How to Say "This" and "That" in Arabic: Durusul Lughah Book 1 Lesson 7

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If you are just starting your language journey, learning how to say "this" and "that" in Arabic is one of the most important first steps. In English, pointing things out is easy. But in Arabic, you need to understand a simple grammar rule: Arabic demonstrative pronouns change depending on the distance and the gender of the object.

hadha hadhihi dhalika tilka: ism isharah


Don't worry! By comparing the English rules you already know with the Arabic rules, you will master this in no time. Let's break down this essential Arabic grammar for beginners step-by-step.

The English System: Keeping It Simple

Before we jump into Arabic, let’s quickly review what we do in English. When pointing out a single object (singular noun), we only think about one thing: Distance.

  • Is the object close to me? We use This.
  • Is the object far from me? We use That.

English is very straightforward because these words are gender-neutral. It doesn’t matter if you are pointing to a man, a woman, a car, or a book; the demonstrative pronoun stays the same.


Distance English Word Gender Rule
Near This Neutral (Applies to all nouns)
Far That Neutral (Applies to all nouns)

The Arabic System: Introducing Gender to "This" and "That"

So, how do you say "this" and "that" in Arabic? Unlike English, pointing at objects in Arabic requires us to pay attention to two things: Distance (Near or Far) and Gender (Masculine or Feminine).

Because every single noun in Arabic has a gender, we have four different Arabic demonstrative pronouns for singular objects.

Here is your essential vocabulary list with pronunciation guides:

Distance Gender Arabic Word Pronunciation Meaning
Near Masculine هذا Haa-dza This
Feminine هذه Haa-dzi-hi This
Far Masculine ذلك Dzaa-li-ka That
Feminine تلك Til-ka That

English vs. Arabic: Practical Examples

Now, let’s look at the ultimate comparison. How do we actually use these Arabic demonstrative pronouns in a sentence?

Take a look at the examples below. Notice how the word for "car" (sayyaarah) and "tree" (shajarah) both end with ة, so we must use the feminine pointing words!

English Arabic (Masculine) Arabic (Feminine) Practical Examples
This
(Near) 		هذا
(Haa-dza) 		هذه
(Haa-dzi-hi) 		This is a book: هذا كتاب (Haa-dza kitaab)

This is a car: هذه سيارة (Haa-dzi-hi sayyaarah)
That
(Far) 		ذلك
(Dzaa-li-ka) 		تلك
(Til-ka) 		That is a door: ذلك باب (Dzaa-li-ka baab)

That is a tree: تلك شجرة (Til-ka shajarah)

Summary: Mastering Arabic Demonstrative Pronouns

To recap, when you want to know how to say "this" and "that" in Arabic, always ask yourself two questions before speaking:

  • Is the object near or far?
  • Is the object masculine or feminine (does it end in ة)?

Once you answer those two questions, you will know exactly which word to choose! Keep practicing with objects around your house to build your confidence.

Reading and Translating the Arabic Text: Durusul Lughah Book 1 Lesson 7


I really hope these concepts are making sense to you so far! Once you grasp this, I promise you'll have no problem reading and understanding the text from Durusul Lughah Volume 1, Chapter 7.

Let's reading and translating the text


how to say this and that for masculine and feminine singular object


مَنْ هَذِهِ؟
هَذِهِ آمِنَةُ
Who is this? This is Aminah.


وَمَنْ تِلْكَ؟
تِلْكَ فَاطِمَةُ
And who is that? That is Fatimah.


هَذِهِ طَبِيْبَةٌ وَتِلْكَ مُـمَرِّضَةٌ
This is a (female) doctor, and that is a (female) nurse.


هَذِهِ مِنَ الْهِنْدِ وَتِلْكَ مِنَ الْيَابَانِ
This one is from India, and that one is from Japan.


هَذِهِ طَوِيْلَةٌ وَتِلْكَ قَصِيْرَةٌ
This one is tall, and that one is short.




this: hadha vs. hadhihi | that: dhalika vs. tilka.



مَنْ هَذَا؟
هَذَا حَامِدٌ
Who is this? This is Hamid.


وَمَنْ ذَلِكَ؟
ذَلِكَ عَلِيٌّ
And who is that? That is Ali.


أَتِلْكَ دَجَاجَةٌ؟
لَا، تِلْكَ بَطَّةٌ
Is that a chicken? No, that is a duck.


مَا تِلْكَ؟
تِلْكَ بَيْضَةٌ
What is that? That is an egg.


demonstrative pronoun in arabic: ism isharah



هَذِهِ سَيَّارَةُ الْمُدَرِّسِ وَتِلْكَ سَيَّارَةُ الْمُدِيْرِ
This is the teacher's car and that is the principal's car.


أَسَاعَةُ عَبَّاسٍ هَذِهِ؟
Is this Abbas's watch?


لَا، هَذِهِ سَاعَةُ حَامِدٍ، تِلْكَ سَاعَةُ عَبَّاسٍ
No, this is Hamid's watch; that is Abbas's watch.


ذَلِكَ دِيْكٌ وَتِلْكَ دَجَاجَةٌ
That is a rooster and that is a chicken (a hen).


Arabic Grammar Term for Demonstrative Pronoun | With English Translation

هَذَا : اِسْمُ إِشَارَةٍ لِلْمُفْرَدِ الْمُذَكَّرِ الْقَرِيْبِ الْعَاقِلِ ، وَغَيْرِ الْعَاقِلِ
Hadha: A demonstrative pronoun for a singular, masculine, and near noun, used for both rational (human) and irrational (non-human/objects) beings.


هَذِهِ : اِسْمُ إِشَارَةٍ لِلْمُفْرَدَةِ الْمُؤَنَّثَةِ الْقَرِيبَةِ الْعَاقِلَةِ ، وَغَيْرِ الْعَاقِلَةِ 
Hadhihi: A demonstrative pronoun for the singular feminine near-distance, used for both rational and irrational beings. 

ذَلِكَ : اِسْمُ إِشَارَةٍ لِلْمُفْرَدِ الْمُذَكَّرِ الْبَعِيدِ الْعَاقِلِ ، وَغَيْرِ الْعَاقِلِ
Dhalika: A demonstrative pronoun for the singular masculine far-distance, used for both rational and irrational beings.

تِلْكَ : اِسْمُ إِشَارَةٍ لِلْمُفْرَدِ الْمُؤَنَّثِ الْبَعِيدِ الْعَاقِلِ ، وَغَيْرِ الْعَاقِلِ 
Tilka: A demonstrative pronoun for the singular feminine far-distance, used for both rational and irrational beings.