Demonstrative Pronouns (أسماء الإشارة) #
The demonstrative pronoun (اِسْم الإشَارَة ism al-ishārah) is a word used to point to something specific. It always comes before the noun it refers to and makes that noun definite.
Its role is to indicate whether the thing being pointed to is:
- Singular, Dual (المُثنّى), or Plural
- Masculine or Feminine
- Near (قريب) or Far (بعيد)
Demonstrative Pronouns (أسماء الإشارة) #
| Number | Human / Non-human | Near (قريب) | Far (بعيد) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Masculine | هٰذَا | ذٰلِكَ |
| Singular | Feminine | هٰذِهِ | تِلْكَ |
| Plural | Human (masc/fem) | هٰؤُلَاءِ | أُولٰئِكَ |
| Plural | Non-human (all) | هٰذِهِ (fem. sg.) | تِلْكَ (fem. sg.) |
Mnemonic: #
- Think of هٰذَا / هٰذِهِ as “this” (close),
- and ذٰلِكَ / تِلْكَ as “that” (far).
For plurals:
- “these (people)” → هٰؤُلَاءِ
- “those (people)” → أُولٰئِكَ
Note: Non-human plural uses feminine singular form.
- “these (books)” → هٰذِهِ
- “those (books)” → تِلْكَ