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Here is the breakdown of these three expressions. Level 1 "What is this?" ما هذا؟ Mā hādhā? Word by word: ما (mā) → what هذا (hādhā) → this ما is one of the shortest question words in Arabic. It asks for identity or definition. When you say ما هذا؟ you are asking: what thing is this? The question assumes you are pointing at something masculine or neutral. Level 2 "What is this? This is a street." ما هذا؟ هذا شارع Mā hādhā? Hādhā shāri' Word by word: ما (mā) → what هذا (hādhā) → this شارع (shāri') → street شارع comes from the root ش ر ع meaning: to open wide, to begin, to make clear. A شارع is a wide open path. In Islamic terminology, the same root gives us شريعة, sharī'ah, meaning the clear path of divine law. The street and the law share the same idea: an open, accessible way. Level 3 "What is this that you see? This is a car." ما هذه الذي تراه؟ هذه سيارة Mā hādhihi alladhī tarāh? Hādhihi sayyārah Word by word: ما (mā) → what هذه (hādhihi) → this (feminine) الذي (alladhī) → which / that (relative pronoun) تراه (tarāh) → you see it هذه (hādhihi) → this (feminine) سيارة (sayyārah) → car تراه comes from the root ر أ ى meaning: to see, to perceive. The verb ترى ends with a hidden alif. When you attach the pronoun ه (it), you bring that alif back into sound. So tarā becomes tarāh. Arabic encodes what you are seeing directly into the verb. Watch this video to learn how to get fluent in Arabic: https://youtu.be/djyY0QYIoNU
