Near Demonstratives: هذا، هذه، هذان، هاتان، هؤلاء | Arabic (Modern Standard) Grammar

Arabic near demonstratives point to a person or thing understood as close to the speaker: هذا “this” for masculine singular nouns, هذه for feminine singular nouns, dual هذان/هاتان, and plural هؤلاء for people. Unlike English this book, the ordinary Arabic phrase هذا الكتاب keeps the definite article on the noun.

That article matters. هذا الكتاب مفيد means “this book is useful,” while هذا كتاب مفيد means “this is a useful book.” Arabic has no present-tense is in either sentence; definiteness tells the listener whether the noun belongs to the pointing phrase or serves as its predicate.

The wider interaction between pointing words and noun-phrase definiteness is developed on Demonstratives with Definite Nouns.

The near-demonstrative paradigm

Choose the form from the Arabic noun's grammatical gender and number, not from the English translation alone. Dual demonstratives also show case. Singular هذا، هذه and plural هؤلاء do not change their written form for nominative, accusative, or genitive function.

Reference	Nominative	Accusative / genitive	Example phrase
masculine singular	هذا	هذا	هذا المفتاح — this key
feminine singular	هذه	هذه	هذه البطاقة — this card
masculine dual	هذان	هذين	هذان الطالبان / هذين الطالبين
feminine dual	هاتان	هاتين	هاتان الطبيبتان / هاتين الطبيبتين
human plural, any gender	هؤلاء	هؤلاء	هؤلاء الموظفون / هؤلاء الموظفات
nonhuman plural	هذه	هذه	هذه الأجهزة — these devices

Fully vocalized هَٰذَا، هَٰذِهِ، هَٰذَانِ، هَٰذَيْنِ، هَٰؤُلَاءِ contain a pronounced long ā that ordinary spelling does not show with a full-sized alif. Educational vocalization uses superscript alif. هَاتَانِ، هَاتَيْنِ already contain the relevant full alif in ordinary spelling.

Masculine and feminine singular

Use هذا with a masculine singular noun and هذه with a feminine singular noun. Many feminine nouns end in ة, but gender must sometimes be learned with the noun.

هذا المفتاح لك، والآخر لحارس المبنى.

hādhā l-miftāḥu laka, wa-l-ʾākharu li-ḥārisi l-mabnā.

This key is for you, and the other one is for the building guard. (One male addressee.)

هذه البطاقة صالحة حتى نهاية الشهر.

hādhihi l-biṭāqatu ṣāliḥatun ḥattā nihāyati sh-shahr.

This card is valid until the end of the month.

The demonstrative usually comes before a simple definite noun. Postnominal placement exists in marked structures and after some construct phrases, but it is not the neutral A1 pattern for “this noun.”

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Learn the noun with its gender: هذا باب “this is a door,” but هذه دار “this is a house.” A feminine noun does not always advertise its gender with ة.

Dual forms show case

Arabic has dedicated forms for exactly two. In nominative position use هذان with a masculine dual and هاتان with a feminine dual. After a preposition or as a direct object, use هذين and هاتين.

هذان الطالبان مستعدان للعرض.

hādhāni ṭ-ṭālibāni mustaʿiddāni li-l-ʿarḍ.

These two students are ready for the presentation.

تحدثت مع هذين الطالبين بعد المحاضرة.

taḥaddathtu maʿa hādhayni ṭ-ṭālibayni baʿda l-muḥāḍara(h).

I spoke with these two students after the lecture.

هاتان الطبيبتان مناوبتان هذا المساء.

hātāni ṭ-ṭabībatāni munāwibatāni hādhā l-masāʾ.

These two doctors are on duty this evening.

سلمت على هاتين الطبيبتين عند المدخل.

sallamtu ʿalā hātayni ṭ-ṭabībatayni ʿinda l-madkhal.

I greeted these two doctors at the entrance.

The demonstrative and noun change together. English has one form these and therefore gives no warning that Arabic must distinguish nominative ـان from accusative/genitive ـين.

Human plurals and nonhuman plurals

هؤلاء is the regular near demonstrative for plural people, masculine or feminine. In traditional terminology, it selects rational plural reference. For ordinary learners, “people use هؤلاء” is the reliable core rule.

هؤلاء المترجمون يعملون في القسم الدولي.

hāʾulāʾi l-mutarjimūna yaʿmalūna fī l-qismi d-duwaliyy.

These translators work in the international department.

هؤلاء المهندسات صممن النظام الجديد.

hāʾulāʾi l-muhandisātu ṣammamna n-niẓāma l-jadīd.

These female engineers designed the new system.

Both examples place the plural human subject before the verb, so the verb is plural too. When a verb comes before an overt plural subject, formal MSA normally uses a singular verb instead; changing the order can therefore change verbal agreement.

Nonhuman plurals normally take feminine singular agreement, including هذه:

هذه المصانع تنتج أدوية محلية.

hādhihi l-maṣāniʿu tuntiju ʾadwiyatan maḥalliyya(h).

These factories produce locally made medicines.

The plural noun المصانع remains morphologically plural, but demonstrative and later agreement are feminine singular. This is a central Arabic agreement pattern, not a judgment that factories are grammatically singular in every respect.

Literary personification can exceptionally treat a nonhuman plural as rational and use هؤلاء (literary). Neutral factual MSA uses feminine singular هذه with nonhuman plurals.

“This book” versus “this is a book”

Compare a definite demonstrative phrase with an indefinite predicate:

هذا الجهاز عملي في الرحلات الطويلة.

hādhā l-jihāzu ʿamaliyyun fī r-riḥlāti ṭ-ṭawīla(h).

This device is practical on long trips.

هذا جهاز عملي للرحلات الطويلة.

hādhā jihāzun ʿamaliyyun li-r-riḥlāti ṭ-ṭawīla(h).

This is a practical device for long trips.

In the first sentence, هذا الجهاز is one definite subject phrase. In the second, هذا is the subject and جهاز عملي is an indefinite predicate. English uses a copula to show the second structure; Arabic uses juxtaposition and definiteness.

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When you mean “this specific noun,” use demonstrative + الـ + noun. When you mean “this is a noun,” the predicate noun is normally indefinite.

Near and far

Near demonstratives encode the speaker's chosen deictic center, not a measured distance. Far demonstratives such as ذلك and تلك contrast with them and can also carry discourse distance or contrast.

هذا الباب مفتوح، وذلك الباب مغلق.

hādhā l-bābu maftūḥun, wa-dhālika l-bābu mughlaq.

This door is open, and that door is closed.

Several regional varieties use forms such as ده or هاد and often place demonstratives differently (regional: varies by region). Those forms belong to their own spoken systems. Formal MSA writing uses the paradigm on this page.

Definite antecedents and relative clauses

A definite noun phrase can be followed by a matching relative pronoun. A plural human antecedent takes الذين for a masculine/mixed group or اللاتي/اللواتي for a feminine group in formal MSA. When the antecedent has a prepositional role inside the relative clause, the preposition carries a resumptive suffix.

هؤلاء الباحثون الذين تعاونت معهم نشروا النتائج اليوم.

hāʾulāʾi l-bāḥithūna lladhīna taʿāwantu maʿahum nasharū n-natāʾija l-yawm.

These researchers whom I collaborated with published the results today.

The suffix ـهم in معهم resumes الباحثون. English can end with with; Arabic مع must have an object.

Dual antecedents retain dual matching and an object suffix when their role requires it:

هاتان الطالبتان اللتان دعوتهما وصلتا مبكرا.

hātāni ṭ-ṭālibatāni llatāni daʿawtuhumā waṣalatā mubakkirā.

These two students whom I invited arrived early.

By contrast, an indefinite antecedent normally takes a directly following adjectival clause without الذي:

هذا كتاب يشرح الفكرة بأمثلة واضحة.

hādhā kitābun yashraḥu l-fikrata bi-ʾamthilatin wāḍiḥa(h).

This is a book that explains the idea with clear examples.

The underlying architecture is a definiteness contrast: definite antecedent الكتاب الذي..., indefinite antecedent كتاب يشرح.... It is not simply an optional choice to insert English that as الذي.

Demonstratives as discourse links

A demonstrative can retrieve a noun introduced in the previous sentence and mark it as the new topic.

وصلت شحنة جديدة صباحا. هذه الشحنة مخصصة للمستشفى.

waṣalat shuḥnatun jadīdatun ṣabāḥā. hādhihi sh-shuḥnatu mukhaṣṣaṣatun li-l-mustashfā.

A new shipment arrived this morning. This shipment is intended for the hospital.

The first شحنة is indefinite because it introduces new information. The second is identifiable, so هذه الشحنة forms a definite phrase and carries the discourse forward.

Common Mistakes

Leaving the noun indefinite when you mean “this noun”

❌ هذه سيارة تحتاج إلى إصلاح.

Incorrect for the intended meaning “this car needs repair”; without al-, the natural structure is “this is a car that needs repair.”

✅ هذه السيارة تحتاج إلى إصلاح.

hādhihi s-sayyāratu taḥtāju ʾilā ʾiṣlāḥ.

This car needs repair.

Ignoring the dual

❌ هؤلاء الطالبان مستعدان.

Incorrect — exactly two students require the dual demonstrative hādhāni.

✅ هذان الطالبان مستعدان.

hādhāni ṭ-ṭālibāni mustaʿiddān.

These two students are ready.

Adding الذي after an indefinite antecedent

❌ اشتريت كتابا الذي يشرح تاريخ المدينة.

Incorrect — the indefinite antecedent takes a directly following adjectival clause, without alladhī.

✅ اشتريت كتابا يشرح تاريخ المدينة.

ʾishtaraytu kitāban yashraḥu tārīkha l-madīna(h).

I bought a book that explains the city's history.

Stranding a preposition in a relative clause

❌ هؤلاء الباحثون الذين عملت مع نشروا النتائج.

Incorrect — maʿ requires a plural resumptive suffix referring to the researchers.

✅ هؤلاء الباحثون الذين عملت معهم نشروا النتائج.

hāʾulāʾi l-bāḥithūna lladhīna ʿamiltu maʿahum nasharū n-natāʾij.

These researchers whom I worked with published the results.

Using هؤلاء with nonhuman plurals

❌ هؤلاء الأجهزة موفرة للطاقة.

Incorrect — the nonhuman plural al-ʾajhiza normally takes feminine singular hādhihi.

✅ هذه الأجهزة موفرة للطاقة.

hādhihi l-ʾajhizatu muwaffiratun li-ṭ-ṭāqa(h).

These devices are energy-efficient.

Key Takeaways

Use هذا for masculine singular, هذه for feminine singular, and dedicated هذان/هذين، هاتان/هاتين forms for the dual.
Use هؤلاء for plural people; nonhuman plurals normally take feminine singular هذه.
Neutral “this noun” is demonstrative + definite noun; an indefinite noun after the demonstrative is normally a predicate.
A definite antecedent selects an overt relative pronoun, while an indefinite antecedent takes a directly following adjectival clause.
Relative prepositions carry resumptive suffixes; English-style preposition stranding is not the formal Arabic pattern.

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