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Here is the breakdown of these three expressions. Level 1 "What is this?" ما هذا؟ Mā hādhā? Word by word: ما (mā) → what هذا (hādhā) → this (masculine) هذا is a demonstrative pronoun used to point to something close. The final alif is not pronounced in this case. It points to masculine singular nouns. If you're pointing to something feminine, you say هذه (hādhihi). The difference is in the ending, not the meaning. Level 2 "This is a market. And what is this? This is fruit." هذه سوق. وما هذه؟ هذه فاكهة Hādhihi sūq. Wa mā hādhihi? Hādhihi fākihah Word by word: هذه (hādhihi) → this (feminine) سوق (sūq) → market وما (wa mā) → and what هذه (hādhihi) → this (feminine) هذه (hādhihi) → this (feminine) فاكهة (fākihah) → fruit فاكهة comes from the root ف ك ه meaning enjoyment or jest. But in usage it refers to fruit, something enjoyed. Notice how the entire sentence has no verb. This is called a nominal sentence in Arabic. The verb "is" is understood. Level 3 "This is fish." هذا سمك Hādhā samak Word by word: هذا (hādhā) → this (masculine) سمك (samak) → fish سمك is masculine in classical Arabic. Even though we might think of it as neutral, the language assigns gender. The word comes from the root س م ك referring to something elevated or raised. It can also refer to the constellation, or to fish because of how they rise in water. Every noun in Arabic carries a gender, and that gender shapes everything around it. Watch this video to learn how to get fluent in Arabic: https://youtu.be/djyY0QYIoNU
