Rule 1: 1. Asking questions
هَلْ and أَ turn any statement into a yes/no question; أَ can also stand before a negative or a nominal predicate (أَصَحِيحٌ هٰذَا؟). A negative question expecting 'yes' (أَلَيْسَ … ؟، أَلَمْ … ؟) is answered بَلَى; an ordinary question is answered نَعَمْ or لَا. كَمْ 'how many/much' takes an accusative singular, or مِنْ + a noun: كَمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ؟. مَتَى 'when' and مَا 'what' complete the set.
أَلَيْسَ الْمَاءُ حَقًّا لَنَا مَعًا؟ – بَلَى.
a-laysa l-māʾu ḥaqqan lanā maʿan? – balā
Isn't the water a right of both of us? – Yes, it is.
أَصَحِيحٌ مَا يَقُولُ؟ – نَعَمْ، صَحِيحٌ.
a-ṣaḥīḥun mā yaqūlu? – naʿam, ṣaḥīḥun
Is what he says true? – Yes, it's true.
كَمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ لَكَ؟
kam mina l-arḍi laka
How much land do you have?
مَتَى سَقَيْتَ أَرْضَهُ؟
matā saqayta arḍahu
When did you ever water his land?
A rhetorical question: 'you never did'.
مَا الْأَمْرُ يَا عَلِيُّ؟
ma l-amru yā ʿaliyyu
What is the matter, ʿAlī?