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Here is the breakdown of these three expressions. Level 1 "What is this?" مَا هَٰذَا؟ Mā hādhā? Word by word: مَا (mā) → what هَٰذَا (hādhā) → this مَا is one of the most fundamental question words in Arabic. It asks about the identity or nature of something. Combined with هَٰذَا, you have the simplest way to inquire: What is this thing in front of me? Level 2 "This is a shirt." هَٰذَا قَمِيصٌ Hādhā qamīṣ Word by word: هَٰذَا (hādhā) → this قَمِيصٌ (qamīṣ) → shirt In Arabic, you do not need a verb to link subject and predicate in simple statements like this. هَٰذَا points. قَمِيصٌ names. The sentence is complete. This is called a jumla ismiyya, a nominal sentence, and it expresses a state of being without needing "is." Level 3 "And finally, what is this?" وَأَخِيرًا مَا هَٰذِهِ؟ Wa akhīran mā hādhihi? Word by word: وَ (wa) → and أَخِيرًا (akhīran) → finally / lastly مَا (mā) → what هَٰذِهِ (hādhihi) → this (feminine) Notice that هَٰذِهِ ends with hā' and kasrah. It is the feminine form of هَٰذَا. Arabic grammar distinguishes gender even in demonstrative pronouns. So when you point to something feminine, the word itself changes. This precision exists in every corner of the language. Watch this video to learn how to get fluent in Arabic: https://youtu.be/djyY0QYIoNU
