These & Those for People (`هؤلاء` & `أولئك`)
هؤلاء and أولئك point to people near and far regardless of their gender.
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'هؤلاء' for people near you and 'أولئك' for people far away, regardless of gender.
- Use هؤلاء (haa'ulaa'i) for a group of people standing close to you: هؤلاء أصدقائي (These are my friends).
- Use أولئك (ulaa'ika) for a group of people far away: أولئك طلاب مجتهدون (Those are hardworking students).
- These pronouns are gender-neutral for humans; they apply to both men and women collectively.
Overview
In Arabic, pointing to a group of people uses a specific and exclusive set of demonstrative pronouns: هَؤُلَاءِ (hā'ulā'i) for those nearby and أُولَئِكَ (ulā'ika) for those farther away. Mastering these is a critical B1 milestone, as it reflects a core principle of the language: the grammatical distinction between humans and non-humans. While in English “these” and “those” apply universally, Arabic reserves هَؤُلَاءِ and أُولَئِكَ as a VIP category strictly for people.
The foundational concept you must internalize is the division of all nouns into عَاقِل (ʻāqil - rational, i.e., human) and غَيْر عَاقِل (ghayr ʻāqil - non-rational). This distinction governs agreement for pronouns, adjectives, and verbs, especially in the plural. When you use هَؤُلَاءِ or أُولَئِكَ, you are making a clear grammatical signal that you are referring to a group of human beings.
For any group of non-human things—be it books, cars, or ideas—Arabic grammar defaults to a different rule: the group is treated as a singular feminine entity, using the pronoun هَذِهِ (hādhihi) for 'these' and تِلْكَ (tilka) for 'those'. For instance, هَؤُلَاءِ الطُّلَّابُ means "these students," but "these books" is هَذِهِ الْكُتُبُ. One of the most efficient features of هَؤُلَاءِ and أُولَئِكَ is that they are gender-neutral.
They apply to a group of men, a group of women, or a mixed group without any change in form, simplifying the plural landscape considerably.
How This Grammar Works
هَؤُلَاءِ and أُولَئِكَ is rooted in the عَاقِل/غَيْر عَاقِل paradigm that shapes much of Arabic sentence structure. This isn't just a vocabulary choice; it's a structural principle. When you select a human plural pronoun, you commit to a specific path of grammatical agreement for the rest of the sentence.هَؤُلَاءِ and أُولَئِكَ is that they are مَبْنِي (mabnī - indeclinable), meaning their form is fixed regardless of their grammatical case. Whether the pronoun is the subject (nominative case - مَرْفُوع), the object (accusative case - مَنْصُوب), or follows a preposition (genitive case - مَجْرُور), its spelling and pronunciation do not change. This makes them reliable and easy to use once memorized.هَؤُلَاءِ in different roles:- Subject (Nominative):
جَاءَ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُهَنْدِسُونَ.(These engineers came.) - Object (Accusative):
رَأَيْتُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُهَنْدِسِينَ.(I saw these engineers.) - After Preposition (Genitive):
تَحَدَّثْتُ إِلَى هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُهَنْدِسِينَ.(I spoke to these engineers.)
هَؤُلَاءِ) and far (أُولَئِكَ) follows a pattern seen in other demonstratives. The prefix هَا- (hā-) in هَؤُلَاءِ is a particle indicating proximity, the same one found in هَذَا (this, masc.) and هَذِهِ (this, fem.). The -كَ (-ka) suffix in أُولَئِكَ is the particle of distance, parallel to its function in ذَلِكَ (that, masc.) and تِلْكَ (that, fem.).Formation Pattern
هَؤُلَاءِ and أُولَئِكَ follows two primary patterns, distinguished by the definiteness of the noun that follows. The choice between them determines whether you are making a complete statement ("These are...") or forming a descriptive phrase ("These people...").
الـ) and in the plural form.
هَؤُلَاءِ / أُولَئِكَ + [Indefinite Human Plural Noun]
هَؤُلَاءِ مُدَرِّسُونَ. (These are teachers.)
أُولَئِكَ طَبِيبَاتٌ. (Those are doctors [female].)
هَؤُلَاءِ أَصْدِقَائِي. (These are my friends.) Note: Possessive suffixes make a noun definite, yet it functions as the predicate here, forming a complete sentence.
الـ) and is considered a بَدَل (badal - appositive) in formal grammar.
هَؤُلَاءِ / أُولَئِكَ + [Definite Human Plural Noun] + [Predicate]
هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُدَرِّسُونَ مُجْتَهِدُونَ. (These teachers are hardworking.)
أُولَئِكَ الطَّبِيبَاتُ يَعْمَلْنَ فِي الْمُسْتَشْفَى. (Those doctors [female] work in the hospital.)
سَافَرَ أُولَئِكَ السُّيَّاحُ إِلَى الْقَاهِرَةِ. (Those tourists traveled to Cairo.)
عَاقِل / غَيْر عَاقِل distinction is the key dividing line, but only for plurals.
هَذَا | ذَلِكَ | Singular Masculine | هَذَا الْوَلَدُ ذَكِيٌّ. |
هَذِهِ | تِلْكَ | Singular Feminine | هَذِهِ الْبِنْتُ ذَكِيَّةٌ. |
هَذَانِ / هَذَيْنِ | ذَانِكَ / ذَيْنِكَ | Dual Masculine | هَذَانِ الْوَلَدَانِ ذَكِيَّانِ. |
هَاتَانِ / هَاتَيْنِ | تَانِكَ / تَيْنِكَ | Dual Feminine | هَاتَانِ الْبِنْتَانِ ذَكِيَّتَانِ. |
هَؤُلَاءِ | أُولَئِكَ | Plural (M/F) | هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَوْلَادُ أَذْكِيَاءُ. |
هَذِهِ | تِلْكَ | Singular Feminine | هَذِهِ الْكُتُبُ مُفِيدَةٌ. |
When To Use It
هَؤُلَاءِ and أُولَئِكَ is to indicate physical proximity or distance. هَؤُلَاءِ is for people near you in space, while أُولَئِكَ is for people further away. However, their usage extends beyond the purely physical into temporal and psychological distance, adding nuance to your expression.- Physical Distance: This is the most straightforward use. If you are in a meeting, you would refer to your colleagues at the table as
هَؤُلَاءِ, while referring to a group seen through the window asأُولَئِكَ. هَؤُلَاءِ هُمْ فَرِيقُ الْعَمَلِ.(These are the work team.)انْظُرْ إِلَى أُولَئِكَ النَّاسِ عَلَى الْجَبَلِ.(Look at those people on the mountain.)
- Temporal Distance:
أُولَئِكَis often used to refer to people in the past, creating a sense of distance in time. This is common in historical accounts and literature. كَانَ أُولَئِكَ الْعُلَمَاءُ رُوَّادًا فِي مَجَالِهِمْ.(Those scholars were pioneers in their field.)
- Psychological or Figurative Distance:
أُولَئِكَcan imply a conceptual distance, such as showing high respect, expressing contempt, or referring to an abstract group of people defined by a certain quality. This usage is frequent in formal, religious, and philosophical texts. The Qur'an usesأُولَئِكَextensively in this manner. أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ.(Those are the successful ones.) - Denotes respect and a high status.أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَهْتَمُّونَ إِلَّا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ.(Those are the ones who only care about themselves.) - Creates a sense of otherness or disapproval.
- Work Email:
مَرْفَقٌ أَسْمَاءُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُرَشَّحِينَ لِلْوَظِيفَةِ.(Attached are the names of these candidates for the job.) - Social Media Comment: When looking at a group photo, you might ask:
مَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ فِي الصُّورَةِ؟ لَا أَعْرِفُهُمْ.(Who are these people in the picture? I don't know them.) - News Reporting:
أَكَّدَ الْمَسْؤُولُونَ أَنَّ أُولَئِكَ الْمُتَظَاهِرِينَ سَيُحَاكَمُونَ.(The officials confirmed that those protestors will be prosecuted.)
Common Mistakes
هَؤُلَاءِ and أُولَئِكَ. Awareness of these patterns is the first step to avoiding them.- 1The Non-Human (
غَيْر عَاقِل) Trap: This is the most frequent error. English conditions you to think "plural is plural," but Arabic insists on separating humans from objects. Usingهَؤُلَاءِfor non-human plurals is a major grammatical mistake.
- Mistake:
أُحِبُّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَفْلَامَ. - Correction:
أُحِبُّ هَذِهِ الْأَفْلَامَ.(I love these films.) - Why? The collection of films is conceptualized as a single unit, which grammatically defaults to the singular feminine agreement pattern.
- 1Pronunciation of
أُولَئِكَ: Theو(wāw) inأُولَئِكَis a silent, historical artifact of orthography. It is not pronounced. The pronunciation isu-lā'-i-ka, notū-lā'-i-ka. Think of it like the silent 'b' in "debt"—present in writing but absent in speech.
- 1Confusing Demonstratives with Personal Pronouns: Learners sometimes mix up
هَؤُلَاءِ(these) withهُمْ(hum - they, masc.) because both refer to groups. The function is different:هَؤُلَاءِpoints and identifies, whileهُمْreplaces a noun that is already known.
هَؤُلَاءِ أَطِبَّاءٌ.(These are doctors.) - You are pointing them out for the first time.هُمْ أَطِبَّاءٌ.(They are doctors.) - You are stating a fact about a previously mentioned group.
- 1Forgetting the
الـRule: The distinction between an equational sentence (هَؤُلَاءِ طُلَّابٌ- These are students) and a demonstrative phrase (هَؤُلَاءِ الطُّلَّابُ...- These students...) is crucial and often missed. A missing or misplacedالـ(al-) changes the entire meaning and structure of the sentence.
- Incomplete thought:
هَؤُلَاءِ الطُّلَّابُ.(These students... what about them? The sentence is waiting for a predicate.) - Complete sentence:
هَؤُلَاءِ طُلَّابٌ.(These are students.)
Real Conversations
While هَؤُلَاءِ and أُولَئِكَ are the standard in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), spoken dialects across the Arab world have developed their own, often more concise, forms. Using the dialectal form is essential for sounding natural in casual conversation. أُولَئِكَ in particular is very rare in daily speech and is reserved for formal or religious contexts.
Here’s a comparison of how to say "these people" and "those people" in MSA and major dialects:
| Language Variant | Near Plural (These people) | Far Plural (Those people) |
|---|---|---|
| MSA (الفصحى) | هَؤُلَاءِ النَّاسُ | أُولَئِكَ النَّاسُ |
| Levantine (الشامية) | هَدُول النَّاس (hadōl) / هَوْل | هَدُولِيك النَّاس (hadōlīk) |
| Egyptian (المصرية) | النَّاس دُول (in-nās dōl) | النَّاس دُولَاك (in-nās dolāk) |
| Gulf (الخليجية) | هَذُولَا النَّاس (hādhōla) | هَذُولَاك النَّاس (hādhōlāk) |
Dialogue Examples:
- Scenario: MSA in a formal setting (university lecture)
الدكتور: كَمَا تَرَوْنَ، هَؤُلَاءِ الْبَاحِثُونَ هُمُ الَّذِينَ أَسَّسُوا لِهَذَا الْعِلْمِ، بَيْنَمَا أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ أَتَوْا بَعْدَهُمْ قَدْ طَوَّرُوهُ.
(Professor: As you see, these researchers are the ones who founded this science, while those who came after them developed it.)
- Scenario: Levantine in a casual setting (at a café)
سارة: مين هَدُول اللي قاعدين جنب الشباك؟ (Sara: Who are these people sitting next to the window?)
علي: هدول صحابي من الشغل. بدك تتعرفي عليهم؟ (Ali: These are my colleagues from work. Do you want to meet them?)
- Scenario: Egyptian discussing a video online
أحمد: الناس دول بيقولوا كلام غريب قوي. (Ahmed: These people are saying very strange things.)
منى: أيوه، شفت. ودولَاك اللي بيردوا عليهم أغرب منهم. (Mona: Yes, I saw. And those who are replying to them are even stranger.)
Your strategy should be to use هَؤُلَاءِ and أُولَئِكَ confidently in writing, emails, presentations, and any formal speech. When speaking casually with native speakers from a specific region, listen for and adopt the local forms like هَدُول or دُول to integrate more naturally.
Quick FAQ
عاقل?Grammatically, animals are always غَيْر عَاقِل (non-rational), even cherished pets. Therefore, a group of cats, dogs, or birds must be referred to with هَذِهِ (these) or تِلْكَ (those). For example, هَذِهِ الْقِطَطُ جَمِيلَةٌ (These cats are beautiful). The only exception would be in allegorical fables or children's stories where animals are anthropomorphized to speak and act like humans, in which case هَؤُلَاءِ might be used to emphasize their character-like qualities.
عاقل vs. غير عاقل?No. This is an excellent question that highlights a key boundary. The human/non-human distinction rule applies only to plurals (groups of 3 or more). For the dual (groups of two), the same pronouns are used for both humans and non-humans: هَذَانِ/هَذَيْنِ (these two, masc.) and هَاتَانِ/هَاتَيْنِ (these two, fem.). For example, هَذَانِ رَجُلَانِ (these are two men) and هَذَانِ كِتَابَانِ (these are two books) both use هَذَانِ.
أُولَئِكَ sounds very formal. Would I ever use it in a conversation?It is extremely unlikely you would use أُولَئِكَ in a casual conversation. Its use would make you sound like you are reciting from a book. It is almost exclusively the domain of MSA for written texts, formal speeches, and religious discourse. For "those people" in conversation, you should always default to the relevant dialectal form (e.g., هَدُولِيك, دُولَاك).
ء (hamza) in هَؤُلَاءِ?The hamza represents a glottal stop, a brief pause that separates the vowel sounds. The pronunciation is hā-'u-lā'-i. There are two glottal stops. The first separates the ā and u, and the second separates the ā and i. Practice saying "ha-oo-la-ee" but with a distinct, sharp cutoff before the 'u' and the 'i'.
هَؤُلَاءِ to refer to a group that includes me?Yes, you can. It's a way of identifying the group you belong to. For instance, if you and your classmates are standing together and someone asks who you are, you could point to your group inclusively and say: نَحْنُ هَؤُلَاءِ الطُّلَّابُ مِنْ فَصْلِ اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ. (We are these students from the Arabic language class.)
Demonstrative Pronouns for Humans
| Distance | Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Proximal
|
هؤلاء
|
Haa'ulaa'i
|
These (people)
|
|
Distal
|
أولئك
|
Ulaa'ika
|
Those (people)
|
Meanings
These pronouns function as the plural demonstratives specifically for human beings in Modern Standard Arabic.
Proximal Human
Pointing to people in the immediate vicinity.
“هؤلاء ضيوفنا.”
“هل هؤلاء هم أقاربك؟”
Distal Human
Pointing to people at a distance.
“أولئك هم الفائزون.”
“أولئك الناس يعيشون في الخارج.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
هؤلاء + Noun
|
هؤلاء أصدقائي
|
|
Negative
|
هؤلاء + ليسوا + Noun
|
هؤلاء ليسوا أصدقائي
|
|
Question
|
هل + هؤلاء + Noun؟
|
هل هؤلاء أصدقاؤك؟
|
|
Distal
|
أولئك + Noun
|
أولئك أصدقائي
|
|
Definite
|
هؤلاء + الـ + Noun
|
هؤلاء الطلاب
|
|
Indefinite
|
هؤلاء + Noun
|
هؤلاء طلاب
|
Formality Spectrum
هؤلاء هم زملائي في العمل. (Workplace)
هؤلاء زملائي. (Workplace)
هذول زملائي. (Workplace)
هذول ربعي. (Workplace)
Human vs Non-Human Demonstratives
Humans
- هؤلاء These
- أولئك Those
Non-Humans
- هذه This/These
- تلك That/Those
Examples by Level
هؤلاء أصدقائي.
These are my friends.
أولئك طلاب.
Those are students.
هؤلاء هم عائلتي.
These are my family.
أولئك هم المعلمون.
Those are the teachers.
هل هؤلاء هم ضيوفك؟
Are these your guests?
أولئك الناس يعيشون هناك.
Those people live there.
هؤلاء ليسوا أصدقائي.
These are not my friends.
أولئك هم الفائزون في المسابقة.
Those are the winners of the competition.
هؤلاء الطلاب يدرسون بجد.
These students study hard.
أولئك الذين غادروا هم أصدقائي.
Those who left are my friends.
هؤلاء هم الأشخاص الذين قابلتهم.
These are the people I met.
أولئك الموظفون يعملون في المكتب.
Those employees work in the office.
هؤلاء هم المسؤولون عن المشروع.
These are the ones responsible for the project.
أولئك الذين يرفضون التغيير سيفشلون.
Those who reject change will fail.
هؤلاء هم الخبراء الذين استشرناهم.
These are the experts we consulted.
أولئك هم أبطال الرواية.
Those are the protagonists of the novel.
هؤلاء هم النخبة الذين يقودون المجتمع.
These are the elite who lead society.
أولئك الذين ضحوا بحياتهم لن ننساهم.
Those who sacrificed their lives, we will not forget them.
هؤلاء هم المبدعون الذين غيروا التاريخ.
These are the creators who changed history.
أولئك هم المعارضون لسياسات الحكومة.
Those are the opponents of the government's policies.
هؤلاء هم السلف الذين ورثنا عنهم الثقافة.
These are the ancestors from whom we inherited the culture.
أولئك الذين يزعمون المعرفة هم الأكثر جهلاً.
Those who claim knowledge are the most ignorant.
هؤلاء هم القادة الذين رسموا خارطة الطريق.
These are the leaders who drew the roadmap.
أولئك هم المتمردون على التقاليد البالية.
Those are the rebels against outdated traditions.
Easily Confused
Learners use هؤلاء for everything plural.
Learners use أولئك for everything far away.
Learners use هؤلاء for singular people.
Common Mistakes
هؤلاء الكتب
هذه الكتب
أولئك السيارة
تلك السيارة
هؤلاء هم الطلاب
هؤلاء الطلاب
أولئك أصدقاء
هؤلاء أصدقاء
هؤلاء الطاولات
هذه الطاولات
أولئك هم يكونون أصدقائي
أولئك أصدقائي
هؤلاء صديق
هؤلاء أصدقاء
هؤلاء التي ذهبت
هؤلاء الذين ذهبوا
أولئك هم الذين
أولئك الذين
هؤلاء هم يعملون
هؤلاء يعملون
هؤلاء الأشياء
هذه الأشياء
أولئك هم الناس
أولئك الناس
هؤلاء هم الذين
هؤلاء الذين
Sentence Patterns
هؤلاء ___ هم أصدقائي.
أولئك ___ يعيشون في الخارج.
هل هؤلاء ___ الذين قابلتهم؟
أولئك ___ الذين يرفضون التغيير.
Real World Usage
هؤلاء أصدقائي في الرحلة.
هؤلاء هم أعضاء فريقي.
أولئك هم سكان المدينة.
هؤلاء هم اللي شفتهم.
أولئك الذين تضرروا من الزلزال.
هؤلاء هم الموصلون المفضلون.
Check the Noun
Don't Over-pluralize
Use for Emphasis
Dialect Variation
Smart Tips
Always check if they are near or far to choose between هؤلاء and أولئك.
Use أولئك to refer to groups mentioned earlier in the text.
Stop yourself from using human pronouns for objects.
Start with 'هل' to turn your statement into a question.
Pronunciation
Haa'ulaa'i
The 'aa' is a long vowel. The 'i' at the end is a kasra.
Ulaa'ika
The 'U' is short, 'laa' is long, 'i' is short.
Declarative
هؤلاء أصدقائي ↘
Falling intonation for statements.
Interrogative
هل هؤلاء أصدقاؤك؟ ↗
Rising intonation for questions.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Haa'ulaa'i is 'Here' (both start with H). Ulaa'ika is 'Away' (both have an A sound).
Visual Association
Imagine a group of people standing right next to you (Haa'ulaa'i) and a group far away on a hill (Ulaa'ika).
Rhyme
Haa'ulaa'i are near, Ulaa'ika are far, they point to the people wherever they are.
Story
I pointed to my friends standing next to me and said 'Haa'ulaa'i'. Then I looked at the crowd across the street and said 'Ulaa'ika'. My teacher smiled because I used the human pronouns correctly.
Word Web
Challenge
Point to three people near you and say 'Haa'ulaa'i', then point to three people far away and say 'Ulaa'ika'.
Cultural Notes
In spoken Levantine, 'هذول' (hadol) is used for 'these' regardless of human/non-human status.
Gulf dialects often use 'هذولا' (hadola) for 'these'.
Egyptians use 'دول' (dol) for 'these' and 'هوك' (huk) or 'دولك' (dolak) for 'those'.
These pronouns evolved from Proto-Semitic demonstrative roots combined with the plural marker.
Conversation Starters
من هؤلاء؟
هل تعرف أولئك الناس؟
هؤلاء هم الخبراء في مجالك، أليس كذلك؟
أولئك الذين يرفضون التغيير، كيف يمكن إقناعهم؟
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
___ أصدقائي (These are my friends).
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
هؤلاء السيارات جميلة.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Those are the students.
Answer starts with: أول...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
هؤلاء + المعلمون + يعملون
Can you use هؤلاء for a group of chairs?
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercises___ أصدقائي (These are my friends).
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
هؤلاء السيارات جميلة.
أصدقائي / هؤلاء / هم
Those are the students.
Match: هؤلاء/هذه with: طلاب/كتب
هؤلاء + المعلمون + يعملون
Can you use هؤلاء for a group of chairs?
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercisesأصدقائي / أولئك / الفتيات / هن
These are the doctors.
Match the pairs:
___ البنايات عالية جداً.
Select the correct pronoun:
تلك المؤثرون مشهورون.
من ___ الشباب في الجروب؟
My brothers are here:
هم / أولئك / الفائزون
Those people are kind.
Score: /10
FAQ (8)
No, use the feminine singular demonstrative instead.
Yes, it applies to both men and women.
That is a dialectal variation used in spoken Arabic.
Use it for people who are far away or in formal writing.
The demonstrative acts as an adjective, e.g., 'هؤلاء الطلاب'.
The demonstrative acts as the subject, e.g., 'هؤلاء طلاب'.
Yes, both are used frequently.
Add 'ليسوا' or 'ما' before the predicate.
Scaffolded Practice
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2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
estos / aquellos
Arabic distinguishes between human and non-human; Spanish does not.
ces...-ci / ces...-là
Arabic has specific words for human plurals.
diese / jene
Arabic's human-only rule is unique.
kore-ra / are-ra
Arabic's human-only constraint is absent in Japanese.
zhèxiē / nàxiē
Arabic is much more restrictive regarding the noun type.
hadol / hadola
Standard Arabic is more formal and restrictive.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Related Videos
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