ما mā 1. (interrogative pronoun) what │ لما li-mā why? wherefore? for what reason? ماذا mā-dā what (on earth)? لماذا li-mādā why (on earth)? ما لك what’s the matter with you? what is it? ما لي, ما لك etc., (with foll. verb) why? wherefore? what ... for? why should I, should you, etc.? ما انت وذاك mā anta wa-dāka what’s that to you? what has this to do with you? what do you know about that? ما اجمله mā ajmalahū how handsome he is! ما افضل عمر mā afḍala ‘umara! how excellent Omar is! -- 2. (relative pronoun) that which, what; something which; whatever, all that ... │ ما شاء الله see شاء; كثيرا ما katīran mā not seldom, as often as not, very often; بما فيه bi-mā fīhi including ..., ... inclusive; ما كان من امضاء المعاهدة (imḍā’i l-mu’āhada) the fact that the agreement has been signed, the agreement having been signed; -- 3. (indefinite pronoun) foll. an indefinite noun: some, a certain │ لأمر ما li-amrin mā because of something or other, for some reason or other; يوما ما yauman mā some day, sometime in the future; -- 4. (negation) not │ ما ان (in) not (intensified); ما ان -- حتى mā an – ḥattā no sooner had he ... than ..., he had hardly … when ...; وما هي الا ان wa-mā hiya illā an or وما هو الا ان (with foll. verb in perfect) before long he ..., presently ...; then, thereupon; وما هي الا ان -- حتى wa-mā hiva illā an – ḥattā no sooner had he ... than he had hardly when ...; -- 5. (conjunction) as long as │ ما دمت حيا mā dumtu ḥayyan as long I live; ما لم mā lam so long as ... not, unless; -- 6. whenever; as far as, to the extent or degree that │ ما واتتني الفرص (wātatnī l-furaṣ) (whenever opportunities came my way, i.e.) whenever I had a chance