Learn Arabic › A1 › مَتَى
مَتَى
when /maˈtaː/
adverbA1#271 most common
Also: whenever, at what time
Example sentences
مَتَى تَأْتِي؟
When are you coming?
مَتَى يَبْدَأُ الدَّرْسُ؟
When does the lesson begin?
مَتَى وَصَلْتَ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ أَمْسِ؟
When did you get home yesterday?
لَا أَعْرِفُ مَتَى سَيَعُودُ أَخِي مِنَ الْعَمَلِ.
I do not know when my brother will return from work.
مَتَى تُرِيدُ أَنْ نَلْتَقِيَ لِنُنَاقِشَ تَفَاصِيلَ الْمَشْرُوعِ؟
When do you want us to meet to discuss the details of the project?
مَتَى مَا اجْتَهَدْتَ فِي دِرَاسَتِكَ، حَصَلْتَ عَلَى نَتَائِجَ طَيِّبَةٍ.
Whenever you work hard at your studies, you get good results.
Word family
مَتَى مَاwhenever (conditional)
أَيَّانَwhen (of a future, often dreaded, event)
مَاwhat, which (interrogative)
مَنْwho (interrogative)
Etymology
متى is an inherited Semitic question word for time. It is not built from a verbal root but stands as a primitive, indeclinable interrogative. Forms with the same shape and meaning appear across the older Semitic languages, which points to a common ancestor word.
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