A2 Pronouns 10 min read Easy

Arabic 'This': Using (هذا & هذه)

Match demonstratives to the noun's gender and use feminine singular for all non-human plurals.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'هذا' for masculine nouns and 'هذه' for feminine nouns to point to things nearby.

  • Use هذا (hadha) for masculine singular nouns: هذا كتاب (This is a book).
  • Use هذه (hadhihi) for feminine singular nouns: هذه سيارة (This is a car).
  • Use هذه (hadhihi) for non-human plural nouns: هذه كتب (These are books).
هذا/هذه + Noun (Subject)

Overview

In Arabic, pointing to something nearby isn't a one-size-fits-all action. The language requires you to know the grammatical gender and number of what you're pointing to. This is where the near demonstrative pronouns, or أَسْمَاءُ الْإِشَارَةِ لِلْقَرِيب (asmāʾ al-ishārati lil-qarīb), come into play.

The two most fundamental are هَذَا (hādhā) for masculine and هَذِهِ (hādhihi) for feminine, both translating to "this" in English.

Mastering هَذَا and هَذِهِ is a cornerstone of A2-level Arabic. It's not just about learning two words; it's your first deep dive into the concept of agreement (تَطَابُق - taṭābuq), a principle that forms the backbone of Arabic syntax. Unlike English, where "this" works for a man, a car, or an idea, Arabic forces a grammatical choice.

This choice is dictated by the noun's inherent properties, and getting it right is essential for your sentences to be coherent.

The core system is logical: هَذَا pairs with masculine nouns, and هَذِهِ with feminine. However, Arabic presents a fascinating and powerful twist: all non-human plurals are treated as feminine singular. This means whether you're talking about books, cars, or houses, you'll use هَذِهِ, the same word you use for "this woman." Understanding this seemingly strange rule is key to unlocking fluency and thinking in an "Arabic" way, as this pattern extends to adjectives and verbs as well.

It reflects a linguistic worldview where a group of inanimate objects is conceptualized as a single, abstract entity.

How This Grammar Works

هَذَا and هَذِهِ have two primary functions that depend on whether the noun they refer to is definite (with ال) or indefinite. Your sentence structure and meaning change completely based on this distinction. Furthermore, they are both indeclinable (مَبْنِيّ - mabnī), meaning their endings never change for grammatical case, which simplifies their use significantly.
1. As a Pronoun: Stating "This is a..."
When هَذَا or هَذِهِ is followed by an indefinite noun (a noun without ال), it forms a complete nominal sentence (جُمْلَة اِسْمِيَّة). The demonstrative acts as the subject (مُبْتَدَأ), and the indefinite noun is the predicate (خَبَر). This structure makes the statement "This is a [noun]."
  • For singular masculine nouns: هَذَا بَيْتٌ. (hādhā baytun.) - This is a house.
  • For singular feminine nouns: هَذِهِ سَيَّارَةٌ. (hādhihi sayyāratun.) - This is a car.
2. As an Adjective: Specifying "This..."
When هَذَا or هَذِهِ is followed by a definite noun (a noun with ال), it no longer forms a complete sentence. Instead, it creates a noun phrase that means "This specific [noun]." The demonstrative acts like an adjective, modifying the noun. To make a full sentence, you must add a predicate.
  • For singular masculine nouns: هَذَا الْبَيْتُ جَمِيلٌ. (hādhā l-baytu jamīlun.) - This house is beautiful.
  • For singular feminine nouns: هَذِهِ السَّيَّارَةُ جَدِيدَةٌ. (hādhihi s-sayyāratu jadīdatun.) - This car is new.
Notice the difference: هَذَا بَيْتٌ is a full thought, while هَذَا الْبَيْتُ is an incomplete fragment that needs more information.
| Sentence Type | Structure | Example | Translation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Pronoun | هَذَا / هَذِهِ + Indefinite Noun | هَذَا رَجُلٌ. | This is a man. |
| Adjective | هَذَا / هَذِهِ + Definite Noun | هَذَا الرَّجُلُ طَوِيلٌ. | This man is tall. |
3. The Golden Rule: Non-Human Plurals
This is the most critical concept to internalize. In Arabic, any plural noun that does not refer to human beings is grammatically treated as a feminine singular noun. This applies to animals, inanimate objects, and abstract concepts.
Consequently, you must use هَذِهِ to refer to them, even if their singular form is masculine.
The logic is that the group is seen as a single collective unit rather than a set of individuals. You are not pointing to individual books, but to "the collection of books."
  • Singular masculine: هَذَا كِتَابٌ. (This is a book.)
  • Plural non-human: هَذِهِ كُتُبٌ. (These are books.)
  • Singular feminine: هَذِهِ طَاوِلَةٌ. (This is a table.)
  • Plural non-human: هَذِهِ طَاوِلَاتٌ. (These are tables.)
This rule is consistent across the language. Adjectives describing these plurals will also be feminine singular (هَذِهِ كُتُبٌ جَدِيدَةٌ - These are new books), as will verb conjugations in many cases.
| Noun Type | Demonstrative | Example (Pronoun) | Translation | Example (Adjective) | Translation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Singular Masculine | هَذَا | هَذَا مُهَنْدِسٌ. | This is an engineer. | هَذَا الْمُهَنْدِسُ. | This engineer. |
| Singular Feminine | هَذِهِ | هَذِهِ طَالِبَةٌ. | This is a student (f.). | هَذِهِ الطَّالِبَةُ. | This student (f.). |
| Human Plural | هَؤُلَاءِ | هَؤُلَاءِ مُهَنْدِسُونَ. | These are engineers. | هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُهَنْدِسُونَ. | These engineers. |
| Non-Human Plural | هَذِهِ | هَذِهِ بُيُوتٌ. | These are houses. | هَذِهِ الْبُيُوتُ. | These houses. |

Formation Pattern

1
The words هَذَا and هَذِهِ are composite forms. They begin with the particle هَا (حَرْفُ تَنْبِيه - ḥarf tanbīh), which serves to draw the listener's attention. It's the equivalent of saying "Lo!" or "Behold!" in archaic English, though it's fully integrated and mandatory in the modern standard words.
2
The actual demonstrative roots are ذَا (dhā) for masculine and ذِهِ (dhihi) for feminine. When combined, they give us the full words you use today.
3
هَا (attention) + ذَا (this, masc.) → هَذَا
4
هَا (attention) + ذِهِ (this, fem.) → هَذِهِ
5
A crucial spelling and pronunciation point for هَذَا is the dagger alif (أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة). You pronounce a long 'a' sound, but the full ا (alif) is not written in the standard script. Instead, a small vertical stroke is sometimes written above the ذ to indicate the vowel, though it is often omitted in modern print. Beginners frequently make the mistake of spelling it phonetically as هاذا, which is incorrect.
6
While هَذَا and هَذِهِ are the standard forms, you may occasionally encounter classical or poetic variants like ذَا on its own or ذِي in place of هَذِهِ. For A2-level communication in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and dialects, you only need to master هَذَا and هَذِهِ.

When To Use It

Beyond basic grammar exercises, هَذَا and هَذِهِ are workhorses of daily communication. You'll use them constantly in a variety of situations.
1. Identifying and Pointing to Physical Objects
This is the most direct and common usage, happening everywhere from the market to the office. It's how you ask for things, identify your belongings, and comment on your surroundings.
  • At a café: أُرِيدُ هَذَا الْعَصِيرَ، مِنْ فَضْلِكَ. (I want this juice, please.)
  • Showing a picture: هَذِهِ عَائِلَتِي. (This is my family.)
  • At a shop: بِكَمْ هَذَا الْقَمِيصُ؟ (How much is this shirt?)
2. Introducing People
هَذَا and هَذِهِ are the standard and polite way to introduce one person to another. The choice of pronoun, of course, depends on the gender of the person being introduced.
  • هَذَا زَمِيلِي، كَرِيم. (This is my colleague, Karim.)
  • يَا أُمِّي، هَذِهِ صَدِيقَتِي سَارَة. (Mom, this is my friend, Sara.)
3. Referring to Abstract Nouns and Situations
You'll use these demonstratives to refer to ideas, problems, topics, and situations just as you would for physical objects. The grammatical gender of the abstract noun dictates your choice.
  • هَذَا الْقَرَارُ صَعْبٌ. (This decision is difficult.) - قَرَار is masculine.
  • هَذِهِ الْفِكْرَةُ رَائِعَةٌ! (This idea is wonderful!) - فِكْرَة is feminine.
  • أَنَا لَا أَفْهَمُ هَذَا الْمَوْضُوعَ. (I don't understand this topic.) - مَوْضُوع is masculine.
4. In Questions with Interrogative Particles
Combining هَذَا/هَذِهِ with question words is fundamental for seeking information. The structure is typically [Question Word] + [Demonstrative]?.
  • مَا هَذَا؟ (What is this?) - Used for objects.
  • مَنْ هَذِهِ؟ (Who is this?) - Used for people.
  • لِمَاذَا هَذَا مُهِمٌّ؟ (Why is this important?)

Common Mistakes

Learners often stumble over the same few hurdles when using هَذَا and هَذِهِ. Pay close attention to these common error patterns to avoid them in your own speech and writing.
1. Incorrect Agreement with Non-Human Plurals
This is, without a doubt, the most frequent error. English-speaking learners instinctively want to use a plural word for a plural noun. They might incorrectly use the human plural demonstrative هَؤُلَاءِ (hāʾulāʾi) or simply use the singular masculine هَذَا.
  • Error: هَؤُلَاءِ سَيَّارَاتٌ جَدِيدَةٌ. or هَذَا سَيَّارَاتٌ جَدِيدَةٌ.
  • Correction: هَذِهِ سَيَّارَاتٌ جَدِيدَةٌ. (These are new cars.)
  • Why it's wrong: هَؤُلَاءِ is reserved exclusively for human beings. Using it for cars is grammatically impossible. The rule is that non-human plurals are treated as feminine singular entities, requiring هَذِهِ.
2. Confusing the Pronoun vs. Adjective Construction
A very close second is the misuse of the definite article ال (al-). Adding or omitting it changes the entire meaning of your statement. Learners often forget to add ال when they mean "this book" or incorrectly add it when they mean "this is a book."
  • Error: Saying هَذَا الْكِتَابُ. when you mean to say "This is a book."
  • Correction: هَذَا كِتَابٌ. (This is a book.)
  • Why it's wrong: هَذَا الْكِتَابُ is a phrase, not a sentence. It leaves the listener waiting for the predicate: "This book... is what?" Remember: No ال means "is a". With ال means "this specific".
3. Mismatching Gender with Tricky Nouns
While many feminine nouns end in ـة (tāʾ marbūṭah), many do not. Furthermore, some masculine nouns have a feminine-looking ending. This can lead to agreement errors.
  • Nouns that are feminine by convention (سَمَاعِيّ - samāʿī): شَمْس (sun), أَرْض (earth), نَفْس (self), يَد (hand). All are feminine and take هَذِهِ.
  • Error: *هَذَا شَمْسٌ.
  • Correction: هَذِهِ شَمْسٌ. (This is a sun.)
  • Masculine nouns ending in ـة: خَلِيفَة (caliph), أُسَامَة (a male name).
  • Error: *هَذِهِ خَلِيفَةٌ.
  • Correction: هَذَا خَلِيفَةٌ. (This is a caliph.)
4. Spelling هَذَا Incorrectly
Because of its pronunciation, beginners almost universally try to spell هَذَا by writing the letters they hear: ه, ا, ذ, ا. This leads to the incorrect *هاذا.
  • Error: *هاذا كتابي.
  • Correction: هَذَا كِتَابِي. (This is my book.)
  • Why it's wrong: It violates the orthographic rule of the dagger alif. You simply must memorize that the first 'a' sound in هَذَا is not written with a full alif.

Real Conversations

The grammar you learn in MSA provides a strong foundation, but it's vital to recognize how these words transform in spoken dialects (عَامِّيَّة - ʿāmmiyyah). Native speakers rarely use the full MSA forms in casual conversation. The pronunciation is often shortened and simplified.

In many dialects, the initial هـ (hāʾ) is either dropped or softened, and the ذ (dhāl) sound often shifts to a د (dāl) or ز (zayn) depending on the region.

- Egyptian Arabic (مَصْرِي): هَذَا becomes دَه (da) and هَذِهِ becomes دِي (di). They are placed after the noun.

- MSA: هَذَا الْكِتَابُ (this book) → Egyptian: الْكِتَاب دَه (el-ketāb da)

- MSA: هَذِهِ الْبِنْتُ (this girl) → Egyptian: الْبِنْت دِي (el-bint di)

- Levantine Arabic (شَامِي): هَذَا becomes هَاد (hād) or هَادَا (hāda), and هَذِهِ becomes هَاي (hāy) or هَادِي (hādi).

- MSA: هَذَا الْوَلَدُ (this boy) → Levantine: هَاد الْوَلَد (hād el-walad)

- MSA: هَذِهِ السَّيَّارَةُ (this car) → Levantine: هَاي السَّيَّارَة (hāy es-sayyāra)

| Language | "This house" (masc.) | "This car" (fem.) | "These books" (non-human pl.) |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| MSA | هَذَا الْبَيْتُ | هَذِهِ السَّيَّارَةُ | هَذِهِ الْكُتُبُ |

| Egyptian | الْبَيْت دَه | الْعَرَبِيَّة دِي | الْكُتُب دِي |

| Levantine | هَاد الْبَيْت | هَاي السَّيَّارَة | هَذُول الْكُتُب / هَاي الْكُتُب |

Notice the Levantine variation for non-human plurals, where some speakers might use هَذُول (hadōl), a human plural form, while others stick closer to the MSA rule by using هَاي.

In Texting and Social Media:

You will almost exclusively see dialectal forms. A friend might text you a picture of a new car and write ايه رأيك في دي؟ (ēh raʾyak fī di? - What do you think of this?) in Egyptian Arabic. Someone might post a photo of a beautiful landscape with the caption شوفوا هاد المنظر (shūfū hād el-manẓar - Look at this view) in Levantine. Recognizing these shortened forms is key to understanding authentic, modern communication.

Quick FAQ

  • Q: How do I say "these" in Arabic?
  • A: It depends on what you're referring to. For a group of people, you use هَؤُلَاءِ (hāʾulāʾi). For any group of non-human things (objects, animals, ideas), you must use هَذِهِ, treating the plural as a feminine singular. For example, هَؤُلَاءِ أَصْدِقَائِي (These are my friends), but هَذِهِ أَقْلَامِي (These are my pens).
  • Q: What is the absolute simplest way to remember the difference between هَذَا كِتَابٌ and هَذَا الْكِتَابُ?
  • A: هَذَا كِتَابٌ means "This is a book." The lack of ال introduces the word "is a" into the English translation. هَذَا الْكِتَابُ means "This book." It's just a phrase pointing to a specific book and needs more words to become a full sentence, like هَذَا الْكِتَابُ مُفِيدٌ (This book is useful).
  • Q: Do هَذَا or هَذِهِ change if they are the object of a sentence?
  • A: No. They are indeclinable (مَبْنِيّ). Their form is fixed regardless of their grammatical role. The noun after them will change, however. For example: أَنَا أَقْرَأُ هَذَا الْكِتَابَ. (I am reading this book.) Notice that هَذَا stays the same, but الْكِتَابُ becomes الْكِتَابَ to show it is the object (accusative case).
  • Q: Are there gender-neutral pronouns in Arabic like "they/them" in English?
  • A: No. Arabic grammar is built on a gender binary. Every noun, human or not, has a grammatical gender (masculine or feminine), and pronouns, adjectives, and verbs must agree with that gender. There is no neutral third option for هَذَا or هَذِهِ.

Demonstrative Agreement Table

Gender Pronoun Example Type
Masculine
هذا
هذا ولد
Singular
Feminine
هذه
هذه بنت
Singular
Non-human
هذه
هذه أقلام
Plural

Meanings

These are proximal demonstrative pronouns used to identify objects or people close to the speaker.

1

Masculine Singular

Pointing to a masculine object or person.

“هذا بيت”

“هذا قلم”

2

Feminine Singular

Pointing to a feminine object or person.

“هذه حقيبة”

“هذه طفلة”

3

Non-human Plural

Pointing to a group of non-human objects.

“هذه أقلام”

“هذه بيوت”

Reference Table

Reference table for Arabic 'This': Using (هذا & هذه)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
هذا/هذه + Noun
هذا قلم
Negative
هذا/هذه + ليس/ليست + Noun
هذا ليس قلم
Question
هل + هذا/هذه + Noun?
هل هذا قلم؟
Plural (Non-human)
هذه + Plural Noun
هذه كتب
Human Plural
هؤلاء + Plural Noun
هؤلاء طلاب

Formality Spectrum

Formal
هذا هو منزلي.

هذا هو منزلي. (Introducing home.)

Neutral
هذا بيتي.

هذا بيتي. (Introducing home.)

Informal
هذا بيتي.

هذا بيتي. (Introducing home.)

Slang
هذا بيتي.

هذا بيتي. (Introducing home.)

Demonstrative Decision Tree

Choose 'This'

Masculine

  • هذا Masculine Singular

Feminine

  • هذه Feminine Singular

Plural

  • هذه Non-human Plural
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Examples by Level

1

هذا كتاب

This is a book

2

هذه حقيبة

This is a bag

3

هذا قلم

This is a pen

4

هذه صورة

This is a picture

1

هل هذا بيت صديقي؟

Is this my friend's house?

2

هذه ليست سيارتي

This is not my car

3

هذا هو المعلم

This is the teacher

4

هذه كتب جديدة

These are new books

1

هذا المشروع يتطلب وقتاً

This project requires time

2

هذه الفكرة ممتازة جداً

This idea is excellent

3

هذا الرجل يتحدث العربية

This man speaks Arabic

4

هذه الأوراق مهمة

These papers are important

1

هذا الموقف يتطلب حكمة

This situation requires wisdom

2

هذه السياسة تهدف إلى التغيير

This policy aims for change

3

هذا هو السبب الرئيسي

This is the main reason

4

هذه النتائج غير متوقعة

These results are unexpected

1

هذا ما كنت أبحث عنه

This is what I was looking for

2

هذه الرؤية تتجاوز الحدود

This vision transcends borders

3

هذا التحدي يواجهنا جميعاً

This challenge faces us all

4

هذه الحقائق لا يمكن إنكارها

These facts cannot be denied

1

هذا هو جوهر القضية

This is the essence of the issue

2

هذه المبادئ راسخة في ثقافتنا

These principles are rooted in our culture

3

هذا التناقض يثير التساؤلات

This contradiction raises questions

4

هذه الظاهرة تستحق الدراسة

This phenomenon deserves study

Easily Confused

Arabic 'This': Using (هذا & هذه) vs هذا vs ذلك

Learners mix up 'this' and 'that'.

Arabic 'This': Using (هذا & هذه) vs هذه vs هؤلاء

Learners use 'هذه' for human plurals.

Arabic 'This': Using (هذا & هذه) vs هذا vs هذه (Gender)

Learners ignore the ta marbuta.

Common Mistakes

✗

هذا بنت

✓

هذه بنت

Bint is feminine.
✗

هذا سيارة

✓

هذه سيارة

Sayyara is feminine.
✗

هذا أقلام

✓

هذه أقلام

Non-human plural.
✗

هذه ولد

✓

هذا ولد

Walad is masculine.
✗

هذا مكتبة

✓

هذه مكتبة

Maktaba is feminine.
✗

هذه رجل

✓

هذا رجل

Rajul is masculine.
✗

هذا طاولات

✓

هذه طاولات

Non-human plural.
✗

هذا فكرة

✓

هذه فكرة

Fikra is feminine.
✗

هذه شجرة كبيرة

✓

هذه شجرة كبيرة

Correct, but check agreement.
✗

هذا هو البيت

✓

هذا هو البيت

Correct, but watch for gender.
✗

هذا الظاهرة

✓

هذه الظاهرة

Dhahira is feminine.
✗

هذه التحدي

✓

هذا التحدي

Tahaddi is masculine.
✗

هذا القضية

✓

هذه القضية

Qadiya is feminine.

Sentence Patterns

___ هو صديقي.

___ هي سيارتي.

___ كتب مفيدة.

هل ___ قلمك؟

Real World Usage

Social Media very common

هذه مدينتي الجميلة

Texting constant

هذا هو العنوان

Job Interview common

هذا هو هدفي المهني

Ordering Food common

أريد هذا الطبق

Travel very common

هل هذا هو الفندق؟

Classroom constant

هذا هو الدرس الأول

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💡

Check the ending

Always look for the ة at the end of the noun. It's your best friend for identifying feminine nouns.
⚠️

Plural trap

Don't use masculine plural pronouns for objects! Always use 'هذه' for non-human plurals.
🎯

Listen to natives

Pay attention to how they point. The gesture often accompanies the pronoun.
💬

Dialect variation

Be aware that in Egypt, they use 'ده' and 'دي'. It's the same concept, just different words.

Smart Tips

Immediately reach for 'هذه'.

هذا سيارة → هذه سيارة

Check if they are human or non-human.

هؤلاء أقلام → هذه أقلام

Use rising intonation to sound natural.

هل هذا قلم → هل هذا قلم؟

Use the correct gender pronoun.

هذه أحمد → هذا أحمد

Pronunciation

IPA: /haða/

Hadha

The 'dh' is a voiced interdental fricative.

IPA: /haðihi/

Hadhihi

The final 'hi' is a short vowel.

Question

هذا قلم؟ ↗

Rising intonation for yes/no questions.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'هذا' as the 'H' for 'He' (Masculine) and 'هذه' as the 'H' for 'Her' (Feminine).

Visual Association

Imagine a man holding a box labeled 'هذا' and a woman holding a box labeled 'هذه'.

Rhyme

Masculine is hadha, feminine is hadhihi, don't mix them up, or you'll look silly!

Story

Ahmed points to his pen and says 'هذا قلم'. Sarah points to her bag and says 'هذه حقيبة'. They both look at the books on the table and say 'هذه كتب'.

Word Web

هذاهذهمذكرمؤنثقريبإشارة

Challenge

Point to 5 objects in your room and say their names in Arabic using 'هذا' or 'هذه'.

Cultural Notes

Often shortened to 'هاد' (had) in daily speech.

Often uses 'ده' (da) for masculine and 'دي' (di) for feminine.

Sticks closer to MSA 'هذا' and 'هذه'.

Derived from the particle 'ha' (attention) and the pronoun 'dha'.

Conversation Starters

“

ما هذا؟

“

هل هذه سيارتك؟

“

ما رأيك في هذا الكتاب؟

“

كيف تصف هذه الظاهرة؟

Journal Prompts

Describe your room using 'هذا' and 'هذه'.
Introduce your favorite items.
Discuss a current event using demonstratives.
Write a philosophical reflection on 'this moment'.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank: ___ كتاب.

هذا / هذه

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا
Kitab is masculine.
Fill in the blank: ___ سيارة.

هذا / هذه

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذه
Sayyara is feminine.
Correct the sentence: هذا بنت. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

هذا بنت

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذه بنت
Bint is feminine.
Which is correct for 'books'? Multiple Choice

هذا كتب / هذه كتب

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذه كتب
Non-human plural.
Reorder: قلم / هذا / هو. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا هو قلم
Standard word order.
Translate: This is my house. Translation

This is my house

Answer starts with: هذا...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا بيتي
Bayt is masculine.
Match the noun to the pronoun. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا / هذه / هذه
Gender agreement.
Which is correct for 'teacher' (masculine)? Multiple Choice

هذا معلم / هذه معلم

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا معلم
Mu'allim is masculine.

Score: /8

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Fill in the blank: ___ كتاب.

هذا / هذه

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا
Kitab is masculine.
Fill in the blank: ___ سيارة.

هذا / هذه

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذه
Sayyara is feminine.
Correct the sentence: هذا بنت. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

هذا بنت

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذه بنت
Bint is feminine.
Which is correct for 'books'? Multiple Choice

هذا كتب / هذه كتب

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذه كتب
Non-human plural.
Reorder: قلم / هذا / هو. Sentence Reorder

قلم / هذا / هو

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا هو قلم
Standard word order.
Translate: This is my house. Translation

This is my house

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا بيتي
Bayt is masculine.
Match the noun to the pronoun. Match Pairs

ولد / بنت / أقلام

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا / هذه / هذه
Gender agreement.
Which is correct for 'teacher' (masculine)? Multiple Choice

هذا معلم / هذه معلم

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هذا معلم
Mu'allim is masculine.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Complete the sentence. Fill in the Blank

___ الْوَلَدُ ذَكِيٌّ. (This boy is smart.)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هَذَا
Translate the phrase to Arabic. Translation

This coffee (F)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هَذِهِ الْقَهْوَة
Reorder to make a sentence meaning 'This is my house.' Sentence Reorder

بَيْتِي / هَذَا

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هَذَا بَيْتِي
Correct the agreement. Error Correction

هَذَا أَفْلَام (These movies)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هَذِهِ أَفْلَام
Match the pronoun to the noun. Match Pairs

Match the pairs:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: n/a
Which one means 'This is a pen'? Multiple Choice

Pick the sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هَذَا قَلَمٌ
Fill in the blank. Fill in the Blank

___ أُمِّي. (This is my mother.)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هَذِهِ
Translate 'This is the truth'. Translation

This is the truth (الحقيقة - f)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هَذِهِ هِيَ الْحَقِيقَة
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

هَذِهِ الرَّجُلُ لَطِيفٌ.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هَذَا الرَّجُلُ لَطِيفٌ.
Pointing at a group of cats, you say: Multiple Choice

Pick the right phrase:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: هَذِهِ قِطَط

Score: /10

FAQ (8)

In Arabic, non-human plurals are grammatically treated as feminine singular.

No, you must use 'هذه' for women.

Look for the 'ta marbuta' (ة) at the end. If it's not there, it's likely masculine.

Yes, but some dialects have shortened versions like 'هاد' or 'ده'.

Add 'ليس' (laysa) after the pronoun.

Yes, but use 'هؤلاء' for human plurals.

They are neutral and used in all registers.

Use 'هل' at the start or rising intonation.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

este/esta

Spanish has a neutral form 'esto', which Arabic lacks.

French high

ce/cette

French demonstratives change based on the following letter (cet before vowels).

German moderate

dieser/diese/dieses

German has a neuter gender, while Arabic only has two.

Japanese low

kore

Japanese is not gendered.

Chinese low

zhè

Chinese is not gendered.

Arabic high

هذا/هذه

Dialects may vary in pronunciation.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Distant Pointers: That & Those (Dhālika, Tilka)

Continue With

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