Demonstrative pronouns:
That
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| that boy | ذَلِكَ الولدُ |
| that pen | ذلك القلمُ |
| that car | تلك السيارةُ |
'That'
The Arabic equivalent for the English 'that' is ذلك. It is usually followed by a definite noun, to which it agrees in gender and number.
Just as 'that' in English, ذلك is used to refer to a person/object that is far. It is itself definite and can be used as the first part of a nominal sentence as we will later learn.
Not pronounced as written
Though it is written as ذلك, it is actually pronounced as ذالِكَ, with the short vowel on the ذ to be considered as a long one.
Feminine form: تلك
Whereas in English 'that' is used with all genders, in Arabic ذلك is used with masculine only, and for the feminine, the feminine form تِلْكَ is used. However, it is pronounced just as it is written.
Final vowel does not change
The final vowel of each form is fixed and does not get changed if preceded for example by a preposition. Instead, it is the following noun that is affected by whatever precedes ذلك/تلك.
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| for that boy | لذلك الولدِ |
| in that car | في تلك السيارةِ |
| I bought that car | اشتريتُ تلك السيارةَ |
In a nominal sentence
ذلك/تلك and its accompanying definite noun together can form the first part of a nominal sentence.
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| that boy is intelligent | ذلك الولدُ ذكيٌّ |
| that girl is beautiful | تلك البنتُ جميلةٌ |
As stated earlier, ذلك is definite in itself, and can thus be used as the first part of a nominal sentence. Since the second part of a nominal sentence is indefinite, it will be followed by an indefinite noun, contrary to what is seen in the examples given so far.
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| that is a pen | ذلك قلمٌ |
| that is a ruler | تلك مِسْطَرةٌ |
Can't find what you're looking for?
Please use the search box below to search for it.
Other topics availabe on this site:
Arabic alphabet
— Indefinite nouns
— Definite nouns
— Nominal sentences
Adjectives
— Feminine
— Singular pronouns
— Dual nouns
— Dual pronouns
Basic declension of nouns
— Demonstrative: This
— Demonstrative: That
Plural
— Plural pronouns
— Preposition
— There is/are
— To have
Possessive case
— Broken Plural
— Possessive Adjectives