:github_url: https://git.door43.org/Door43/en_uhg/src/branch/master/content/pronoun_interrogative.rst

.. _pronoun_interrogative:

Pronoun Interrogative
=====================

Summary
-------

The interrogative pronoun shows that a sentence is a question.

Article
-------

Interrogative means "having the force of a question", so an
interrogative pronoun is a word that signals that someone is asking a
question. Two of the most common ones (מִי and מָה) are identical to the
:ref:`pronoun_indefinite`,
in which case the context has to make clear which one it is.

Form
----

Interrogative pronouns do not change their form based on number, gender,
or person. Their vowels can change a little bit based on with which
sound the next word begins.

Asking for a person (מִי)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"who?"

-  GEN 24:65

.. csv-table::

  מִֽי־הָאִ֤ישׁ הַלָּזֶה֙
  **mi**-ha'ish hallazeh
  **Who**\ \_the-man the-that
  **Who** is that man?

-  EXO 15:11

.. csv-table::

  מִֽי־כָמֹ֤כָה בָּֽאֵלִם֙ יְהוָ֔ה
  **mi**-khamokhah ba'elim yehwah
  **Who**\ \_like-you among-the-gods Yahweh
  "**Who** is like you, Yahweh, among the gods?"

With לְ preposition
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"to whom?"

-  GEN 32:18

.. csv-table::

  לְמִי־אַ֙תָּה֙
  **lemi**-'attoh
  **To-whom**\ \_you
  **To whom** do you belong?

Wish or optative
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"I wish that someone" or "if only someone"

-  2SA 15:4

.. csv-table::

  מִי־יְשִׂמֵ֥נִי שֹׁפֵ֖ט בָּאָ֑רֶץ
  **mi**-yesimeni shofet ba'arets
  **Who**\ \_will-put-me judge in-the-land
  **I wish that** I were made judge in the land!

-  2SA 23:15

.. csv-table::

  מִ֚י יַשְׁקֵ֣נִי מַ֔יִם
  **mi** yashqeni mayim
  **Who** will-give-me water
  **If only someone** would give me water!

:ref:`adverb`
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Functioning like an interrogative adverb of manner "how"

-  AMO 7:2

.. csv-table::

  מִ֥י יָק֖וּם יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב
  **mi** yaqum ya'aqov
  **How** will-survive Jacob
  **How** will Jacob survive?

Asking for a thing (מָה)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"what?"

-  1SA 20:1

.. csv-table::

  מַה־פִּשְׁעִי֙
  **mah**-ppish'iy
  **What**\ \_my-iniquity
  **What** is my iniquity?

-  JDG 18:18

.. csv-table::

  מָ֥ה אַתֶּ֖ם עֹשִֽׂים
  **mah** 'attem 'osim
  **What** you are-doing
  **What** are you doing?

with prepositions
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

by what / how (בַּמָּה)
'''''''''''''''''''''''

-  GEN 15:8

.. csv-table::

  בַּמָּ֥ה אֵדַ֖ע
  **bammah** 'eda'
  **In-the-what** will-I-know
  **How** will I know?

like what / how many, how much (כַּמָּה)
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

-  GEN 47:8

.. csv-table::

  כַּמָּ֕ה יְמֵ֖י שְׁנֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ
  **kammah** yeme shene hayyeykha
  **Like-what** days-of years-of your-life
  **How long** have you lived?

for what / why (לָמָּה)
'''''''''''''''''''''''

-  GEN 4:6

.. csv-table::

  לָ֚מָּה חָ֣רָה לָ֔ךְ **וְלָ֖מָּה** נָפְל֥וּ פָנֶֽיךָ
  **lommah** harah lakh **welammah** noflu faneykha
  **For-what** you-angry to-you **and-for-what** has-fallen your-face
  **Why** are you angry **and why** are you scowling?

until what / how long (עַד־מָה)
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

-  PSA 79:5

.. csv-table::

  עַד־מָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה תֶּאֱנַ֣ף לָנֶ֑צַח
  **'ad-mah** yehwah te'enaf lanetsah
  **Until\_what** Yahweh will-you-be-angry forever
  "**How long**, Yahweh? Will you stay angry forever?"

upon what / why (עַל־מָה)
'''''''''''''''''''''''''

-  NUM 22:32

.. csv-table::

  עַל־מָ֗ה הִכִּ֙יתָ֙ אֶת־אֲתֹ֣נְךָ֔
  **'al-mah** hikkitha 'eth-'athonekha
  **On\_what** did-you-strike [dir.obj]\_your-donkey
  **Why** have you struck your donkey?

:ref:`adverb`
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Functioning like an interrogative adverb of manner "how"

-  GEN 44:16

.. csv-table::

  וּמַה־נִּצְטַדָּ֑ק
  **wumah**-nnitstaddaq
  **and-what** we-will-justify-ourselves
  **or how** can we justify ourselves?

why
^^^

-  EXO 14:15

.. csv-table::

  מַה־תִּצְעַ֖ק אֵלָ֑י
  **mah**-tits'aq 'ela
  **what**\ \_you-cry-out to-me
  **why** are you continuing to call out to me?

:ref:`adverb` used to introduce a question
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adverb of manner "how?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

אֵיךְ

-  PSA 137:4

.. csv-table::

  אֵ֗יךְ נָשִׁ֥יר
  **'ekh** nashir
  **How** can-we-sing
  **How** could we sing?

-  1KI 12:6

.. csv-table::

  אֵ֚יךְ אַתֶּ֣ם נֽוֹעָצִ֔ים
  **'ekh** 'attem no'atsim
  **How** you advise
  **How** do you advise me

Adverb of place "where?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

אַיֵּה / אֵי

-  GEN 18:9

.. csv-table::

  אַיֵּ֖ה שָׂרָ֣ה אִשְׁתֶּ֑ךָ
  **'ayyeh** sarah 'ishtekha
  **Where** Sarah your-wife
  **Where** is Sarah your wife?

-  Gen 4:9

.. csv-table::

  אֵ֖י הֶ֣בֶל אָחִ֑יךָ
  **'e** hevel 'ahikha
  **Where** Abel your-brother
  "**Where** is Abel, your brother?"

-  GEN 19:5

.. csv-table::

  אַיֵּ֧ה הָאֲנָשִׁ֛ים אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֥אוּ אֵלֶ֖יךָ
  **'ayyeh** ha'anashim 'asher-ba'u 'eleykha
  **Where** the-men that\_came-in to-you
  **Where** are the men that came in to you?