Now that you know the dual pronouns هما (they two) and أنتما (you two), it is time to put them into action. Just like singular and plural verbs, Arabic verbs must change their shape to match a dual subject.
The Present Tense (Dual)
To conjugate a verb for two people in the present indicative tense, add the suffix ـان to the end of the verb. The prefix changes depending on who is performing the action:
| Pronoun | Prefix + Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| هما (They two, Masculine / Mixed) | يـ ... ـان | يتشابهان |
| هما (They two, Feminine) | تـ ... ـان | تتسابقان |
| أنتما (You two) | تـ ... ـان | تتسابقان |
Notice that the feminine "they two" and the gender-neutral "you two" use the exact same form. Context will always make it clear which is meant.
| Ahmed and Youssef are twins and they resemble each other very much. | أحمد ويوسف توأم وهما يتشابهان جدا.ahmadu wa yûsufu taw'amun wa humâ yatashâbahâni jiddan. |
| Maryam and Fatima are racing now. | مريم وفاطمة تتسابقان الآن.maryamu wafâtimatu tatasâbaqâni al'âna |
| Ahmed and Youssef, why do you two always race? | يا أحمد ويوسف، لماذا تتسابقان دائما؟yâ ahmadu wa yûsufu, limâdhâ tatasâbaqâni dâ'iman؟ |
The Past Tense (Dual)
In the past tense, verbs do not take prefixes. Instead, they use specific suffixes to show who performed the action:
| Pronoun | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| هما (They two, Masculine / Mixed) | ـا | تسابقا |
| هما (They two, Feminine) | ـتا | لعبتا |
| أنتما (You two) | ـتما | تسابقتما |
A helpful shortcut: the past tense suffix for "you two" (ـتما) perfectly matches the end of the pronoun itself (أنتما).
| Yesterday, Ahmed challenged Youssef and they raced in speed. | أمس، تحدى أحمد يوسف وتسابقا في السرعة.amsi, tahaddâ ahmadu yûsufa wa tasâbaqâ fî as-sur'ati |
| They (f) played well and tied. | لعبتا جيدا وتعادلتا.la'ibatâ jayyidan wa ta'âdalatâ. |
| You two raced in speed, but you tied in chess. | تسابقتما في السرعة، لكن تعادلتما في الشطرنج.tasābaqtumā fis-sur'ati, lākin ta'ādaltumā fish-shatranji |
Emphasizing "Both"
To emphasize that a pair did something together—like twin siblings engaged in a friendly rivalry—you can use the word كلاهما (both of them) alongside your dual verbs.
| Both of them race quickly, and they always tie. | كلاهما يتسابقان بسرعة، ويتعادلان دائما.kilâhumâ yatasâbaqâni bisur'atin, wa yata'âdalâni dâ'iman. |
