Beginner
Pronouns
Personal Pronouns
Learn the 8 personal pronouns in Algerian Arabic
Key Points
- 8 pronouns: ana, nta, nti, houwa, hiya, 7na, ntouma, houma
- “You” changes depending on whether you talk to a man (nta) or a woman (nti)
- No gender in the plural: ntouma (you), houma (they)
- To say who you are, no verb “to be”: ana Samira = I'm Samira
The 8 pronouns
Algerian has eight personal pronouns, compared with twelve in Standard Arabic: it simplifies and merges some forms.
- ana: I
- nta: you (to a man)
- nti: you (to a woman)
- houwa: he
- hiya: she
- 7na: we
- ntouma: you (plural)
- houma: they
Gender only matters in the singular
In the singular, men and women are distinguished: nta / nti, houwa / hiya. In the plural, there is no difference: ntouma addresses a group of men, women or both, and houma means “they” for everyone.
Forms specific to Algerian
“We” is 7na, not na7nou as in Standard Arabic. “They” is houma, not houm / hounna.
You also hear longer forms: ntaya (you, to a man), ntiya (you, to a woman) and ntoumaya (you, plural), especially for emphasis.
Saying who you are
To say who you are, you don't need the verb “to be”: just put the pronoun before the noun.
- ana Samira: I'm Samira
- houwa oustad: he is a teacher
Conjugation Table
| Pronoun | Arabic | Phonetic | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | أَنَا | /ana/ | أنا سميرة - ana Samira : I'm Samira |
| We | حْنَا | /7na/ | حنا جزايريين - 7na dzayriyin : we are Algerian |
| You (masculine) | نْتَ | /nta/ | نتا وين ساكن؟ - nta win saken ? : where do you live? |
| You (feminine) | نْتِ | /nti/ | نتي طبيبة - nti tbiba : you're a doctor |
| You (plural) | نْتُومَا | /ntouma/ | نتوما منين؟ - ntouma mnin ? : where are you from? |
| He | هُوَ | /houwa/ | هو أستاذ - houwa oustad : he is a teacher |
| She | هِيَ | /hiya/ | هي طبيبة - hiya tbiba : she is a doctor |
| They | هُومَا | /houma/ | هوما رايحين - houma ray7in : they are leaving |
Examples
أنا من وهران
/ana men Wehran/
I'm from Oran.
حنا نحبو الطعام
/7na n7ebbou et-t3am/
We love couscous.
هو راح للخدمة
/houwa ra7 lel khedma/
He went to work.
نتي من دزاير؟
/nti men Dzayer?/
Are you from Algiers? (to a woman)
هي أستاذة في المدرسة
/hiya oustada fel madrasa/
She's a teacher at the school.
هوما رايحين لعنابة
/houma ray7in l 3annaba/
They're going to Annaba.
نتوما عيانين؟
/ntouma 3ayanin?/
Are you tired? (plural)
أنا خوك
/ana khouk/
I'm your brother.
حنا صغار، هوما كبار
/7na sghar, houma kbar/
We are small; they are big.
هو صاحبي
/houwa sa7bi/
He's my friend.
هي أختي الصغيرة
/hiya okhti es-sghira/
She's my little sister.
ونتا، واش تحب؟
/w nta, wach t7eb?/
And you, what do you want?