Levantine has a handy short form, hal-, that means "this" or "these" and attaches straight to the noun. There are also full words for "this" and "that".
hal-: the everyday "this"
hal- replaces il- ("the") and works for any gender or number.
- هالبيت كبيرhal-beit kbiirThis house is big.
- هالبنت أختيhal-binit ukhtiThis girl is my sister.
- هالأيامhal-iyyaamthese days
The full forms
| This | That | |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | هادا haada | هداك hadaak |
| feminine | هاي haay (هادي haadi) | هديك hadiik |
| plural | هدول hadool | هدولاك hadolaak |
"This is…"
Put the demonstrative first, and leave the noun without il-:
- هادا كتابيhaada ktaabiThis is my book.
- هاي سيارة جديدةhaay sayyaara jdiideThis is a new car.
After the noun
You can also put the full form after a noun with il-, especially for "that one":
- الرجّال هداكir-rijjaal hadaakthat man (over there)