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Here is the breakdown of these three expressions. Level 1 "What is this?" ما هذه؟ Mā hādhihi? Word by word: ما (mā) → what هذه (hādhihi) → this (feminine) ما is the simplest question word in Arabic. It asks about things, not people. When it comes before هذه or هذا, you are pointing at something and asking: what is it? Level 2 "This is the sun." هذه شمس Hādhihi shams Word by word: هذه (hādhihi) → this (feminine) شمس (shams) → sun In Arabic, you do not always need the verb "is." The noun alone after the demonstrative pronoun tells you what it is. شمس is feminine, so we use هذه, not هذا. Level 3 "What is this? This is a cloud." ما هذه؟ هذه غيمة Mā hādhihi? Hādhihi ghaymah Word by word: ما (mā) → what هذه (hādhihi) → this (feminine) هذه (hādhihi) → this (feminine) غيمة (ghaymah) → cloud The word غيمة comes from the root غ ي م, which refers to something that covers or veils. A cloud veils the sky. You can also say سحابة (saḥābah), which comes from the root س ح ب, meaning to drag or sweep. Both describe the same thing from different angles. Watch this video to learn how to get fluent in Arabic: https://youtu.be/djyY0QYIoNU
