Learn Arabic (Modern Standard): هل أنتما شريكان في هذا المشروع المشترك؟ - Are you two partners in this shared project?

No, أنتما is gender-neutral. You use it to say "you two" to two men, two women, or a mixed pair. This is a helpful shortcut compared to the plural "you", which splits into separate masculine and feminine forms.

Why does the word for partners, شريكان, end with ـان?

Because the sentence is about exactly two people (أنتما). In Arabic, you must use the dual form of the noun to match the subject. You take the singular noun شريك (partner) and add the dual suffix ـان to make it شريكان (two partners).

I noticed that شريكان (partners) and المشترك (shared) look and sound similar. Are they related?

Yes, they are built from the same three-letter root: ش - ر - ك, which is all about sharing or partnering. Recognizing these root letters can help you easily guess the meaning of new words you encounter that share this concept.

Why does المشترك (shared) have الـ attached to it if the English translation doesn't say "the shared"?

In Arabic, an adjective must match its noun in definiteness. Here, it describes المشروع (the project). Because the noun has الـ (the), the adjective describing it must also take الـ to match, creating the phrase "the shared project".