أَيُّ يَوْمٍ يُنَاسِبُكَ؟
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Which day suits you?Masculine noun; أَيُّ is nominative here.
1
“Which?” asks for a choice from a known set
Unlike a broad “what?”, أَيّ / أَيَّة points to one item, person, time or option among possibilities.
أَيَّةُ سَاعَةٍ تُنَاسِبُكِ؟
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Which time/hour suits you?Feminine noun; أَيَّةُ matches it.
أَيَّ كِتَابٍ قَرَأْتَ؟
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Which book did you read?The whole “which book” phrase is the direct object.
فِي أَيَّةِ مَدْرَسَةٍ تَدْرُسِينَ؟
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Which school do you study in?فِي makes أَيَّةِ genitive; مَدْرَسَةٍ completes the construct.
Cambridge relevance: precise choice questions occur naturally in timetables, travel, shopping, preferences and role-play follow-ups.
2
Choose your route
Secure gender agreement first, then add construct and case control.
Core
- Use أَيّ with masculine nouns.
- Use أَيَّة with feminine nouns.
- Keep the following noun singular and genitive in the basic model.
Develop
- Use أَيُّ / أَيَّ / أَيِّ according to sentence role.
- Use feminine أَيَّةُ / أَيَّةَ / أَيَّةِ.
- Distinguish “which?” from broader مَا / مَاذَا questions.
Stretch
- Use known plural/dual sets and forms such as أَيُّهُمَا.
- Explain the iḍāfa relationship.
- Edit complex questions for gender, case and prepositions.
D
Starter diagnostic
Choose the form that matches the noun before analysing case.
🔎 Which? Starter
0/61. Choose “which day”.
يَوْمٌ is masculine, so use أَيّ.
2. Choose “which car”.
سَيَّارَةٌ is feminine, so use أَيَّة.
3. What case is the noun after basic أَيّ / أَيَّة?
أَيّ / أَيَّة is the first term of a construct phrase; the following noun is genitive.
4. Choose “Which book did you read?”
The phrase is the direct object, so أَيَّ is accusative; كِتَابٍ remains genitive in the construct.
5. Choose “In which class?”
فِي makes أَيِّ genitive; فَصْلٍ completes the construct.
6. Which word asks for a selection from known options?
أَيّ / أَيَّة narrows the question to a choice.
3
أَيّ / أَيَّة versus “what?”
Choose أَيّ when the listener can select or identify one option from a set.
| Question type | Arabic model | Expected answer |
|---|---|---|
| Open identity: What is this? | مَا هَذَا؟ | هَذَا جِهَازٌ. |
| Known choice: Which device? | أَيُّ جِهَازٍ تُرِيدُ؟ | أُرِيدُ الْحَاسُوبَ. |
| Open action: What are you reading? | مَاذَا تَقْرَأُ؟ | أَقْرَأُ قِصَّةً. |
| Known choice: Which story? | أَيَّةَ قِصَّةٍ تَقْرَأُ؟ | أَقْرَأُ الْقِصَّةَ الْأُولَى. |
Meaning test: can the listener reasonably point to one option, day, route, subject or item? If yes, “which?” is likely appropriate.
4
Gender agreement: أَيّ or أَيَّة
The interrogative form follows the grammatical gender of the noun—not the gender of the person speaking.
Masculine nouns
- أَيُّ يَوْمٍ؟
- أَيُّ كِتَابٍ؟
- أَيُّ فِلْمٍ؟
- أَيُّ طَرِيقٍ؟
- أَيُّ لَوْنٍ؟
Feminine nouns
- أَيَّةُ سَاعَةٍ؟
- أَيَّةُ مَدْرَسَةٍ؟
- أَيَّةُ حَقِيبَةٍ؟
- أَيَّةُ رِيَاضَةٍ؟
- أَيَّةُ لُغَةٍ؟
Do not guess from meaning alone. Learn the grammatical gender with the noun. For example, طَرِيقٌ is masculine; سَاعَةٌ is feminine.
✅ Mini-check: gender
0/41. Choose “which language”.
لُغَةٌ is feminine; the nominative model is أَيَّةُ لُغَةٍ.
2. Choose “which route/road”.
طَرِيقٌ is masculine.
3. Choose “which sport” as the direct object.
رِيَاضَةٌ is feminine, and the phrase is accusative as the direct object.
4. Choose “which colour suits you?”
لَوْنٌ is masculine and the phrase is the nominative subject of يُنَاسِبُ.
5
The construct structure
أَيّ / أَيَّة is the first term of an iḍāfa; the following noun completes its meaning and is genitive.
| First term | Second term | Whole meaning |
|---|---|---|
| أَيُّ | يَوْمٍ | which day |
| أَيَّةُ | سَاعَةٍ | which hour/time |
| أَيَّ | كِتَابٍ | which book |
| أَيَّةِ | مَدْرَسَةٍ | which school (after a preposition) |
Two endings, two jobs: the ending on أَيّ / أَيَّة follows the phrase’s role in the sentence. The following noun is genitive because it is the second term of the construct.
6
Case on أَيّ / أَيَّة
Ask what role the whole “which + noun” phrase performs.
| Role | Masculine | Feminine | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative subject | أَيُّ يَوْمٍ يُنَاسِبُكَ؟ | أَيَّةُ سَاعَةٍ تُنَاسِبُكِ؟ | The choice itself performs/supplies the subject role. |
| Accusative object | أَيَّ كِتَابٍ قَرَأْتَ؟ | أَيَّةَ رِيَاضَةٍ تُفَضِّلِينَ؟ | The choice receives the action. |
| After a preposition | فِي أَيِّ فَصْلٍ تَدْرُسُ؟ | فِي أَيَّةِ مَدْرَسَةٍ تَدْرُسِينَ؟ | فِي requires the genitive. |
Three-step decision: identify gender → identify the whole phrase’s role → keep the following noun genitive.
✅ Mini-check: case
0/41. Choose “Which teacher arrived?”
The “which teacher” phrase is the subject, so أَيُّ is nominative.
2. Choose “Which film did you watch?”
The film is the direct object, so أَيَّ is accusative.
3. Choose “From which city?”
مِنْ requires the genitive: أَيَّةِ مَدِينَةٍ.
4. Which part stays genitive in all three basic models?
The following noun is the second term of the iḍāfa.
7
Known choices, answers and follow-ups
A strong question identifies the category; a strong answer identifies the selected item and explains why.
Timetable
أَيُّ يَوْمٍ تُفَضِّلُ؟
أُفَضِّلُ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ لِأَنَّنِي مُتَفَرِّغٌ.
Travel
إِلَى أَيَّةِ مَدِينَةٍ سَتُسَافِرِينَ؟
سَأُسَافِرُ إِلَى الْقَاهِرَةِ.
School subject
أَيَّةَ مَادَّةٍ تُحِبُّ؟
أُحِبُّ عِلْمَ الْأَحْيَاءِ لِأَنَّهُ مُثِيرٌ.
Stretch: two options
أَيُّهُمَا أَفْضَلُ لَكَ؟
Which of the two is better for you?
8
Misconception clinic
Repair gender, construct and case errors systematically.
✓ أَيَّةُ سَيَّارَةٍ؟
The noun is feminine.
✓ أَيَّ كِتَابٍ قَرَأْتَ؟
The noun after أَيّ is genitive.
✓ فِي أَيِّ فَصْلٍ؟
The preposition governs أَيّ.
✓ أَيَّ كِتَابٍ تُرِيدُ؟
Use “which” when choosing from known books.
🛠 Repair lab
0/41. Repair أَيَّةُ يَوْمٍ يُنَاسِبُكِ؟
يَوْمٌ is masculine and the phrase is the subject.
2. Repair أَيُّ حَقِيبَةٍ اشْتَرَيْتِ؟
Use feminine أَيَّةَ; the whole phrase is accusative while حَقِيبَةٍ is genitive.
3. Repair مِنْ أَيَّةُ دَوْلَةٌ أَنْتَ؟
مِنْ governs the genitive and دَوْلَةٌ is feminine.
4. Choose the best question for a known list of subjects.
أَيَّةَ asks for one chosen subject and matches the feminine noun.
9
Which-form challenge
Choose gender and case together before the explanation appears.
🎮 أَيّ / أَيَّة Challenge
Match gender, construct structure and sentence role.
Press Start.
10
Four-skills application
Use “which?” to navigate choices in schedules, shopping, travel and preferences.
Reading: course choices
أَيَّةَ مَادَّةٍ سَتَخْتَارُ؟ أَيُّ يَوْمٍ يُنَاسِبُكَ؟ فِي أَيَّةِ قَاعَةٍ سَتَكُونُ الْحِصَّةُ؟
Identify the gender and case evidence in each question.
Listening sort
Have a partner read eight questions. Sort them into masculine أَيّ and feminine أَيَّة, then identify whether each form is nominative, accusative or genitive.
Speaking choice ladder
Ask about a day, subject, city, sport, colour and book. Give a full answer and one reason each time.
Transformation
Change broad questions with مَا / مَاذَا into precise “which?” questions for a known list.
Plan a choice-based conversation
Write a dialogue in which one person chooses a course, journey, item or activity from several options.
Success checklist: Include three masculine and three feminine أَيّ/أَيَّة questions, all three cases, two prepositions, one أَيُّهُمَا stretch form and complete reasoned answers.
Not yet marked complete.
M
Final mastery check
Show that you can coordinate meaning, gender, construct and case.
🏁 أَيّ / أَيَّة Mastery
0/101. Choose “which day”.
يَوْمٌ is masculine; the basic isolated model is nominative.
2. Choose “which hour”.
سَاعَةٌ is feminine.
3. Why is the noun after أَيّ genitive?
أَيّ / أَيَّة is the first term of the construct.
4. Choose “Which student arrived?”
The choice phrase is the nominative subject.
5. Choose “Which car did you buy?”
Feminine and accusative as the direct object.
6. Choose “In which school?”
Feminine and genitive after فِي.
7. Which question asks for a known selection?
أَيّ narrows the question to one option.
8. Choose the accurate construct.
أَيُّ is the first term; لَوْنٍ is genitive.
9. Choose the accurate prepositional question.
إِلَى governs the entire choice phrase.
10. Best editing sequence?
The three-step sequence protects all required agreements.
You can now
- Use masculine أَيّ and feminine أَيَّة.
- Build the construct phrase with a genitive noun.
- Inflect the interrogative form for nominative, accusative and genitive roles.
- Distinguish “which?” from open مَا / مَاذَا questions.
- Ask and answer choice questions in practical contexts.
Spaced revisit: select six nouns from different Cambridge topics and build one nominative, accusative or prepositional “which?” question for each.