The independent pronouns
| Pronoun | Transliteration | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| أنا | anā | I | — |
| أنتَ | anta | you (to a man) | final fatḥa on ت |
| أنتِ | anti | you (to a woman) | final kasra on ت |
| هو | huwa | he / it (m.) | — |
| هي | hiya | she / it (f.) | — |
| نحن | naḥnu | we | — |
| أنتم | antum | you (plural) | — |
| هم | hum | they | — |
'You' has masculine (anta) and feminine (anti) forms — same letters, different final vowel.
Gendered 'you' in action
Arabic forces a choice English never makes. To a man: أنت طالب anta ṭālib 'you are a student'. To a woman: أنت طالبة anti ṭāliba — and note the ة appearing on the noun too.
| Sentence | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| أنتَ طالب | anta ṭālib | you are a student (to a man) |
| أنتِ طالبة | anti ṭāliba | you are a student (to a woman) |
| هو مهندس | huwa muhandis | he is an engineer |
| هي طبيبة | hiya ṭabība | she is a doctor |
Possessive suffixes — 'my book' in one word
Instead of separate words like 'my' and 'your', Arabic attaches a suffix straight to the noun. The three you'll use constantly: ـي -ī 'my', ـكَ -ak 'your (m.)', ـكِ -ik 'your (f.)', plus ـه -h 'his' and ـها -hā 'her'. The ة ending reopens to -at- before suffixes: سيارتي sayyāratī 'my car'.
| Form | Transliteration | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| كتابي | kitābī | my book | ـي -ī |
| كتابكَ | kitābak | your book (to a man) | ـكَ -ak |
| كتابكِ | kitābik | your book (to a woman) | ـكِ -ik |
| كتابه | kitābuh | his book | ـه -h |
| سيارتي | sayyāratī | my car | ة → -at- before suffix |
| اسمك | ismak / ismik | your name | as in 'what's your name' |
Same suffixes attach to prepositions: معي maʿī 'with me', لكَ laka 'for you (m.)'.
Useful everyday frames
| Phrase | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| ما اسمك؟ | mā-smak / mā-smik | what's your name? (m./f.) |
| اسمي… | ismī… | my name is… |
| أنا من… | anā min… | I am from… |
| أين أنت؟ | ayna anta / anti | where are you? |
Mini practice
Q1. أنتِ is used when speaking to:
- a man
- a woman
- a group
- a child only
Answer: a woman
Q2. كتابي means:
- your book
- my book
- his book
- the book
Answer: my book
Q3. سيارتي shows that before a suffix, ة becomes:
- -at-
- -ah-
- -it-
- it disappears
Answer: -at-
Q4. نحن means:
- they
- you (pl.)
- we
- I
Answer: we
Q5. اسمك means:
- his name
- my name
- your name
- name only
Answer: your name
