Language/Algerian-arabic/Grammar/Pronouns

Algerian Arabic Grammar - Pronouns

Hi Algerian Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will delve into Algerian Arabic Grammar and focus on Pronouns. Pronouns are essential in any language as they help in replacing nouns, and assist in making verbal communication smooth and concise. Fortunately, Algerian Arabic has a relatively straightforward Pronoun system. By understanding Algerian Arabic Pronouns, you will be able to communicate more effectively and express yourself better in your conversations. Let's get started!

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Alphabet and Pronunciation in Algerian ..., Numbers in Algerian Arabic, Conditional Tense & Definite Articles in Algerian Arabic.

What are Pronouns?

Before diving into the intricacies of the Algerian Arabic Pronoun system, let's first answer the question: what are pronouns? Pronouns are words that are used to replace nouns in sentences, representing them without repeating their names. Using pronouns makes the sentences shorter and more concise, and avoiding repetitive and redundant language makes for better communication.

For example, instead of saying "Ali is coming to the party, and Ali will bring Ali's sister with him," it is much simpler to say "Ali is coming to the party, and he will bring his sister with him". Here, the pronoun "he" represents Ali, and the pronoun "his" represents Ali's sister, thereby avoiding the repetition of the proper nouns.

Pronouns in Algerian Arabic

Like many Arabic dialects, Algerian Arabic has both subject and object pronouns. These will be explained in the sections below.

Subject Pronouns

The following table shows the subject pronouns in Algerian Arabic:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
أنا	ana	I
أنتَ	anta	You (male)
أنتِ	anti	You (female)
هو	huwa	He
هي	hiya	She
نَحْنا	na7na	We
أنتوما	antouma	You (plural)
هُمَّا	humma	They (dual)
هُمْ	hum	They (masculine plural)
هُنَّ	hunna	They (feminine plural)

Let's see how they are used in sentences:

• أنا (ana) means "I". Example: أنا سعيد بلقائكم - Ana saa'id bilqa'akum (I am happy to meet you all)
• أنتَ (anta) means "you" in the masculine form. Example: أنتَ تتحدث العربية بطلاقة - Anta tatakallam l3arabia btilaqa (You speak Arabic fluently)
• أنتِ (anti) means "you" in the feminine form. Example: هل أنتِ مستاءة؟ - Hal anti musta'a? (Are you upset?)
• هو (huwa) means "he". Example: هو يدرس في الجامعة - Huwa yedrus fi ljami3a (He studies at the university)
• هي (hiya) means "she". Example: هي تعمل في البنك - Hiya ta3mal fi lbank (She works at the bank)
• نَحْنا (na7na) means "we". Example: نحنا مسرورون بلقائكم - Na7na masrooron bilqa'akum (We are pleased to meet you all)
• أنتوما (antouma) means "you" in the plural form. Example: أنتوما تحبوا الفيديوهات الثقافية؟ - Antouma tbihbu lfidyohat thqafya? (Do you like cultural videos?)
• هُمَّا (humma) means "they" in the dual form. Example: هُمَّا يساعدان بعضهما البعض - Humma ysa3daan ba3dhumma lb3d (They help each other)
• هُمْ (hum) means "they" in the masculine form (plural). Example: هُمْ يدرسون في المدرسة - Hum yedrusuun fi lmadrassa (They study in school)
• هُنَّ (hunna) means "they" in the feminine form (plural). Example: هنّ يكرهن دروس الرياضيات - Hunna ykrahun doros arryadhiyat (They dislike math classes)

Object Pronouns

Object pronouns are used to replace nouns as objects of the verb, or as objects of a preposition. Here are some examples using object pronouns in Algerian Arabic:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
يَاك	yāk	you (masculine singular)
يَاه	yāh	him
يَاهَا	yā-hā	her
يَاجة	yāja	you (feminine singular)
يَاهُمَا	yāhumā	them (dual)
يَاهُمْ	yāhum	them (masculine plural)
يَاهُنَّ	yāhunna	them (feminine plural)
نَحْنَا	na7na	us

Let's see how object pronouns are used in sentences:

• يَاك (yāk) means "you" in the masculine form. Example: كيف مشا كريم مع ياك؟ - Kif mšā Krim ma3 yāk? (How did Krim get along with you?)
• يَاه (yāh) means "him". Example: جبتْ لي المال اللي فوّت ياه - Jebt li lmāl lli fawwat yāh (Bring back the money that you lost it)
• يَاهَا (yāhā) means "her". Example: عطيتْ ياها كتاب منغليزي - 3ȏṭīt yāhā ktāb mn-nglīzi (I gave her an English book)
• يَاجة (yāja) means "you" in the feminine form. Example: الهدية ديال لي صحيبتي، عاونتْني نباركْ لياها - Lhdyya dyāl li sbahhiti, 3āwntni nbārak l(y)āhā (The gift is for my friend, help me congratulate her)
• يَاهُمَا (yāhumā) means "them" in the dual form. Example: جيتْ ليهم آش نشربوا؟ - Jīt lihum āš nshrību? (I came to them to ask what to drink)
• يَاهُمْ (yāhum) means "them" in the masculine form (plural). Example: جاوبتْكُمْ، و سعدتكُم بالمعلومات الجديدة. هيّ وقفة بنيتْهالكُمْ، أنا فخورين بـ ياهُمْ - Jāwbtkum, w-s3adtkum bil-m3lūmāt ljdidw. Hyy wqfa bni-thālkum, ana fkhrīn b yahum. (I answered all your questions, and provided you with new information. This is my gift to you, I am proud of them)
• يَاهُنَّ (yāhunna) means "them" in the feminine form (plural). Example: عطيتْ ليهنّ حاجّة و منورتش الشيء، ديك ليّ حسيتْ بـ ياهنّ - 3ȏṭīt līhunna ḥājjā w-mnawwartš l-shiʾ, dīk liyya ḥssīt b yāhunna. (I gave them something, and it brightened their day, that's when I felt happy for them)
• نَحْنَا (na7na) means "us". Example: خلاص، كلْعافة عدانا. عطينا نص الهدية، تعطّي ليكم الباقي - Khlass, klʿāfa ʿddānā. 3ṭīnā nṣṣ l-hdyya, t3ṭī likum l-bāqī. (Alright, everything is settled now. We gave you half of the gift, and you give the rest to us).

Examples

Here are a few examples of how Pronouns are used in daily Algerian Arabic conversation:

Person 1: شحال قال لكم الدكتور وسام حول الإمتحان؟ (Sh7āl qāl lkum ḍ-ḍktwr Wisām hōl l-ʾmtḥān?) (What did Dr. Wisam say to you about the exam?) Person 2: 意ه يحتاج منّا نلفوهم مرة نصّهم (Jāy y-ḥttāj mnna n-lfūhum mrṯa n-ṣṣhum). (He needs us to wrap them once more) Person 1: لطيفة، متي عندك نتاع القراءة بالأنجليزية؟ (Laṭīfa, mtī ʿndk ntāʿ l-qraya bl-ʾnjlīzya?) (Latifa, when is your English reading class?) Person 2: الأحد، صباحًا. إن شاء الله تيجيها. (L-ʾḥd, ṣbāḥan. ʾin shāʾ ʾllh tējīha.) (On Sunday, in the morning. Hopefully, I will attend).

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have gone through the Pronoun system in Algerian Arabic. As Pronouns are an essential part of the Arabic language, it is important to have a good grasp of them. We hope this lesson has helped in making you more confident in using Pronouns in your everyday conversations. Keep practicing and utilizing the language, and you will get better and better!

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Algerian Arabic
• Arabic Pronouns
• The Linguistic Society - Pronouns

With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: Adverbs in Algerian Arabic, Future Tense, Indefinite Articles in Algerian Arabic & Present Tense.

Other Lessons

• Imperative Mood
• Plurals
• Possessive Cases in Algerian Arabic
• Nouns
• How to Use Have
• Adjectives
• Conditional Mood
• How to Use Be
• Adverbs in Algerian Arabic