You've already been using مَا and مِنْ أَيْنَ as fixed chunks since Chapter Two. Now you'll meet the full set of question words properly — and because you don't have verbs yet, every question in this chapter still works with the simple nominal sentence you already know.
Every Arabic passage has a small circle button — click it to hear it read aloud using your browser's own Arabic voice.
BY THE END OF THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
Use مَنْ (who), مَا (what), أَيْنَ (where), كَيْفَ (how), and هَلْ (yes/no) correctly
Tell the difference between هَلْ (yes/no questions) and the wh-words
Ask and answer questions about people and places using only nouns
Read a fully nominal Qur'ānic question
TEACHER NOTES
Pacing: 40–50 min
Prerequisite check: Pronouns from Chapter Two.
Watch out for: مَاذَا is genuinely missing from this chapter — teach it here even though it's formally added in Chapter Eight.
01 — LISTEN & REPEAT
حِوَارٌDialogue
Maryam asks Yūsuf a string of questions using every question word in this chapter.
MARYAM
مَنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ؟
man dhālika-r-rajul?
Who is that man?
YŪSUF
ذَلِكَ أُسْتَاذِي.
dhālika ustādhī.
That's my teacher.
MARYAM
أَيْنَ بَيْتُهُ؟
ayna baytuh?
Where is his house?
YŪSUF
بَيْتُهُ قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ.
baytuhu qarībun mina-l-masjid.
His house is near the mosque.
MARYAM
هَلْ هُوَ لَطِيفٌ؟
hal huwa laṭīf?
Is he kind?
YŪSUF
نَعَمْ، هُوَ لَطِيفٌ جِدًّا وَصَبُورٌ.
na‘am, huwa laṭīfun jiddan wa ṣabūr.
Yes, he's very kind and patient.
02 — CORE WORDS
الْمُفْرَدَاتُVocabulary
هَلْ simply flags a yes/no question and adds no meaning of its own; the rest ask for specific information.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
NEWمَنْ
man
who
—
NEWمَا
mā
what
Used before nouns — you've already seen مَا هَذَا؟
NEWأَيْنَ
ayna
where
—
REVIEWكَيْفَ
kayfa
how
You've already used this in كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟
NEWهَلْ
hal
(yes/no question marker)
Answered with نَعَمْ or لَا.
NEWنَعَمْ
na‘am
yes
—
NEWلَا
lā
no
—
NEWقَرِيبٌ/بَعِيدٌ
qarīb / ba‘īd
near / far
—
Also in this chapter's dialogue and reading.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
EARLYبَيْتٌ
bayt
house, home
You'll see بَيْتِي / بَيْتُنَا / بَيْتُهُ ("my/our/his house") constantly before possession is formally taught.
EARLYالْيَوْمَ
al-yawm
today
—
EARLYجَدِيدٌ
jadīd
new
—
EARLYمَدْرَسَةٌ / مَسْجِدٌ
madrasah / masjid
school / mosque
—
EARLYطَالِبٌ
ṭālib
student
—
EARLYطَيِّبٌ / صَبُورٌ
ṭayyib / ṣabūr
good, kind / patient
—
EARLYصَحِيحٌ
ṣaḥīḥ
correct, true
Handy classroom word for checking answers.
EARLYلِأَنَّ
li’anna
because
—
EARLYلِمَنْ
li-man
for whom, whose
مَنْ, "who," + لِ.
EARLYجَارٌ
jār
neighbour
—
03 — HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS
رُكْنُ الْقَوَاعِدِGrammar Corner
هَلْ vs. the wh-words. هَلْ simply marks a sentence as yes/no — everything after it is still the ordinary nominal sentence you already know.
هَلْ هُوَ لَطِيفٌ؟
hal huwa laṭīf? Is he kind? — answer: yes/no
أَيْنَ بَيْتُهُ؟
ayna baytuh? Where is his house? — answer: a place
Every question word here simply starts the sentence, with the rest built exactly like Chapters One and Two — no verbs needed. You'll add لِمَاذَا (“why”) and مَتَى (“when”) once you know past-tense verbs, since those two almost always ask about an action.
Quick check: would you answer “أَيْنَ الْبَيْتُ؟” with نَعَمْ/لَا or with a place? (A place — أَيْنَ asks for specific information, not yes/no.)
04 — READING THE SOURCE
وَقْفَةٌ قُرْآنِيَّةٌQur'ān Connection
A short, fully nominal Qur'ānic question — no verb at all, built entirely from words like this chapter's.
SŪRAT GHĀFIR — 40:16
لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ
To whom belongs the dominion today?
لِّمَنِ
liman
to whom
الْمُلْكُ
al-mulk
the dominion, kingship
الْيَوْمَ
al-yawma
today
This entire verse is one nominal sentence: لِمَنِ (لِ + مَنْ, “to whom”) is the khabar, and الْمُلْكُ is the mubtada’ — literally “the dominion, today, [belongs] to whom?” Not a single conjugated verb appears, even though it's a complete, weighty question about the Day of Judgment.
05 — SAY IT LIKE A NATIVE
عِبَارَاتٌ يَوْمِيَّةٌEveryday Phrases
Common questions you'll use constantly in conversation.
مَا اسْمُكَ؟
mā-smuka? — what is your name?
مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟
min ayna anta? — where are you from?
مَنْ هَذَا؟
man hādhā? — who is this?
كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟
kayfa ḥāluka? — how are you?
هَلْ أَنْتَ بِخَيْرٍ؟
hal anta bi-khayr? — are you okay?
أَيْنَ الْمَسْجِدُ؟
ayna-l-masjid? — where is the mosque?
هَلْ هَذَا صَحِيحٌ؟
hal hādhā ṣaḥīḥ? — is this correct?
مَا هَذَا؟
mā hādhā? — what is this?
SKILLS PRACTICE
الِاسْتِمَاعُListening
Audio track 4.1
Salmā asks Aḥmad about a new neighbour. Listen first, script second.
SALMĀ
مَنْ جَارُكُمُ الْجَدِيدُ؟
AḨMAD
اسْمُهُ عُمَرُ، وَهُوَ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ.
SALMĀ
هَلْ هُوَ طَيِّبٌ؟
AḨMAD
نَعَمْ، وَبَيْتُهُ قَرِيبٌ جِدًّا مِنْ بَيْتِنَا.
What is the new neighbour's name?
Where is he from?
How far is his house from Aḥmad's?
Reveal answers
1. ‘Umar. 2. Yemen. 3. Very near.
SKILLS PRACTICE
التَّحَدُّثُSpeaking
Pair work
Partner drill. Ask your partner four questions, one with each question word from this chapter, and answer in full nominal sentences.
Recycling round. Weave in one Chapter One greeting and one Chapter Two introduction line before the questions start — by now the exchange should feel continuous, not like three separate drills.
1. False — his house is near the mosque. 2. True. 3. True — that's why she asks.
SKILLS PRACTICE
قِرَاءَةٌ حُرَّةٌFree Reading
Hover to check — no test, just read
A short passage using only words you've met so far. Just read for meaning — hover any word if you get stuck. Flip the switch to check whole sentences instead of single words.