مما

Which Is Why

Level 4

مما (mimmā) is a contraction of the preposition 'min' (from) and the relative pronoun 'mā' (what). It refers back to an entire preceding sentence to introduce a result or effect.

How It Works

1. Formation and Spelling
The word is formed by joining مِنْ (from) and ما (that which). In writing, the 'n' of min disappears and the 'm' is doubled with a shadda, resulting in مِمَّا. Note that the final alif is always kept in this resultative function.

2. Grammatical Function
In Modern Standard Arabic, مما acts as a bridge between a cause and an effect. It is almost always followed by verbs that indicate a result, such as:

  • أدى إلى (led to)
  • جعل (made/caused)
  • دفع (prompted/pushed)
  • أثار (aroused/sparked)

3. Usage in Context
This pattern is a hallmark of formal MSA, especially in journalism and academic writing. It allows for complex sentence structures where one action naturally flows from another. It usually follows a comma or semicolon.

Examples (4)

  1. تأخر القطار، مما أزعج الركاب.

    The train was late, which annoyed the passengers.

    Word by Word: Delayed the train, from what annoyed the passengers.

    Here, 'mimmā' refers to the entire event of the train being late, not just the train itself.

  2. انخفضت درجات الحرارة، مما أدى إلى إلغاء الرحلة.

    Temperatures dropped, which led to the cancellation of the trip.

    Word by Word: Dropped degrees [of] the heat, from what led to cancellation [of] the trip.

    This shows the common pairing of 'mimmā' with the verb 'addā ilā' (led to).

  3. لم ينم جيداً، مما جعله يشعر بالتعب اليوم.

    He didn't sleep well, which made him feel tired today.

    Word by Word: Not he sleep well, from what made him he feel with the tiredness today.

    In this case, 'mimmā' introduces the consequence of his lack of sleep.

  4. ارتفعت الأسعار بسرعة، مما أثار قلق المواطنين.

    Prices rose quickly, which sparked the concern of the citizens.

    Word by Word: Rose the prices with speed, from what sparked concern [of] the citizens.

    A typical journalistic sentence using 'mimmā' to link an economic event to a social reaction.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the words separately as 'من ما'.

    وصل متأخراً، من ما أغضب المدير.
    وصل متأخراً، مما أغضب المدير.

    In Modern Standard Arabic, the preposition 'min' and the relative 'mā' must be contracted into a single word 'mimmā'.

  • Dropping the final alif (writing مِمَّ).

    سقط المطر، مِمَّ ساعد الزرع.
    سقط المطر، مما ساعد الزرع.

    The alif is only dropped when 'mimmā' is used as an interrogative (From what?). In resultative clauses, the alif must be retained.

  • Using 'alladhī' to refer to a whole sentence.

    نسي مفاتيحه، الذي جعله يتأخر.
    نسي مفاتيحه، مما جعله يتأخر.

    The relative pronoun 'alladhī' needs a specific noun as an antecedent. To refer to the whole idea of forgetting keys, 'mimmā' is required.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

مماLevel 4Which Is Why

Learn This First

The pattern 'مما' is a contraction of the preposition 'من' and the relative pronoun 'ما'. To understand it, a learner must first be familiar with the preposition 'من' and the use of 'ما' as a relative pronoun (meaning 'that which' or 'what'). It also requires a general understanding of how relative clauses link ideas in Arabic.

Words in This Pattern

مما