Arabic Personal Pronouns With Examples (Essential Guide)

Arabic Personal Pronouns

Arabic personal pronouns are words used to refer to people in Arabic. They are important in the language because they show who is doing an action, as well as the gender and number of the person.

What Are Arabic Personal Pronouns?

These pronouns tell us who or what is doing something. Arabic has 12 personal pronouns, which are based on three things: number (singular, dual, plural), gender (male, female), and person (first, second, third).

How Many Personal Pronouns Are There in Arabic?

There are 12 personal pronouns in Arabic. They cover three numbers (singular, dual, plural), two genders (male, female), and three persons (first, second, third).

The Twelve Personal Pronouns in Arabic:

  1. I: أَنَا (ana)
  2. You (masc.): أَنْتَ (anta)
  3. You (fem.): أَنْتِ (anti)
  4. He: هُوَ (huwa)
  5. She: هِيَ (hiya)
  6. We: نَحْنُ (naḥnu)
  7. You (dual): أَنْتُمَا (antuma)
  8. They (dual): هُمَا (humā)
  9. You (masc. plural): أَنْتُمْ (antum)
  10. You (fem. plural): أَنْتُنَّ (antunna)
  11. They (masc. plural): هُمْ (hum)
  12. They (fem. plural): هُنَّ (hunna)

Here is the full list of all the personal pronouns in Arabic.

Arabic Personal PronounsTransliterationEnglish
أناanaI
انتَantayou (masc.)
انتِantiyou (fem.)
هوhowwahe
هيheyyashe
          Dual
نحنnaHnuwe (two persons)
أنتماantumayou (two persons)
هماhumaathey (two people)
            Plural
نحنnaHnuwe
أنتمantumyou (masc.)
أنتنantunnayou (fem.)
همhomathey (masc.)
هنhunnathey (fem.)

READ ALSO: Adjectives In Arabic Plus 200+ List Of Common Arabic Adjectives

Arabic Personal Pronouns

In Arabic, personal pronouns are more detailed than in many other languages. For example, there are different ways to say “you” depending on who you’re talking to.

If you’re speaking to two people, you use a different pronoun than if you’re speaking to just one person.

Also, when talking to more than two people, another form is used. Most pronouns in Arabic also have separate forms for males and females.

Arabic personal pronouns are generally categorized by:

Conversation Type (الْكَلامُ):

  • Third-person (الْغَائِبُ): Refers to someone not present.
  • Second-person (الْمُخَاطَبُ): Refers to someone you’re talking to.
  • First-person (الْمُتَكَلِّمُ): Refers to the speaker.

Gender (الْجِنْسُ):

  • Masculine (المُذَكَّرُ): Refers to males.
  • Feminine (الْمُؤَنَّثُ): Refers to females.

Number (الْعَدَدُ):

  • Singular (الْمُفْرَدُ): Refers to one person.
  • Dual (المُثَنَّى): Refers to two people.
  • Plural (الْجَمْعُ): Refers to more than two people.

Types of Personal Pronouns in Arabic

In Arabic, there are three types of personal pronouns: first person, second person, and third person.

Each type has different forms depending on whether you’re referring to one person (singular), two people (dual), or more than two people (plural).

1. First Person Pronouns

The first-person pronouns are:

  • I: أنا (ana)
  • We: نحن (naḥnu)

These pronouns refer to the speaker. “أنا” is used for one person, while “نحن” is used for two or more people.

Examples:

  • I am a student: أَنَا طَالِبٌ
  • We are students: نَحْنُ طُلَّابٌ

2. Second Person Pronouns

The second-person pronouns are:

  • You (masc.): أَنْتَ (anta)
  • You (fem.): أَنْتِ (anti)
  • You (dual): أَنْتُمَا (antuma)
  • You (masc. plural): أَنْتُمْ (antum)
  • You (fem. plural): أَنْتُنَّ (antunna)

These pronouns are used when talking directly to someone.

Examples:

  • You are a man: أَنْتَ رَجُلٌ
  • You are a doctor (fem.): أَنْتِ طَبِيبَةٌ
  • You are students (dual): أَنْتُمَا طَالِبَانِ
  • You are men: أَنْتُمْ رِجَالٌ
  • You are female doctors: أَنْتُنَّ طَبِيبَاتٌ

3. Third Person Pronouns

The third-person pronouns are:

  • He: هُوَ (huwa)
  • She: هِيَ (hiya)
  • They (dual): هُمَا (humaa)
  • They (masc. plural): هُمْ (hum)
  • They (fem. plural): هُنَّ (hunna)

These pronouns are used when talking about someone who is not present.

Examples:

  • He is a doctor: هُوَ طَبِيبٌ
  • She is a woman: هِيَ إِمْرَأَةٌ
  • They are students (dual): هُمَا طَالِبَانِ
  • They are male doctors: هُمْ أَطِبَّاءُ
  • They are female doctors: هُنَّ طَبِيبَاتٌ

Arabic personal pronouns are words that replace nouns to indicate the person speaking (I, we), the person being spoken to (you), or the person or thing being spoken about (he, she, it, they). Here’s a breakdown of Arabic personal pronouns:

Singular Pronouns

  1. I: أَنَا (ana)
  2. You (masculine): أَنْتَ (anta)
  3. You (feminine): أَنْتِ (anti)
  4. He: هُوَ (huwa)
  5. She: هِيَ (hiya)

Dual Pronouns (used for two people or things)

  1. We (two people): نَحْنُ (naḥnu)
  2. You (masculine, two people): أَنْتُمَا (antuma)
  3. You (feminine, two people): أَنْتُمَا (antuma)
  4. They (masculine, two people): هُمَا (humā)
  5. They (feminine, two people): هُمَا (humā)

Plural Pronouns

  1. We: نَحْنُ (naḥnu)
  2. You (masculine): أَنْتُمْ (antum)
  3. You (feminine): أَنْتُنَّ (antunna)
  4. They (masculine): هُمْ (hum)
  5. They (feminine): هُنَّ (hunna)

Key Points to Remember

  • Arabic pronouns distinguish between masculine and feminine in the second person (you) and third person (he, she).
  • There are dual forms specifically for addressing or referring to two people or things, which is a unique feature in Arabic.
  • Pronouns in Arabic must agree in gender and number with the nouns they replace or refer to.

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