هذا ابني.

This is my son.

Breakdown of هذا ابني.

• هذا: this
• ابن: son

Questions & Answers about هذا ابني.

How do I pronounce هذا ابني?

A simple learner pronunciation is hādhā ibnī.

• هذا = hādhā
• ابني = ibnī

A few pronunciation notes:

• dh here sounds like the th in this, not the th in think.
• The ā is a long vowel, so hold it a little longer.
• ابني means my son.

In careful grammar, ابن begins with a special kind of hamza, so in fully connected formal pronunciation the initial i can weaken or drop. But for a learner, hādhā ibnī is a perfectly useful way to say it.

What does each word mean?

The sentence has two parts:

• هذا = this
• ابني = my son

And ابني itself breaks down into:

• ابن = son
• ـي = my

So literally, it is this my son, which in natural English is This is my son.

Why is there no word for is?