A sentence or a phrase?
You already know that هذا or هذه followed by an indefinite noun is a complete sentence: this is a book. Put the article ال on the noun and it stops being a sentence. هذا الكتاب is only a phrase — this book — and you still have to say something about it.
| This is a new book. | هذا كتاب جديد.hâdhâ kitâbun jadîdun |
| This book is new. | هذا الكتاب جديد.hâdhâ al-kitâbu jadîdun. |
The first says this is a new book: the adjective describes an indefinite noun. The second says this book is new: the adjective is what you are saying about this book.
| Arabic | structure | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| هذا كتاب | this + indefinite noun | this is a book |
| هذا الكتاب | this + ال-noun | this book (a phrase) |
| هذا الكتاب جديد | phrase + adjective | this book is new |
| هذا هو الكتاب | this + هو + ال-noun | this is the book |
This is THE book
To say this is the book — with a definite noun as the thing you are pointing out — Arabic puts the pronoun هو (or هي for a feminine noun) between the two parts. Without it, the words would read as the phrase this book. The pronoun matches the demonstrative and is not translated.
| This is the book. | هذا هو الكتاب.hâdhâ huwa al-kitâbu |
| This is the car. | هذه هي السيارة.hâdhihi hiya as-sayyâratu |
| This man is the new student. | هذا الرجل هو الطالب الجديد.hâdhâ ar-rajulu huwa at-tâlibu al-jadîd |
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