How to say "I have a question" in Arabic
CognateMeaningI have a question
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
عِنْدِي سُؤَال
ʿindī suʾālענדי סואל
عندي سؤال
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
יש לי שאלה
yesh li she'elaيِش لِي شِئِلَا
How the two words are related
Cognate
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
س-أ-لHebrew root
ש-א-לsuʾāl is Hebrew שאלה — the same root ש-א-ל / س-أ-ل 'to ask' (see 'to ask'). ʿindī, literally 'with me', does the job of יש לי.
Learn it
On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
عَنْدِي سُؤَال
ʿandi suʾālענדי סואלCairene: ʿandi, with a.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
عنْدِي وَاحد السُّؤَال
ʿendi wāḥed s-suʾālענדי ואחד א-סואלDarija marks 'a' with wāḥed + the article: wāḥed s-suʾāl.
In a phrase
يَا مُعَلِّمَة، عِنْدِي سُؤَال
yā muʿallima, ʿindī suʾālיא מעלמה, ענדי סואלTeacher (f.), I have a question.