Welcome to an essential building block of Arabic grammar: Arabic pronouns! Just like in English, pronouns in Arabic replace nouns, making your sentences flow more smoothly and naturally. Understanding these little words is key to speaking and comprehending Arabic effectively. In this guide, we’ll break down the different types of Arabic pronouns, including how to say “he in Arabic,” and even provide a handy Arabic Pronouns chart to get you started. Let’s dive in!
What are Arabic Pronouns?
Simply put, Arabic pronouns are words that stand in for nouns. Instead of constantly repeating someone’s name or an object, you can use a pronoun. Arabic pronouns, however, have a bit more nuance than their English counterparts, as they often indicate gender and number.
Subject Pronouns: The Stars of the Sentence
Subject pronouns tell us who is performing the action of the verb. Here are the basic independent subject pronouns in Arabic:
| Pronoun (English) | Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| I | أَنَا | ʾanā |
| You in Arabic (masculine singular) | أَنْتَ | ʾanta |
| You (feminine singular) | أَنْتِ | ʾanti |
| He | هُوَ | huwa |
| She | هِيَ | hiya |
| We (dual/plural) | نَحْنُ | naḥnu |
| You (masculine dual) | أَنْتُمَا | ʾantumā |
| You (feminine dual) | أَنْتُمَا | ʾantumā |
| You (masculine plural) | أَنْتُم | ʾantum |
| You (feminine plural) | أَنْتُنَّ | ʾantunna |
| They (masculine dual) | هُمَا | humā |
| They (feminine dual) | هُمَا | humā |
| They (masculine plural) | هُمْ | hum |
| They (feminine plural) | هُنَّ | hunna |
As you can see, Arabic distinguishes between masculine and feminine, and also has a dual form for “you” and “they” referring to exactly two people.
Example of “He in Arabic”:
- هُوَ طَالِب (huwa ṭālib.) – He is a student.
Attached Pronouns: The Helpful Sidekicks
In addition to the independent subject pronouns, Arabic also has attached pronouns. These pronouns are joined to the end of nouns, verbs, or prepositions to indicate possession or the object of an action. So, here are the common attached pronouns in Arabic:
| Attached to Noun (Possession – My/Your/His etc.) | Attached to Verb/Preposition (Object – Me/You/Him etc.) | Pronoun (English) | Arabic Script |
|---|---|---|---|
| ـِي (-ī) | ـَنِي (-nī) | My/Me | ـِي / ـَنِي |
| ـَكَ (-ka) | ـَكَ (-ka) | Your (masculine singular)/You (masculine singular) | ـَكَ |
| ـِكِ (-ki) | ـِكِ (-ki) | Your (feminine singular)/You (feminine singular) | ـِكِ |
| ـُهُ (-hu) | ـُهُ (-hu) | His/Him | ـُهُ |
| ـهَا (-hā) | ـهَا (-hā) | Her/Her | ـهَا |
| ـنَا (-nā) | ـنَا (-nā) | Our/Us | ـنَا |
| ـهُمَا (-humā) | ـهُمَا (-humā) | Their (dual)/Them (dual) | ـهُمَا |
| ـهُمَا (-humā) | ـهُمَا (-humā) | Their (dual)/Them (dual) | ـهُمَا |
| ـهُمْ (-hum) | ـهُمْ (-hum) | Their (masculine plural)/Them (masculine plural) | ـهُمْ |
| ـهُنَّ (-hunna) | ـهُنَّ (-hunna) | Their (feminine plural)/Them (feminine plural) | ـهُنَّ |
Examples of Attached Pronouns:
- كِتَابِي (kitābī) – My book
- رَأَيْتُهُ (raʾaytuhu) – I saw him (he in Arabic as an object)
- فِي بَيْتِهَا (fī baytihā) – In her house
Demonstrative Pronouns: Pointing Things Out
Demonstrative pronouns in Arabic are used to point to specific people or things. They also have masculine, feminine, singular, dual, and plural forms:
Near Demonstrative Pronouns (This/These):
| Pronoun (English) | Arabic Script | Arabic Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| This (masculine singular) | هَذَا | hādhā |
| This (feminine singular) | هَذِهِ | hādhihi |
| These (dual – both genders) | هَذَانِ / هَاتَانِ | hādhāni/hātāni |
| These (masculine plural) | هَؤُلَاءِ | hāʾulāʾi |
| These (feminine plural) | هَؤُلَاءِ | hāʾulāʾi |
Far Demonstrative Pronouns (That/Those):
| Pronoun (English) | Arabic Script | Arabic Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| That (masculine singular) | ذَلِكَ | dhālika |
| That (feminine singular) | تِلْكَ | tilka |
| Those (dual – both genders) | ذَانِكَ / تَانِكَ | dhānika/tānika |
| Those (masculine plural) | أُولَئِكَ | ʾulāʾika |
| Those (feminine plural) | أُولَئِكَ | ʾulāʾika |
Relative Pronouns: Connecting Ideas
Relative pronouns in Arabic connect clauses and refer back to a noun mentioned earlier. The most common ones are:
| Pronoun (English) | Arabic Script | Arabic (Transliteration) |
|---|---|---|
| Who/Which/That (masculine singular) | الَّذِي | ʾalladhī |
| Who/Which/That (feminine singular) | الَّتِي | ʾallatī |
| Who/Which/That (dual – both genders) | اللَّذَانِ / اللَّتَانِ | ʾalladhāni /ʾallatāni |
| Who/Which/That (masculine plural) | الَّذِينَ | ʾalladhīna |
| Who/Which/That (feminine plural) | اللَّوَاتِي / اللَّاتِي | ʾallātī/ʾallawātī |
Your Arabic Pronouns Chart
To summarize, here’s a basic Arabic Pronouns chart:
| Category | Singular (M) | Singular (F) | Dual (Common) | Plural (M) | Plural (F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject (Indep.) | هُوَ (huwa) | هِيَ (hiya) | هُمَا (humā) | هُمْ (hum) | هُنَّ (hunna) |
| Attached (Noun) | ـُهُ (-hu) | ـهَا (-hā) | ـهُمَا (-humā) | ـهُمْ (-hum) | ـهُنَّ (-hunna) |
| Attached (Verb/Prep) | ـهُ (-hu) | ـهَا (-hā) | ـهُمَا (-humā) | ـهُمْ (-hum) | ـهُنَّ (-hunna) |
| Demonstrative (Near) | هَذَا (hādhā) | هَذِهِ (hādhihi) | هَذَانِ/هَاتَانِ (hādhāni/hātāni) | هَؤُلَاءِ (hāʾulāʾi) | هَؤُلَاءِ (hāʾulāʾi) |
| Demonstrative (Far) | ذَلِكَ (dhālika) | تِلْكَ (tilka) | ذَانِكَ/تَانِكَ (dhānika/tānika) | أُولَئِكَ (ʾulāʾika) | أُولَئِكَ (ʾulāʾika) |
| Relative | الَّذِي (ʾalladhī) | الَّتِي (ʾallatī) | اللَّذَانِ/اللَّتَانِ (ʾalladhāni/ʾallatāni) | الَّذِينَ (ʾalladhīna) | اللَّاتِي/اللَّوَاتِي (ʾallātī/ʾallawātī) |
Practice Makes Perfect!
Learning Arabic pronouns might seem like a lot at first, but with consistent practice, they will become second nature. So, pay attention to their usage in the sentences you encounter, and try using them in your own speech and writing.
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