متى

Arabic

Etymology 1

Compare مَا (mā, “what?”) and مَن (man, “who?”). Cognate to Hebrew מתי (matai).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.taː/

• Audio

  (file)

Adverb

مَتَى • (matā)

1. when (at what time?)
2. whenever
   • a. 965, Al-Mutanabbi, “أَجابَ دَمعي وَما الداعي سِوى طَلَلِ” (chapter 182), in The Works of 'Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Mutanabbī, volume 3, Dār Al-Ma‘rifah, published 1978, page 75:

     مَتَى تَزُرْ قْوْمَ مَنْ تَهْوَى زِيَارَتَهَا / لَا يُتْحِفُوكَ بِغَيْرِ الْبِيضِ وَٱلْأَسَلِ

     matā tazur qwma man tahwā ziyāratahā / lā yutḥifūka biḡayri l-bīḍi wal-ʔasali

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Synonyms

• (whenever): مَتَى مَا (matā mā)

Descendants

• Egyptian Arabic: امتى (emta)
• Maltese: meta
• Moroccan Arabic: امتى (imta)
• North Levantine Arabic: ايمتى (ʔēmta)
• South Levantine Arabic: ايمتى (ʔēmta)

Preposition

مَتَى • (matā)

1. (obsolete, rare, dialectal) from
   • Abu Dhu'ayb Al-Hudhali

     شَرِبْنَ بِمَاءِ ٱلْبَحْرِ ثُمَّ تَرَفَّعَتْ مَتَى لُجَجٍ خُضْرٍ لَهُنَّ نَئِيجُ

     šaribna bimāʔi l-baḥri ṯumma taraffaʕat matā lujajin ḵuḍrin lahunna naʔīju

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Etymology 2

From Hebrew מתי (mattai).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mat.taː/

Proper noun

مَتَّى • (mattā) m

1. (Christianity) Matthew, one of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus and one of the Four Evangelists
2. (Christianity) Matthew, the first of the four canonical gospels

Declension

Declension of noun مَتَّى (mattā)

Singular	singular invariable
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	—	مَتَّى mattā	—
Nominative	—	مَتَّى mattā	—
Accusative	—	مَتَّى mattā	—
Genitive	—	مَتَّى mattā	—

Hijazi Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic مَتَى (matā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mi.ta/, [mɪ.ta]

Adverb

مِتى • (mita)

1. when (at what time?)
2. whenever