezafe) our

Interjection

ما • (mâ)

sound of a cow, moo

ما - South Levantine Arabic

Pronunciation

IPA: /maː/, [mæː]
IPA: /ma/, [ma]

Particle

ما • (mā or ma)

don't, didn't (used to negate a verbal phrase)
- ‏ما بدّه ييجي ع الحفلة.‎‎
  - mā biddo yīji ʕal-ḥafle
  - He doesn't want to come to the party.
- ‏ما قلت لّو ش؟‎‎
  - ma ʔult-illūš?
  - You didn't tell him?
- Synonyms: ـش‎ (-š), (imperative) لا‎ (la)

Usage notes

Usually this ما (mā) is stressed. However, it can optionally be used together with ـش‎ (-š), in which case the stress shifts to the end of the verbal phrase.
- ‏ما كتب‎‎ ― mā katab ― he didn't write
- ‏ما كتب ش‎‎ ― ma katabš ― he didn't write
- ‏ما تنسى‎‎ ― mā tinsa ― don't forget
- ‏ما تنسا ش‎‎ ― ma tinsāš ― don't forget
- ‏ما بحكي إنكليزي‎‎ ― mā biḥki ʔinglīzi ― he doesn't speak English
- ‏ما بحكي ش إنكليزي‎‎ ― ma biḥkīš ʔinglīzi ― he doesn't speak English

Particle

ما • (ma)

used to link a preposition to a verbal phrase
- ‏بعد ما راح‎‎ ― baʕd-ma rāḥ ― after he went
used to turn a question word into a relative determiner; -ever
- ‏إيمتى ما بد ك‎‎ ― ʔēmta-ma biddak ― whenever you want
- ‏شو ما قال‎‎ ― šū-ma ʔāl ― whatever he said
used before an elative adjective to indicate surprise or other strong feelings in an exclamation
- ‏ما أحلا ها!‎‎ ― ma ʔaḥlā-ha! ― how beautiful she is!
- Synonym: أمّا‎
used before a verbal phrase to contradict a statement or subvert an expectation; does, did
- ‏ليش ما راح؟ ما (هو) راح!‎‎ ― lēš mā rāḥ? ma (huwwe) rāḥ! ― Why didn't he go? He did go!
- Invariable form: ماهو‎ (mahū)

Usage notes

In all these senses the ما (ma) is unstressed. In the fourth sense, the contradicting phrase should be uttered with rising intonation to distinguish this sense of ما (ma) from the sense of negation. When a subject pronoun is used in the fourth sense, ما (ma) precedes it; this yields the invariable form ماهو‎ (mahū) used before nominal phrases with the same meaning.