Language/Judeo-iraqi-arabic/Grammar/Pronouns
Hi Judeo-Iraqi Arabic learners! ๐
In this lesson, you will learn about pronouns in Judeo-Iraqi Arabic. Pronouns are words that replace nouns in order to avoid repeating them. They are a fundamental part of any language, and Judeo-Iraqi Arabic is no exception. By mastering pronouns, you will be able to express yourself with greater clarity and fluency. So let's get started!
Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Give your Opinion, Negation, How to Use Be & Future Tense.
Personal Pronouns[edit | edit source]
Personal pronouns are used to refer to people or things. They can be subject pronouns (used as the subject of a sentence) or object pronouns (used as the object of a sentence).
Here is a table with the non-particle personal pronouns in Judeo-Iraqi Arabic:
| Judeo-Iraqi Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ุงูุง ืื ื | a:na | I |
| ุฅูุช ืื ืชึผ | en:ta | you (masculine) |
| ุฅูุชู ืื ืชึผื | en:ti | you (feminine) |
| ูููู ืืึทึผื | huw:wa | he |
| ูู ืืึทึผื | hiy:ya | she |
| ููุญูุง/ุฅุญูุง ื ืื ื/ืืื ื | (n)ษฤง:na | we |
| ุฅูุชูู ืื ืชึผื | en:tษm | you (plural) |
| ููู ูู ืืึผื | hษm:mi | they |
And the pronouns that are attached as a particle to a previous word depending on grammar:
| Judeo-Iraqi Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ูู/ูููื/ื ื | ... (n)i | me/mine |
| ููู ืึผ | ... ak | you/yours (m) |
| ููู ืึผื | ... ki | you/yours (f) |
| ูู/ููู ื/ื ื | ... (n)u/o | him/his |
| ููุง ื | ... (h)a | her/hers |
| ููุง ื ื | ... na | us/ours |
| ูููู ืึผื | ... kษm | you/yours (pl) |
| ููู ื | ... ษm | them/theirs |
Note that the added "n" sound added before rows 1 (me/mine) vs. 4 (him/his) have different origins and usages. In me/mine, the "n" comes from Classical Arabic, "...ni" is used following only verbs, while "...i" following everything else. In him/his, this added "n" is found rarely in some Iraqi dialects, and is used to separate the particle pronoun that is the vowel /u/ from the vowel that precedes it. For example: (abu:i สabba:no "My father raised him") and (abu:no สabba:ni "His father raised me"), or (axu:ki ja:bo "Your (f) brother brought him) and (axu:no ja:bki "his brother brought you (f)) are all correct.
Here is an example of personal pronouns in use
- Ezra: ุงูุง ุงู ุดู ุบุฏุง ููุฏุฌูุฉ, ุงูุช ุชุบูุฏ ุชูุฌู ููุงู ืื ื ืืืฉื ืืึผื ืืึผืึืื, ืื ืชึผ ืชึผืจืืึผ ืชึผืืึื ืืืืุ. (a:na am:shi ษฃa:da leddej:lah, en:ta tสid ti:ji wiya:i .) (Tomorrow, I'll walk to the Tigris, would you like to join?)
- Fu'ad: ุงุบูุฏ ุจุณ ู ุง ุงูุฏุบ, ุงุฎูู ุงูุฒุบููุบ ูู ู ุบูุถ ูุงูุง ูุงุฒู ุงุธู ุจู ุจูุช ููุงูู. ุงููู ูู ู ููู ูููุงููู. ืืจืืึผ ืืก ืื ืืงืึผืจ. ืืืื ืืืืืืจ ืืื ืืจืืึ ืืื ื ืืืื ืืึื ืื ืืืชึผ ืืืื ื. ืืืื ืืึผื ืึผืึผื ืงืืงืื ืื (ษสi:d bas ma aqdaส, axui lษzษฃayyษส huwa maสi:รฐหค wa:na la:zem aรฐหคall wiya:nu. Ah:li hษmmi kษllษm qalqani:n)(I want I can't. My little brother is sick and I have to stay in the house with him. My family is all worried.)
Demonstrative Pronouns[edit | edit source]
Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to specific people or things, usually in relation to the speaker or the listener. In Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, there are two sets of demonstrative pronouns: one for things that are close, and one for things that are far.
Here is a table with the demonstrative pronouns in Judeo-Iraqi Arabic:
| Judeo-Iraqi Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ูุงุฐุง ืืืื | ha:รฐa | this (masculine) |
| ูุงู ืืื | ha:y | this (feminine) |
| ูุฐููู ืืืืื | haรฐoli | these (for people only) |
Here is an example of demonstrative pronouns in use:
- Ezra: .ูุงุฐุง ุงูุดูุฑ ุงุบูุฏ ุงููู ุจููุฉ ุญููุฉ ุญุชู ุงุชุฒูุฌ ืืืื ืฉืืจ ืืจืืึผ ืืืงื ืื ืืื ืืืื ืืชึผื ืืชึผืืืึ. (ha:รฐa สสahส aสi:d al:qi bniy:yi ฤงelwa ฤงata atzawwaj.) (This month I want to find a pretty girl so I can get married)
- Fu'ad: !ูุงู ุงูููุฑุฉ ุญุจูุชููุง ืืื ืืคืึผืจื ืืืืชึผืืื (ha:y lfek:rah ฤงabbeitoha!) (I like this idea!)
Possessive Pronouns[edit | edit source]
Possessive pronouns are used to show ownership or possession. In Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, possessive pronouns are formed by adding a suffix to the end of the noun "ma:l" ู ุงู. Note that unlike in Muslim Baghdadi Arabic, Judeo-Baghdadi does not gender this possessive particle and keeps it grammatically masculine, i.e. "My school" is "almadrasah ma:li" in Jewish Arabic but "almadrasah ma:lti" in the more standard Iraqi dialect.
Here is a table with the possessive pronouns in Judeo-Iraqi Arabic:
| Judeo-Iraqi Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ู ุงูู ืืืื | ma:li | mine |
| ู ุงููู ืืืืึผ | ma:lak | yours (masculine) |
| ู ุงููู ืืืืึผื | ma:lki | yours (feminine) |
| ู ุงูู ืืืื | ma:lu | his |
| ู ุงููุง ืืืื | ma:la | hers |
| ู ุงููุง ืืืื ื | ma:lna | ours |
| ู ุงูููู ืืืืึผื | ma:lkษm | yours (plural) |
| ู ุงููู ืืืื | ma:lษm | theirs (masculine) |
Here is an example of possessive pronouns in use:
- Example 1: ุงููุชุงุจ ู ุงูู ืืืึผืชึผืื ืืืื. (alkษta:b ma:li.) (The book is mine.)
- Example 2: ูุตูุชู ููุดุบู ู ุงููู ? ืืฆืืชึผื ืืฉืื ืืืืึผื (wasหคal:tษm lษสสษษฃษl ma:lkษm?) (Did you arrive to your (pl) work?)
Interrogative Pronouns[edit | edit source]
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. In Judeo-Iraqi Arabic,
| Judeo-Iraqi Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ุงุด/ุงุดููู ืืฉ/ืืฉืึผืื | aส/aสkun | what |
| ุงู ืื | ay | which |
| ู ูู ืื | mษn | who |
| ูููู ืืื | wein | where |
| ููุด ืืืฉ | leish | why |
| ุงุดููู ืืฉืืื | aสlo:n | how |
| ุงุดููุช ืืฉืืงืชึผ | aสwaqษt | when |
| ุงุดูุฏ ืืฉืงืึผ | aสqad | how much |
| ูู ืึผื | kam | how many |
Here is an example of interrogative pronouns in use:
- Ezra: ุงุด ูุงุฐุง ููุด ุงูุช ูููู ุจุจูุชู ุนูู ุณุงุนุฉ ููุญุฏุฉ ุจู ูููุ ืืฉ ืืืื ืืืฉ ืื ืชึผ ืืื ื ืืืืชึผื ืขืื ืกืืขื 1 ืื ืืื (aส ha:รฐa le:ส en:ta ho:ni ษbbe:ti สala sa:สa we:ฤงdi bษlle:l?) (What is this! Why are you here in my house at 1 in the morning?)
- Hisqeel: ููุง ุงุดูููู ูุง ุญุจูุจูุ ู ุง ูุชุฏุบู ุงุดูุฏ ุตุนุจ ูุงู ุงูุทุบูู ืืื ืืฉืืื ืึผ ืื ืืืืื? ืื ืงืชึผืึผืจื ืืฉืงืึผ ืฆืขื ืึผืื ืืืืจืืง (wala aสlo:nak ya ฤงabi:bi? ma qatidสi aสqad sหคaสab ka:n atหคtหคaสi:q) (My friend, I don't even get a "how are you?" Do you know how hard it was to get here?)
Relative Pronouns[edit | edit source]
Relative pronouns are used to connect clauses or sentences. In Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, the relative pronoun is usually ุฅูููู (elli), which means "that" or "who". However, ุงูุฐู (ellaรฐi) is still used to some extent in colloquial language as a synonym of ุฅูููู, and does not decline for gender as in Literary Arabic.
Here is an example of a relative pronoun in use:
- Example 1: ุงูุฅุณุชุงุฐู ุงูู/ุงูุฐู ุชุดุบุญ ุงูุฏุฑุณ ู ููุญ ืืืึปืกืชึผืืื ืืึผื ืชึผืฉืจื ืืืืจืก ืืืื. (alusta:รฐa el:li/el:laรฐi tษสสaฤง ษddars mli:ฤง ) (The teacher who explains the lesson well.)
By mastering these pronouns, you will greatly improve your communication skills in Judeo-Iraqi Arabic. Remember to practice and use them often in order to become more comfortable with them.
To improve your Judeo-Iraqi Arabic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
Sources[edit | edit source]
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