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- Family: my, your, his and the idafa
Family: my, your, his and the idafa
Arabic does not have separate words for my, your and his. Instead, a short ending is joined to the noun.
Family words
عائِلة / أُسْرة (ʿaa'ila / usra) = family. أَب (ab) = father, أُمّ (umm) = mother, أَخ (akh) = brother, أُخْت (ukht) = sister.
جَدّ (jadd) = grandfather, جَدّة (jadda) = grandmother, اِبْن (ibn) = son, بِنْت (bint) = daughter, girl.
عَمّ (ʿamm) = uncle (father's brother), خال (khaal) = uncle (mother's brother), عَمّة / خالة = aunt.
عِنْدي (ʿindii) = I have: عِنْدي أُخْت = I have a sister.
جَدّ (jadd) = grandfather, جَدّة (jadda) = grandmother, اِبْن (ibn) = son, بِنْت (bint) = daughter, girl.
عَمّ (ʿamm) = uncle (father's brother), خال (khaal) = uncle (mother's brother), عَمّة / خالة = aunt.
عِنْدي (ʿindii) = I have: عِنْدي أُخْت = I have a sister.
Possessive endings
The idafa: X of Y
To say "my father's car", put the two nouns side by side: سَيّارةُ أَبي = the car of my father.
The first noun never takes ال: بَيْتُ جَدّي (my grandfather's house), اسْمُ أُخْتي (my sister's name).
This structure is called the idafa (إضافة).
The first noun never takes ال: بَيْتُ جَدّي (my grandfather's house), اسْمُ أُخْتي (my sister's name).
This structure is called the idafa (إضافة).
Translate: My mother's name is Huda.
- Name of my mother: idafa, اسم + أمّي.
- اسم has no ال because it is the first noun.
- No verb "is" is needed.
Answer: اسم أمّي هدى.
Possessive endings: ـي my, ـكَ/ـكِ your, ـه his, ـها her, ـنا our, ـكم your (pl), ـهم their. ة becomes ت before an ending. Idafa: noun + noun, and the first noun has no ال: سيارة أبي.
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
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