Language/Mesopotamian-arabic/Grammar/Pronouns

Mesopotamian Arabic Grammar - Pronouns

Hi Mesopotamian Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be focusing on pronouns in Mesopotamian Arabic. Pronouns are small words used in place of nouns to avoid repetition. They are key to building efficient and effective sentences.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are used to represent a specific person or thing. They can be either subject pronouns or object pronouns, depending on their function in the sentence. Here are the personal pronouns in Mesopotamian Arabic:

Mesopotamian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
أنا	ana	I
أنتَ	anta	you (masculine, singular)
أنتِ	anti	you (feminine, singular)
هوَ	huwa	he
هيَ	hiya	she
نَحنُ	nahnu	we
أنتُما	antuma	you (dual)
أنتُم	antum	you (masculine, plural)
أنتُنَّ	antunna	you (feminine, plural)
هما	huma	they (dual)
هُم	hum	they (masculine, plural)
هُنَّ	hunna	they (feminine, plural)

Here's an example dialogue:

• Person 1: أنا طالب. (Ana talib.) - "I am a student."
• Person 2: أنتِ طالبة؟ (Anti taliba?) - "Are you a student?"

As you may have noticed, Arabic is a gendered language. The feminine and masculine forms of the pronouns are used depending on the gender of the noun being replaced.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to indicate specific people or objects in relation to the speaker. They can be either near or far in distance or time. Here are the demonstrative pronouns in Mesopotamian Arabic:

Mesopotamian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
هذا	hadha	this (masculine)
هذه	hadhihi	this (feminine)
ذلك	dhalika	that (masculine)
ذلكَ	dhalika	that (feminine)

Here's an example dialogue:

• Person 1: هذا كتابي. (Hadha kitabi.) - "This is my book."
• Person 2: هذه قلمي. (Hadhihi qalami.) - "This is my pen."

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show ownership of a specific object or person. In Mesopotamian Arabic, they are attached to the end of a noun. Here are the possessive pronouns in Mesopotamian Arabic:

Mesopotamian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
ي	yi-	my
كَ	ka-	your (masculine, singular)
كِ	ki-	your (feminine, singular)
هُوَ	huwa-	his
هِيَ	hiya-	hers
نَحنُ	naHnu-	our
كُما	kuma-	you (dual)
كُم	kum-	your (masculine, plural)
كُنَّ	kunna-	your (feminine, plural)
هُمَا	huma-	their (dual)
هُم	hum-	their (masculine, plural)
هُنَّ	hunna-	their (feminine, plural)

Here's an example dialogue:

• Person 1: هذا كتابي. (Hadha kitabi.) - "This is my book."
• Person 2: هذه قلمي. (Hadhihi qalami.) - "This is my pen."

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. In Mesopotamian Arabic, they are similar to the English pronouns "who," "what," "where," "when," "why," and "how." Here are the interrogative pronouns in Mesopotamian Arabic:

Mesopotamian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
من	man	who
ما	ma	what, why
أين	'ayna	where
متى	mata	when
لِماذا	limadha	why
كيف	kayf	how

Here's an example dialogue:

• Person 1: من هوَ هذا؟ (Man huwa hadha?) - "Who is this?"
• Person 2: هذا أخي. (Hadha akhi.) - "This is my brother."

Remember, to improve your Mesopotamian Arabic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Arabic Pronouns Wikipedia Page
• Wikipedia Article on Demonstrative Pronouns
• Wikipedia Article on Possessive Pronouns