The grown-on pronouns: raʾaituhu, aʿtaituhaa
The short pronouns do not stand beside a word — they grow onto its end, like the "-self" and "-to" of other languages. From this come long-looking words that are read in one gulp. For example: “أعطيتُه المفتاح وأخذتُ الكتاب” — I gave him the key and took the book. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The short pronouns do not stand beside a word — they grow onto its end, like the "-self" and "-to" of other languages. From this come long-looking words that are read in one gulp.
To the verb the suffix sets the object: raʾaituhu — I saw him, akhadtuhaa — I took her, samiʿanii — he heard me. The order is strict: first the ending of the doer ("-tu" — I), then the pronoun of the object.
To the noun the same suffix replaces the article: kitaab — a book, but kitaabuhu — his book. The article "al" and the suffix are never together: "al-kitaabuhu" is never said.
After prepositions the suffix works too, and in some prepositions the vowel lengthens: maʿahu — with him, ʿanhaa — about her, lahu — to him. And after ʿalaa and ilaa — "ʿalayya" — on me, "ilaaynaa" — to us. From this come the long shapes like "ilaayhi" — to him.
Table
| suffix | example | transcription | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| -hu | رأيتُه | raʾaituhu | I saw him |
| -haa | أخذتُها | akhadtuhā | I took her |
| -hum | زرتُهم | zurtuhum | I visited them |
| -nii | سمعني | samiʿanii | he heard me |
| -ka | كتابك | kitaabuk | your book |
| -naa | بيتنا | baitunaa | our house |
| preposition + suffix | معه | maʿahu | with him |
| preposition + suffix | عليها | ʿalaihaa | on her |
By example
- أعطيتُه المفتاح وأخذتُ الكتابаʿтайтуху аль-мифтаах ва-ахазту аль-китаабI gave him the key and took the book
- سألتها عن الطريق فوصفت ليсаʾалтуха ʿан ат-тариик фа-васафат лиI asked her about the road, and she described it to me
- كتابك على الطاولةкитаабук ʿаля ат-таавиляYour book is on the table
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The grown-on pronouns: how does it work in Arabic?
The short pronouns do not stand beside a word — they grow onto its end, like the "-self" and "-to" of other languages. From this come long-looking words that are read in one gulp.
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“أعطيتُه المفتاح وأخذتُ الكتاب” (аʿтайтуху аль-мифтаах ва-ахазту аль-китааб) — I gave him the key and took the book. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.