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No Word for “Mine”? How to Express Possessive Pronouns in Arabic
Unlike English, Arabic has no direct equivalents for possessive pronouns like “mine” or “yours.” This article demonstrates a straightforward way to express possession by repeating the possessed noun and attaching the appropriate pronoun suffix, as in “هٰذِهِ السَّيّارةُ سَيَّارَتِي” (This car is mine).
Possessive pronouns in Arabic can be tricky for English speakers, as Arabic does not have direct equivalents for words like “mine,” “yours,” “his,” or “hers.”
This article presents a clear and effective method to express such possessive pronouns in Arabic: by repeating the thing being possessed and attaching the corresponding pronoun suffix to it, as in the example, “هٰذِهِ السَّيّارةُ سَيَّارَتِي” (This car is mine).
In Arabic, there are no words like mine; yours; his or hers which we call possessive pronouns in English. There are several ways to express the same meaning.
Let’s take a look at a pretty easy and solid solution.
You could, for example, repeat the thing being possessed and add the appropriate pronoun suffix.
| This car is mine. | هٰذِهِ السَّيّارةُ سَيَّارَتِي |
| The book is hers. | الْكِتابُ كِتابُها |
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Wanna cite this article?
Drißner, G. (2016, March 5). No Word for “Mine”? How to Express Possessive Pronouns in Arabic. Arabic for Nerds. https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/possessive-pronoun-arabic/
Published: March 5, 2016
Please check the citation before use, especially if your style guide has local requirements.
Publication ISSN: 3055-1730
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