Lesson 5: “My” and definite nominal sentences
Lesson 5 teaches:
 the first person singular genitive suffix: how to say “my……..”
 The pronoun of separation to make a definite nominal sentence.
To say “my………”
Suffix:
An ending made up of one or more letters that is added to a word to change its form or its
meaning.
For example: reading walking eaten books etc.
To say “my something” in Arabic, the first person genitive
‫( ي‬ee) suffix needs to be added to the
end of the noun to which you are possessing.
The adding of this
Ie:
‫ ي‬suffix gives the meaning of “my” to the word.
‫ِكتَابْي‬
My book
When you claim possession over something, the object which is being possessed has to be
definite in meaning – because of the fact it is possessed.
For example, we would not say in English “my the car”. It is the same in Arabic. When adding the
suffix meaning “my” there is no need for the definite article
ْ‫( ال‬nor is there the need for tanween).
All you need to do is:
ْ‫الْ ِكتَاب‬
‫ِكتَابْي‬
ْ‫ِكتَاب‬
my book
Add the suffix
‫ ي‬at the end
Remove
ْ‫ ال‬and the final
the book
ْ‫ِكتَاب‬
a book
vowel if definite.
Start with your noun
(or tanween if indefinite)
(Arabic Gems: Lesson 5) page 1
If the word ends in taa’marbootah, then you need to change it to an open taa
‫ ت‬first before
adding the suffix.
‫حياتي‬
‫حيات‬
ْ‫َحياة‬
My life
Add the suffix
(a) life
‫ ي‬at the end
Remove
ْ‫ ال‬and the final
vowel if definite or tanween if
indefinite.
Replace the taa’marbootah
with
‫ت‬
Important:
‫ ي‬, there will be no change for case. It
will always end ‫ي‬
When adding the first person singular genitive suffix
If we have a noun which ends in Alif, then the suffix will become
ْ‫ي‬
َ ‫هدا‬
‫هدا‬
ْ‫ي‬
َ –adding a fatha.
ْ‫هدى‬
You can not have alif-maqsoorah in middle of
word, only at the end. So the alif-maqsoorah
must be changed into regular alif.
Adjectives describing “my……”
When stating possession of something, we have already learnt that the noun automatically
becomes definite due to it being possessed. Therefore, any adjective which describes it must also
be definite. (remember, in lesson 1 – adjectives must agree with noun in definiteness)
For example:
ْ‫َربْي العزيز‬
ْ‫عزيز‬
‫ن َربْي ال‬
ْ ‫ِم‬
ِ
From my Mighty Lord
My Mighty Lord
Major case: ْ‫ ِمن‬is a preposition, so causes the noun ‫رب‬
َ to
be majroor (expressed through its type). Because the noun
is majroor, then the adjective must also be majroor – due to
adjectives must follow the noun
(Arabic Gems: Lesson 5) page 2
Definite nominal sentence: pronoun of separation
We learnt in lesson 1 that if we have a definite subject with an definite adjective, then you get a
simple adjectival phrase. (ie: the clear book)
And we learnt also in lesson 1, that if we have a definite subject with an indefinite adjective, then
we have a simple nominal sentence (the x is y). (ie: the book is clear)
However, what if we want to make a nominal sentence with a definite subject and a definite
predicate? – for example, if we want to say “Allah is the glorious” – that’s a definite subject (Allah)
and a definite predicate “the glorious” as a sentence!
-to do this, an extra word is needed!
We must place a third person pronoun (ie
ْ‫ي | ه َو‬
َْ ‫ ) هنْ | همْ ِه‬that agrees with the subject
in number and gender, between the subject and the predicate.
The X is the Y
Example 1:
3rd person pronoun of separation
ْ‫األمهاتْ هنْ اللطيفات‬
The mothers are the gentle (ones)
The X is the Y
-
ْ‫ األمهات‬Feminine plural
-
So pronoun of separation must be feminine plural:
-
Lastly, the predicate must agree with subject in gender and number, so in this case, must also
be feminine and plural:
example 2:
ْ‫هن‬
ْ‫اللطيفات‬
3rd person pronoun of separation
َ‫قَومي همْ ال‬
ْ‫ون‬
َ ‫صالح‬
ِ
My people are the righteous
The X is the Y
-
‫ قَومي‬masculine singular but plural meaning
(Arabic Gems: Lesson 5) page 3
ْ‫هم‬
-
So, the pronoun of separation must be masculine plural to agree with the subject
-
Therefore, the predicate must also be masculine and plural to agree with the subject
َ‫ال‬
ْ‫ون‬
َ ‫صالح‬
ِ
Example 3:
3rd person pronoun of separation
ْ‫ي الخالِدة‬
َْ ‫الحياةْ في الجن ِةْ ِه‬
The life in Jannah is the everlasting
The X is the Y
-
ْ‫ الحياةْ في الجن ِة‬Is feminine singular subject
-
so the pronoun of separation must be feminine 3rd person
-
ْ‫ِه َي‬
therefore, the predicate must be feminine singular ْ
‫الخالِدة‬
Adding the 3rd person pronoun does not affect the case or anything else in the sentence,
other than rendering it to be a definite nominal sentence.
You do not translate the 3rd person pronoun literally in such sentences, rather you would say
“is” or “are” etc, just how is done in the simple nominal sentences the x is y.
The formula to remember the definite nominal sentence is The X is the Y. (the 3rd person
pronoun being placed between the X and the Y)
Everything that comes before the pronoun is the X and everything after is the Y.
Note:
Sometimes, in the Qur’an, two definite words (one of them being Allah or one of His Names) are
used together to make a nominal sentence, without using the pronoun of separation
eg
‫َربِّي للا ه‬
My Lord is Allah
and not
My Lord, Allah
(Arabic Gems: Lesson 5) page 4
Lesson 5: Quick revision summary
To say “my something” in Arabic, the first person genitive
‫( ي‬ee) suffix needs to be added to the
end of the noun to which you are possessing.
Ie
‫ ِكتَابْي‬my book
Words ending taa’marbootah – change taa’marbootah to open ta before adding suffix
Ie
ْ‫َحياة‬
‫حياتي‬
my life
Nouns ending Alif - then the suffix will become
ْ‫ي‬
َ –(instead of ‫“ ي‬ee”)
Adjectives agree with noun in 4 things –
so when noun is possessed by 1st person possessive suffix – noun is definite, therefore adjective
must be definite.
also, don’t forget to match gender, number and case!
To make definite nominal sentence: The X is The Y
Add 3rd person pronoun
ْ‫ي | ه َو‬
َْ ‫ هنْ | همْ ِه‬that agrees with the subject in number and gender,
between the subject and the predicate. (do not translate)
Has no effect on case
(Arabic Gems: Lesson 5) page 5