In Fusha, "this" and "that" usually come before the noun, and the noun takes al- ("the").
The forms
| This | That | |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | هذا haadha | ذلك dhaalika |
| feminine | هذه haadhihi | تلك tilka |
| plural (people) | هؤلاء haa2ulaa2i | أولئك ulaa2ika |
There are also dual forms (haadhaani, haataani), used for exactly two.
Before the noun with al-: "this house"
- هذا البيتُ كبيرٌhaadha al-baytu kabiirunThis house is big.
- هذه المدينةُ جميلةٌhaadhihi al-madiinatu jamiilatunThis city is beautiful.
- ذلك الرجلُdhaalika ar-rajuluthat man
Without al-: "this is…"
Leave al- off the noun and you've made a sentence:
- هذا بيتٌhaadha baytunThis is a house.
- هذه سيارةٌ جديدةٌhaadhihi sayyaaratun jadiidatunThis is a new car.
"This is the…"
To say "this is the book", add the pronoun huwa / hiya between:
- هذا هو الكتابُhaadha huwa al-kitaabuThis is the book.