Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Pointing to Distant Groups with أولئك

In Arabic, when you want to point to a distant group of people ("those"), you use the demonstrative pronoun أولئك.

Unlike singular and dual demonstrative pronouns, أولئك is gender-neutral. You can use it to point to a group of men, a group of women, or a mixed group, as long as they are human.

When أولئك is followed by a noun with the definite article (ال), it creates a phrase meaning "those [people]".

أولئك in Different Positions

Because أولئك has a fixed form, it never changes its spelling or pronunciation regardless of its role in the sentence. However, the regular plural noun that follows it will still change its ending depending on whether it is the subject (ending in ون) or the object (ending in ين).

Here it is used with the subject of the sentence:

And here it is used with the object of a verb:

It can also be used in a possessive construction. Notice how the noun following أولئك takes the ين ending because it is being possessed:

Talking About Performances

You can use أولئك alongside new vocabulary to describe what performers are doing at a festival (مهرجان) or with a band (فرقة).