Attached Pronouns
In Arabic, you do not use separate words to say "to him," "from us," or "for me." Instead, you attach a pronoun suffix directly to the end of the preposition.
Here are the most common pronoun suffixes:
| Suffix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ـي | me |
| ـك | you |
| ـه | him / it (masculine) |
| ـها | her / it (feminine) |
| ـنا | us |
| ـكم | you all (plural) |
| ـهم | them (plural) |
Combining with "For" (لـ) and "From" (من)
When attaching these suffixes to standard prepositions like لـ (for/to) or من (from), they generally connect straight to the final letter.
- لـ (for): Becomes لي (for me), لك (for you), لكم (for you all).
- من (from): Becomes منه (from him) or منهم (from them).
Note on spelling: When attaching the suffix ـنا (us) to من (from), the two ن letters merge into one with a shadda (ّ), making منا (from us).
| Is this heavy parcel for you? | هل هذا الطرد الثقيل لك؟hal hâdhâ at-tardu ath-thaqîlu laka? |
| The heavy box is for you all, and the light box is for me. | الصندوق الثقيل لكم، والصندوق الخفيف لي.assundûqu aththaqîlu lakum, wassundûqu alkhafîfu lî. |
| The girl received a beautiful gift from him. | استلمت البنت هدية جميلة منه.istalamati l-bintu hadiyyatan jamîlatan minhu |
| He received the parcel from us. | استلم الطرد منا.istalama at-tarda minnâ. |
Prepositions Ending in Alif Maqsura (إلى and على)
Prepositions like إلى (to) and على (on) end in a letter that looks like a dotless yaa (ى), called Alif Maqsura. When you attach a pronoun suffix to these words, the ى "stands up" and changes into a regular ي.
- إلى (to) + ـها = إليها (to her / to it)
- على (on) + ـها = عليها (on her / on it)
Tip: Remember that all nouns in Arabic have a gender. When talking about objects, you will use ـه for masculine nouns and ـها for feminine nouns.
| He sent the letter to her by mail. | أرسل الرسالة إليها بالبريد.arsala r-risâlata ilayhâ bil-barîd. |
| The letter is here. Where is the postage stamp? It is on it. | الرسالة هنا. أين طابع البريد؟ هو عليها.ar-risâlatu hunâ. ayna tâbiu l-barîdi? huwa alayhâ. |
Prepositions Ending in regular letters (في and مع)
For prepositions like في (in) and مع (with), the suffixes attach predictably to the end of the word.
- في (in) + ـه = فيه (in him / in it)
- مع (with) + ـها = معها (with her / with it)
| The box is light. Is there a gift in it? | الصندوق خفيف. هل فيه هدية؟as-sundûqu khafîfun. hal fîhi hadiyyatun? |
| He sent the letter and the gift with it. | أرسل الرسالة والهدية معها.arsala r-risâlata wal-hadiyyata ma'ahâ |
