"My", "your", "his" as endings
Arabic has no separate words for "my, your, his". Instead, a short suffix is attached to the end of the noun. The suffixes follow the same distinctions as the independent pronouns: masculine and feminine "you", "they".
| Suffix | Example | Sound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ـي | كِتَابِي | kitābī | my book |
| ـكَ | كِتَابُكَ | kitābuka | your book (man) |
| ـكِ | كِتَابُكِ | kitābuki | your book (woman) |
| ـهُ | كِتَابُهُ | kitābuhu | his book |
| ـهَا | كِتَابُهَا | kitābuhā | her book |
| ـنَا | كِتَابُنَا | kitābunā | our book |
| ـكُمْ | كِتَابُكُمْ | kitābukum | your book (men, mixed) |
| ـكُنَّ | كِتَابُكُنَّ | kitābukunna | your book (women) |
| ـهُمْ | كِتَابُهُمْ | kitābuhum | their book (men, mixed) |
| ـهُنَّ | كِتَابُهُنَّ | kitābuhunna | their book (women) |
Three rules for the noun
1. The noun loses ال and tanween. The suffix already makes it definite: كِتَابٌ / الْكِتَابُ → كِتَابِي.
2. ة becomes ت. The hidden t is pronounced before the suffix:
- سَيَّارَةٌ → سَيَّارَتِي (sayyāratī) — my car
- مَدْرَسَةٌ → مَدْرَسَتُهَا (madrasatuhā) — her school
- غُرْفَةٌ → غُرْفَتُنَا (ghurfatunā) — our room
3. The case vowel stays before the suffix. You hear -u- in the subject (كِتَابُكَ) and -i- after a preposition (فِي كِتَابِكَ). After i or ī, the vowel of ـهُ and ـهُمْ also becomes i: فِي بَيْتِهِ (fī baytihi, in his house), فِي بَيْتِهِمْ (fī baytihim).
Adding an adjective
A noun with a suffix is definite, so an adjective describing it takes ال. Without ال you get a sentence:
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| بَيْتِي الْكَبِيرُ | my big house |
| بَيْتِي كَبِيرٌ. | My house is big. |
| سَيَّارَتُهُ الْجَدِيدَةُ | his new car |
| سَيَّارَتُهُ جَدِيدَةٌ. | His car is new. |
"His" or "her" for things
The suffix follows the gender of the owner, as in English. For things, choose by the noun's grammatical gender: الْكِتَابُ وَغِلَافُهُ (the book and its cover), الْمَدِينَةُ وَشَوَارِعُهَا (the city and its streets).
Watch out as an English speaker
- Keeping the article: ✗ الْكِتَابِي / ✓ كِتَابِي. The suffix replaces ال.
- Forgetting the t of ة: ✗ سَيَّارَةِي / ✓ سَيَّارَتِي.
- "Your" has a gender. ✗ مَا اسْمُكَ؟ (to a woman) / ✓ مَا اسْمُكِ؟
- "My big house" is not بَيْتِي كَبِيرٌ (that means "My house is big"). ✓ بَيْتِي الْكَبِيرُ.
Example dialogue
مَا اسْمُكِ؟ — What is your name? (to a woman)
اِسْمِي لَيْلَى. وَمَا اسْمُكَ؟ — My name is Layla. And what is your name? (to a man)
اِسْمِي عُمَرُ. هَذِهِ سَيَّارَتِي. — My name is Omar. This is my car.
وَهَلْ هَذَا بَيْتُكَ؟ — And is this your house?
لَا، هَذَا بَيْتُ أَخِي. بَيْتُهُ كَبِيرٌ. — No, this is my brother's house. His house is big.