هاي صورة شخصية.

this

Breakdown of هاي صورة شخصية.

• صورة شخصية: the portrait

Questions & Answers about هاي صورة شخصية.

What does هاي mean in this sentence?

هاي means this.

In Levantine Arabic, هاي is a common feminine singular demonstrative, so it is used with feminine nouns like صورة.

So:

• هاي صورة = this is a photo / this photo
• Compare with masculine: هاد كتاب = this is a book

Because صورة is feminine, هاي is the right form here.

Why is صورة treated as feminine?

صورة is a feminine noun in Arabic.

One big clue is the ending ة (called taa marbuuTa in grammar terms). Very often, nouns ending in ة are feminine. Since صورة is feminine, words that go with it also need to match it, such as:

• the demonstrative: هاي
• the adjective: شخصية

So the sentence shows feminine agreement all the way through.

Why is there no word for is?

In Arabic, the present-tense verb to be is usually omitted.

So instead of saying something like This is a personal photo with a separate word for is, Arabic simply says:

• هاي صورة شخصية

This is completely normal. It is called a nominal sentence.