Arabic Demonstrative Pronouns أَسْماءُ الإِشَارَةِ
Arabic Demonstrative Pronouns أَسْماءُ الإِشَارَةِ
Introduction – مُقَدِّمَةٌ
- In this lesson, we will learn about the Demonstrative Pronouns أَسْماءُ الإِشَارَةِ and Relative Pronouns الأَسْمَاءُ الْمَوْصُولَةُ in detail.
- In previous lessons we have learnt the basics of the Demonstrative Pronouns (see Lesson 1, Lesson 2, Lesson 6, Lesson 7|L007_001.html||, Lesson 13, & Lesson 18) and Relative Pronouns in (Lesson 9, & Lesson 12).
- “A Demonstrative Pronoun is a noun that represents the near or the distant object.
- We know that in English “This” is used to point to the near singular object and “That” is used for the distant object and “These” is used to point towards the near Plural Objects and “Those” is used for the Distant Objects. However different nouns are not used for the Dual (in English language) and there is no difference of gender i.e., the same nouns are used for the masculine as well as the feminine.
- In Arabic however, different Demonstrative Pronouns are used for singular, dual and plural objects. Similarly different Nouns are used for the masculine as well as the feminine.
|
English |
Transliteration |
Gender/Number |
Arabic |
Demonstrative Nouns |
|
This |
Hādhā |
Masculine/Singular |
هَـٰذَا |
أَسْمَاءُ الإِشَارَةِ (لِلْقَرِيبِ) |
|
Hādhihi |
Feminine/Singular |
هَـٰذِهِ |
||
|
These two |
Hādhāni |
Masculine/Dual |
هَـٰذَانِ |
|
|
Hātāni |
Feminine/Dual |
هَـٰاتَانِ |
||
|
These all |
Hā’ulā’i |
Masculine & Feminine/ Plural |
هَـٰؤُلاءِ |
|
|
That |
Dhālika |
Masculine/Singular |
ذَلِكَ |
أَسْمَاءُ الإِشَارَةِ (لِلْبَعِيدِ) |
|
Tilka |
Feminine/Singular |
تِلْكَ |
||
|
Those two |
Dhānika |
Masculine/Dual |
ذَانِكَ |
|
|
Tānika |
Feminine/Dual |
تَانِكَ |
||
|
Those all |
‘ulā’ika |
Masculine & Feminine/ Plural |
أُؤلَـٰئِكَ |
- Following are the examples for the Demonstrative Pronouns:
|
Picture |
English |
Arabic |
|
|
This is a book |
هَـٰذَا كِتَابٌ. |
|
|
This is a notebook |
هَـٰذِهِ كُرَّاسَةٌ. |
|
|
That is a cow |
تِلْكَ بَقَرَةٌ. |
|
|
These are two books |
هَـٰذَانِ كِتَابَانِ. |
|
|
These are two cows |
هَاتَانِ بَقَرَتَانِ. |
|
|
These are men |
هَـٰؤُلاءِ رِجَالٌ. |
|
|
Those are guests |
أُوْلَـٰئِكَ ضُيُوفٌ. |
- “A Relative Pronoun is a noun which refers or relates to some noun preceding it”.
- The Arabic Relative Pronouns have different forms for singular, dual and plural as well as for masculine and feminine.
|
English |
Transliteration |
Gender/Number |
Arabic |
Relative Nouns |
|
Who/That |
Al-Ladhī |
Masculine/Singular |
الَّذِي |
الأَسْمَاءُ الْمَوْصُولَةُ |
|
Al-Latī |
Feminine/Singular |
الَّتِي |
||
|
Those two/Who (dual) |
Al-ladhāni |
Masculine/Dual |
اللَّذَانِ |
|
|
Al-latāni |
Feminine/Dual |
اللَّتَانِ |
||
|
Those all/Who (all) |
Al-ladhīna |
Masculine/ Plural |
الَّذِينَ |
|
|
Al-Lā’ī |
Feminine/Plural |
اللائِي |
Let’s take some examples of the Relative Pronouns:
|
English |
Arabic |
|
This is Muhammad who has passed |
هَـٰذَا مُحَمَّدٌ الَّذِي نَجَحَ. |
|
This is the door which is in front of the mosque |
هَـٰذَا الْبَابٌ الَّذِي أَمَامَ الْمَسْجِدِ. |
|
That is the cat that has sat |
هَـٰذَا الْقِطٌّ الَّذِي جَلَسَ. |
|
Those are the brothers who went to the University |
أُولَئِكَ الإِخْوَةُ الَّذِينَ ذَهَبُوا إِلَى الْجَامِعَةِ. |