Attached Pronouns in Arabic Examples (Complete Guide)

Attached Pronouns in Arabic

Arabic attached pronouns change based on the gender and number of the noun they refer to. The pronoun must match the gender and number of the noun.

In this lesson, we’ll learn about Arabic attached pronouns, including their meanings, forms, examples, and how to use them.

What Are Attached Pronouns in Arabic?

Attached pronouns in Arabic are called ضمير متصل (ḍamīr muttaṣil) and are attached to nouns, verbs, or particles to show possession. These pronouns include “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “our,” and “their.”

There are 14 attached pronouns, the same number as detached pronouns. However, the pronouns for the 3rd person dual (masculine and feminine) and the 2nd person dual (masculine and feminine) are the same, so we effectively use 12 different attached pronouns.

The table below lists all the attached pronouns.

ArabicTransliterationEnglish
ـي-ime
ـكَ-kayour (masc.)
ـكِ-kiyour (fem.)
ـه-huhim
ـها-haher
            Dual
ـنا-naus (two people)
ـكما-kumayour (two people)
ـهما-humathem (two people)
        Plural
ـنا-naus
ـكم-kumyour (masc.)
ـكن-kunnayour (fem.)
ـهم-humthem (masc.)
ـهن-hunnathem (fem.)
Attached Pronouns in Arabic

The examples above show how attached pronouns work. Here are some key points about these pronouns:

  • Attached pronouns are not used alone; they are added to nouns, verbs, or particles.
  • When attached to nouns, these pronouns are in the genitive case, appearing as part of an Idafa phrase.
  • When attached to particles, they are also in the genitive case.
  • When attached to verbs, these pronouns are in the accusative case, showing who receives the action.
  • If the letter before a singular, masculine, third-person pronoun suffix has a dhamma or fatha, the pronoun will have a dhamma. If the letter has a kasrah, the pronoun will have a kasrah.
  • When adding a pronoun suffix to a word ending in ة (tā’ marbūṭa), the ة is written and pronounced as a regular ت (tā’).

Let’s simplify the rules for attached pronouns:

1st Person Pronouns:

  • Singular (I): ـي () for both masculine and feminine.
  • Example: حقيبتِي (ḥaqībatī) – my bag (feminine).
  • Plural (We): ـنَا (-nā) for both masculine and feminine.
  • Example: دينُنَا (dīnūnā) – our religion.

2nd Person Pronouns:

  • Singular Male: ـكَ (-ka)
  • Example: بيتك (baytuka) – your house.
  • Singular Female: ـكِ (-ki)
  • Example: كتابكِ (kitābuki) – your book.
  • Dual (both masculine and feminine): ـكُمَا (-kumā)
  • Example: مكتبكما (maktabukumā) – the desk of both of you.
  • Plural Feminine: ـكُنَّ (-kunnā)
  • Example: غرفتكنَّ (ghurfātukunnā) – the room of all of you.

3rd Person Pronouns:

  • Singular Male: ـهُ (-hu)
  • Example: مسطرتهُ (miṣṭaratuhu) – his ruler.
  • Singular Female: ـهَا (-hā)
  • Example: مطبخها (maṭbakhuhā) – her kitchen.
  • Dual (both masculine and feminine): ـهُمَا (-humā)
  • Example: مدرستُهما (madrasatuhumā) – the school of both of them.
  • Plural Masculine: ـهُمْ (-hum)
  • Example: ملعبهم (malʿabuhum) – their playground.
  • Plural Feminine: ـهُنَّ (-hunna)
  • Example: واجبهنَّ (wājibuhunna) – their duty.

Remember, the noun with the attached pronoun is always definite, so it doesn’t take a double vowel.

Let’s review some examples to understand this rule:

Myـي ()

  • كتابي
    Kitābī
    My book

Your (masc. singular)ـكَ (-ka)

  • كتابك
    Kitābuka
    Your book (masculine)

Your (fem. singular)ـكِ (-ki)

  • كتابكِ
    Kitābuki
    Your book (feminine)

Hisـهُ (-hu)

  • كتابه
    Kitābuhu
    His book

Herـها (-hā)

  • كتابها
    Kitābuhā
    Her book

Ourـنا (-nā)

  • كتابنا
    Kitābunā
    Our book

Your (plural)ـكم (-kum)

  • كتابكم
    Kitābukum
    Your book (plural)

Their (masc.)ـهم (-hum)

  • كتابهم
    Kitābuhum
    Their book (masculine)

Their (fem.)ـهنّ (-hunna)

  • كتابهنّ
    Kitābuhunna
    Their book (feminine)
  • His pen = قَلَمُهُ
  • Their pen (dual both male and female) = قَلَمُهُمَا
  • Their pen (plural masculine) = قَلَمُهُمْ
  • Her pen = قَلَمُهَا
  • Their pen (plural feminine) = قَلَمُهُنَّ
  • Your pen (male) = قَلَمُكَ
  • Your pen (both male and female)
  • Your pen (male plural) = قَلَمُكُمْ
  • Your pen (female) = قَلَمُكِ
  • Your pen (female plural) = قَلَمُكُنَّ
  • My pen = قَلَمِي
  • Our pen = قَلَمُنَا

When an attached pronoun is added to a verb, it acts as a subject or object.

  • Subject (فَاعِل): It shows who is doing the action.
  • Object (مَفْعُول): It shows who is affected by the action.

When an attached pronoun is added to a noun, it shows possession.

  • Possessive Pronoun (مُضَاف إِلَيْهِ): It shows who owns the noun.

When an attached pronoun is added to a preposition, it shows the object of the preposition.

  • Object of a Preposition (اِسْم مَجْرُور): It shows who is affected by the preposition.

How to Say “Your” in Arabic

There are different ways to say “your” in Arabic depending on who you are talking to. Here’s how:

  • Your (male): كَ (-ka)
  • Your (female): كِ (-ki)
  • Your (dual, both masculine and feminine): كُمَا (-kumā)
  • Your (plural, male): كُمْ (-kum)
  • Your (plural, female): كُنَّ (-kunnā)

These pronouns show ownership or possession, just like the attached pronouns we discussed before.

Examples:

  • Your book: كتابك (kitābuka)
    (This combines كتاب (kitāb) meaning book with كَ (-ka) for your [male]).
  • Your grandfather: جدك (jadduka)
    (This combines جد (jadd) meaning grandfather with كَ (-ka) for your [male]).
Your in Arabic

How to Say “His” in Arabic

The Arabic word for “his” is هُ (-hu). It is used to show that something belongs to him, and it attaches to nouns just like the pronoun for “he” (هو huwa).

Examples:

  • His book: كتابُهُ (kitābuhu)
    (This combines كتاب (kitāb) meaning book with هُ (-hu) for his).
  • His mother: أمهُ (ummuhu)
    (This combines أم (umm) meaning mother with هُ (-hu) for his).

How to Say “Her” in Arabic

The Arabic word for “her” is هَا (-hā). It is used to show that something belongs to her and attaches to nouns, just like the pronoun for “she” (هي hiya).

Examples:

  • Her book: كتابُها (kitābuhā)
    (This combines كتاب (kitāb) meaning book with هَا (-hā) for her).
  • Her grandfather: جدُّها (jadduhā)
    (This combines جد (jadd) meaning grandfather with هَا (-hā) for her).

How to Say “Their” in Arabic

There are two ways to say “their” in Arabic, depending on the gender:

  • For males: Add ـهُمْ (-hum) to the end of the word.
  • For females: Add ـهُنَّ (-hunna) to the end of the word.

How to Say “My” in Arabic

To say “my” in Arabic, add ـي () to the end of the word. Also, change the last vowel of the noun to kasrah.

Examples:

  • My cat: قِطِّي (qiṭṭī)
  • My notebook: دَفْتَرِي (daftarī)
  • My school: مدرستي (madrastī)

How to Say “Our” in Arabic

To say “our” in Arabic, add ـنَا (-nā) to the end of the noun. This shows ownership by “we” and does not require the noun to be in plural form.

Examples:

  • Our mother: أُمُّنَا (ummunā)
  • Our class: فَصْلُنَا (faṣlunā)

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