Unlike English, which only distinguishes between singular and plural, Arabic has a specific grammatical number for exactly two people or things: the dual.
Independent Dual Pronouns
When using a pronoun as the subject of a sentence (like "you" or "they"), use the independent dual pronouns. Conveniently, dual pronouns are completely gender-neutral—you use the exact same word for two men, two women, or one man and one woman.
- أنتما (you two)
- هما (they two)
| Are you two partners in this shared project? | هل أنتما شريكان في هذا المشروع المشترك؟hal antumâ sharîkâni fî hâdhâ al-mashrû'i al-mushtaraki |
| Yes, they (two) are very optimistic partners. | نعم، هما شريكان متفائلان جدا.na'am, humâ sharîkâni mutafâ'ilâni jiddan. |
Attached Dual Pronouns
When a pronoun indicates possession (attached to a noun) or acts as an object (attached to a preposition or particle), it takes a suffix form.
- ـكما (your / you [two]) corresponds to أنتما.
- ـهما (their / them [two]) corresponds to هما.
Here is how they attach to the end of nouns to show shared possession:
| Their (two) experience in trade is excellent. | خبرتهما في التجارة ممتازة.khibratuhumâ fi t-tijârati mumtâzatun. |
| This shared business is your (two) future. | هذا العمل المشترك هو مستقبلكما.hâdhâ alamalu almushtaraku huwa mustaqbalukumâ |
Attaching to Prepositions and Particles
The exact same suffixes attach to prepositions (like لـ for "to/for" or بين for "between") and conjunctions or particles (like لكن for "but").
| Financing is important for you two in this project. | التمويل مهم لكما في هذا المشروع.at-tamwîlu muhimmun lakumâ fî hâdhâ al-mashrû‘. |
| Experience and financing are important for them (two) in trade. | الخبرة والتمويل مهمان لهما في التجارة.al-khibratu wat-tamwîlu muhimmâni lahumâ fit-tijârati. |
| The company is new, but they (two) are very optimistic. | الشركة جديدة، لكنهما متفائلان جدا.ash-sharikatu jadidatun, lâkinnahumâ mutafâ'ilâni jiddan. |
