Arabic - Russian Dictionary
/maː/
ما is a versatile Arabic word that functions as an interrogative pronoun meaning what, a relative pronoun meaning that which or what, a negation particle meaning not, and a conditional or exclamatory modifier. In Russian, it is most commonly translated as что, не, or как depending on context.
| # | Type | Arabic | Russian |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | pronoun | ما what? (interrogative pronoun) | что |
| 2 | adverb | ما negates meaning of another word | не |
| 3 | pronoun | ما fused relative pronoun: that which; those that; the thing(s) that | что |
| 4 | pronoun | ما fused relative pronoun: that which; those that; the thing(s) that | то |
| 5 | adverb | ما used as a modifier to indicate surprise, delight, or other strong feelings — see also what, so | как |
| 6 | phrase | ما if, assuming | если |
| 7 | phrase | ما if, assuming | если только |
ما اسمك؟
Как тебя зовут?
ما تقول صحيح.
То, что ты говоришь, правда.
ما أجمل هذا المنظر!
Как прекрасен этот вид!
ما can negate verbs and adjectives when used as a particle; this differs from its role as a question word or relative pronoun. As an interrogative, it always asks for information (what?), while as a relative pronoun it introduces a clause describing something already mentioned or implied. Pay attention to word order and context to distinguish these functions.
Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0