Pronouns replace names: A pronoun (Damir) is a small word that stands in place of a name, so you do not have to repeat the name every time. In English you say "he", "she", "I", "you", "we", "they". Arabic has the same idea, but the pronouns are shorter and they also hide inside verbs and attach to nouns.
The separate pronouns: The separate pronouns are: هُوَ (he), هِيَ (she), أَنْتَ (you — to a man), أَنْتِ (you — to a woman), أَنَا (I), نَحْنُ (we), هُمْ (they). Two things to notice: Arabic has no word for "it" — everything is "he" or "she". And "you" changes for a man and a woman.
Pronouns attached to words: Arabic also glues pronouns onto the ends of words. كِتَابُهُ is "his book" (kitāb + hu). كِتَابُهَا is "her book". لَهُ is "for him" or "to him". بِهِ is "by him" or "with him". عَلَيْهِمْ is "upon them". فِيهِ is "in it" or "in him". Once you know the little endings, you can read whole phrases without a dictionary.
Pronouns inside verbs: Verbs carry their pronouns inside them. كَتَبَ already means "HE wrote" — the "he" is built into the verb. كَتَبَتْ means "SHE wrote". كَتَبْتَ means "YOU wrote" (to a man). The ending of the verb tells you who did the action.
Example
One word, three readings: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ — "Say: He is Allah, the One." The pronoun هُوَ (He) stands for Allah — no name is needed, because the pronoun carries it. When you see هُوَ in the Quran, stop and ask: who is "He" here? The answer is usually Allah.
Key Terms
- Damir (ضمیر) — a pronoun; a small word that stands in place of a name
- Huwa (هُوَ) — "he"; also used for "He" (Allah)
- Hiya (هِيَ) — "she"
- Attached pronoun (ضمير متصل) — a pronoun glued to the end of a word, like ـهُ (his) or ـهَا (her)
Quran or Hadith
Quran 112:1 — قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ — "Say: He is Allah, the One." — to be checked. The whole of Surah al-Ikhlas turns on one small pronoun — هُوَ — and the course uses this verse to teach pronoun subjects in the noun sentence.
Fresh diagram to be drawn: A small table in Project Desk colours — seven separate pronouns (هُوَ, هِيَ, أَنْتَ, أَنْتِ, أَنَا, نَحْنُ, هُمْ) with their English meanings, plus three attached pronouns (ـهُ, ـهَا, ـهِمْ) on the word كِتَاب.
- A pronoun (Damir) stands in place of a name: هُوَ (he), هِيَ (she), أَنَا (I), نَحْنُ (we).
- Arabic has no word for "it" — everything is "he" or "she"; "you" changes for a man and a woman.
- Pronouns also attach to the ends of words (كِتَابُهُ — his book) and hide inside verbs (كَتَبَ — he wrote).