Language/Chadian-arabic/Grammar/Pronouns

Chadian Arabic Grammar - Pronouns

Hi Chadian Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will discuss pronouns and their usage in Chadian Arabic. Pronouns are words that replace nouns, which saves time and helps avoid repetition. You can use pronouns to refer to people, things, and places. Using pronouns correctly in Chadian Arabic is essential in both speaking and writing to communicate effectively. Let's dive in!

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Give your Opinion, Adjectives & Gender.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are essential in any language, including Chadian Arabic. They are inclusive of person, number, and gender. In Chadian Arabic, the personal pronouns are inflected to reflect the grammatical case (nominative, genitive, and accusative) and vowel harmony rules. Let's take a look at the personal pronouns in Chadian Arabic:

Chadian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
أَنْتَ	'anta	you (masculine singular)
أَنْتِ	'anti	you (feminine singular)
هُوَ	huwa	he
هِيَ	hiya	she
إيَّاهُ	iyyahu	him
إيَّاهَا	iyyaha	her
نَحْنُ	nahnu	we
أَنْتُمْ	'antum	you (masculine plural)
أَنْتُنَّ	'antunna	you (feminine plural)
هُمْ	hum	they (masculine)
هُنَّ	hunna	they (feminine)

Pronunciation tip: The stressed syllable is indicated by the accent above the letter in the Chadian Arabic words above. If a word has no accent, the stress is on the last syllable by default. Additionally, the "h" sound in Chadian Arabic is pronounced deeper in the throat than it is in English.

Here's an example conversation to illustrate the usage of personal pronouns in Chadian Arabic:

• Person 1: أَنْتُمْ وَ هُمْ تبعونَ ‎'antum wa hum tabaʿawn (you and they follow)
• Person 2: نَحْنُ وَ هِيَ ‎nahnu wa hiya (we and she)

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are used to indicate ownership of an object or an object's relationship to a person or thing. In Chadian Arabic, the pronouns change depending on the possessor's gender and number, whether it is singular, dual, or plural. Here are some examples:

Chadian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
مالِك	malik	yours (masculine singular)
مالِكَة	malikah	yours (feminine singular)
مالِكَا	malikaa	yours (dual)
مالِكُمْ	malikum	yours (masculine plural)
مالِكُنَّ	malikunna	yours (feminine plural)
صاحِبُهُ	sāhibuhu	His/Her friend
طالِبَيْكَ	ṭālibayk(a)	Your (Masc. Sing.) students

Here's an example conversation to illustrate the usage of possessive pronouns in Chadian Arabic:

• Person 1: مفتاحِي mauftāhī (my key)
• Person 2: مفتاحُكَ mauftāhuka (your key)

The possessive pronouns also have the suffix "-i" to indicate that you are speaking about your own property, as in the first sentence. However, in the second sentence, you use the possessive pronoun "your" or "كَ" to refer to the second person.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to specify which object or person is being referred to in a sentence. In Chadian Arabic, there are four demonstrative pronouns including this, that, these, and those. Here are some examples:

Chadian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
هذا	hadhaa	This
هذه	hadhihi	This (feminine)
ذلِك	dhalik	That
تِلْكَ	tilka	That (feminine)

Here's an example conversation to illustrate the usage of demonstrative pronouns in Chadian Arabic:

• Person 1: هَذا سَريرُي hadhaa sarīrī (This is my bed)
• Person 2: تِلْكَ نافِذَتُهَا tilka nāfidhatahā (That is her window)

When using these pronouns, it's important to note that they also have different forms depending on the case they receive. In the nominative case, the masculine form is هذا and دَجِلْ is used in the feminine. In the accusative case, we use the forms هذَا‎ and هَذِهِ instead.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to form questions in Chadian Arabic. In Chadian Arabic, the interrogative pronouns usually end with the suffix "-sh" or "-ch." Here are some examples:

Chadian Arabic	English
مين‬ ‎	Who
شنّو‬	What
واش‬	Whether
منين‬	Where from
وين‬	Where

Here's an example conversation to illustrate the usage of interrogative pronouns in Chadian Arabic:

• Person 1: شنو مَعْناهَا؟ 'shanu ma'anaha (What does it mean?)
• Person 2: ما أعرف ، والله ma 'a 'araif, wallah (I Don't know)

Note that the pronoun شنو shanu changes to شْنَوْوَة shnawwa when used as an adjective, translating to "what kind of." It is also important to note that the pronoun واش waš is used only in yes or no questions.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns denote that the object of the sentence is the same as the subject. In Chadian Arabic, reflexive pronouns are used similarly to English reflexive pronouns.

Here are some examples:

Chadian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
نَفْسُهُ	nafsuhu	himself
نَفْسُهَا	nafsuha	herself
نَفْسُهَا‎‎	nafsahā	Itself
نُسْتَنْ	nustan	ourselves
نَفْسُكَ	nafsuka	yourself (masculine singular)
نَفْسُكِ	nafsu-ki	yourself (feminine singular)
نَفْسُكُمْ	nafsukum	yourselves (masculine plural)
نَفْسُكُنَّ	nafsukunna	yourselves (feminine plural)
نَفْسُهُمْ	nafsuhum	themselves (masculine)
نَفْسُهُنَّ	nafsuhunna	themselves (feminine)

Here's an example conversation to illustrate the usage of reflexive pronouns in Chadian Arabic:

• Person 1: نَقَبِلُ نَفْسِنا naqabilu nafsinā (We accept ourselves)
• Person 2: تَفْكِيرُكَ هُوَ مَفْتاحَك tafkīruka huwa mauftāhak (Your thinking is the key to yourself)

Summary

Pronouns are essential in Chadian Arabic to communicate efficiently and effectively. The personal pronouns indicate person, number, and gender. The possessive pronouns indicate the ownership of an object or the relationship of an object to a person or thing. The demonstrative pronouns are used to specify which object or person is being referred to in a sentence. The interrogative pronouns are used to form questions, and reflexive pronouns denote that the object of the sentence is the same as the subject. To improve your understanding of Chadian Arabic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Arabic pronouns
• Demonstrative pronouns
• Reflexive pronouns

Other Lessons

• How to Use Be
• Conditional Mood
• Adjectives
• Give your Opinion
• How to Use Have
• Nouns
• Questions
• Gender
• Future Tense

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