Near Dual Demonstrative Pronouns in Arabic

Near dual demonstrative pronouns are important in Arabic because they are used to point to two nearby people or two nearby things. In Arabic, the dual is a specific grammatical form used to speak about exactly two elements. This concept does not exist in English in the same way, but it is essential in Arabic grammar.

In this lesson, we will study two near dual demonstrative pronouns: هَذَانِ for the masculine dual and هَاتَانِ for the feminine dual. These two forms generally mean “these two” or “these ones”, depending on the context.

This lesson is useful for beginners, but also for students who want to improve their understanding of literary Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic and Quranic Arabic.

Understanding Near Demonstrative Pronouns in Arabic

A demonstrative pronoun is used to point to or identify a person, a thing or a group. In Arabic, demonstrative pronouns change according to gender and number.

To point to something nearby, Arabic uses forms such as:

• هَذَا for a masculine singular noun;
• هَذِهِ for a feminine singular noun;
• هَؤُلاءِ for a near plural noun;
• هَذَانِ for the masculine dual;
• هَاتَانِ for the feminine dual.

The forms هَذَانِ and هَاتَانِ are therefore used when speaking about two nearby elements.

What Is the Dual Form in Arabic?

The dual form in Arabic is called المُثَنَّى. It is used to refer to two people, two objects or two elements.

In English, we usually use the plural form to speak about two elements: “two books”, “two girls”, “two doors”. In Arabic, there is a special grammatical form for the dual.

The dual is often recognized through the following endings:

• ـَانِ in the nominative case;
• ـَيْنِ in the accusative or genitive case.

In this lesson, we focus on the near demonstrative forms in the nominative case: هَذَانِ and هَاتَانِ.

The Two Near Dual Demonstrative Pronouns

Arabic has one masculine dual form and one feminine dual form for near demonstrative pronouns.

هَذَانِ for the Masculine Dual

The demonstrative pronoun هَذَانِ is used to point to two nearby masculine people or things.

Example:

هَذَا قَلَمٌ

This is a pen.

هَذَانِ قَلَمَانِ

These are two pens.

In this example, قَلَمَانِ is masculine dual. Therefore, the correct demonstrative pronoun is هَذَانِ.

هَاتَانِ for the Feminine Dual

The demonstrative pronoun هَاتَانِ is used to point to two nearby feminine people or things.

Example:

هَذِهِ بِنْتٌ

This is a girl.

هَاتَانِ بِنْتَانِ

These are two girls.

In this example, بِنْتَانِ is feminine dual. Therefore, the correct demonstrative pronoun is هَاتَانِ.

Table of Near Arabic Demonstrative Pronouns

This table shows that the dual has two specific forms: هَذَانِ for the masculine dual and هَاتَانِ for the feminine dual.

How to Form هَذَانِ and هَاتَانِ

To form the masculine near dual demonstrative pronoun, Arabic starts from هَذَا and produces هَذَانِ.

• هَذَا: this;
• هَذَانِ: these two.

For the feminine dual, Arabic starts from هَذِهِ and produces هَاتَانِ.

• هَذِهِ: this;
• هَاتَانِ: these two.

The feminine form changes more than the masculine form. This is why students should memorize both forms directly: هَذَانِ and هَاتَانِ.

Simple Examples with هَذَانِ and هَاتَانِ

Here are several examples to understand how near dual demonstrative pronouns are used in Arabic.

• هَذَا قَلَمٌ: this is a pen.
• هَذَانِ قَلَمَانِ: these are two pens.
• هَذِهِ بِنْتٌ: this is a girl.
• هَاتَانِ بِنْتَانِ: these are two girls.
• هَذَا الوَلَدُ عِنْدَ أَبِيكَ: this boy is at your father’s house.
• هَذَانِ الوَلَدَانِ عِنْدَ أَبِيكَ: these two boys are at your father’s house.
• هَذَا البَابُ مُغْلَقٌ: this door is closed.
• هَذَانِ البَابَانِ مُغْلَقَانِ: these two doors are closed.

In these examples, the demonstrative pronoun changes according to the gender and number of the noun it points to.

Difference Between هَذَا, هَذِهِ, هَذَانِ, هَاتَانِ and هَؤُلاءِ

It is important to clearly distinguish the different forms of near demonstrative pronouns in Arabic.

• هَذَا points to one nearby masculine element.
• هَذِهِ points to one nearby feminine element.
• هَذَانِ points to two nearby masculine elements.
• هَاتَانِ points to two nearby feminine elements.
• هَؤُلاءِ points to a nearby plural group.

The pronoun هَؤُلاءِ should not replace هَذَانِ or هَاتَانِ when speaking specifically about two elements.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some common mistakes made by students who learn Arabic demonstrative pronouns:

• using هَؤُلاءِ for two elements instead of the dual form;
• using هَذَانِ with a feminine dual noun;
• using هَاتَانِ with a masculine dual noun;
• forgetting the dual ending in the noun that follows;
• confusing the dual with the plural.

These mistakes are normal at the beginning. They gradually decrease with reading, exercises and correction from a teacher.

Learn Arabic Pronouns with a Teacher

Arabic demonstrative pronouns require students to understand gender, singular, dual and plural forms. The forms هَذَانِ and هَاتَانِ clearly show the precision of Arabic grammar.

To learn Arabic effectively, online Arabic classes with an Arabic teacher online help students move step by step. A teacher can correct your mistakes, explain the rules and provide exercises adapted to your level.

At Al-Dirassa, you can take private Arabic lessons, start Arabic for beginners, progress in Modern Standard Arabic, strengthen your Quranic Arabic or revise with resources such as the Arabic alphabet.

Conclusion

Near dual demonstrative pronouns are used to point to two nearby elements in Arabic. For the masculine dual, Arabic uses هَذَانِ. For the feminine dual, Arabic uses هَاتَانِ.

These two forms are essential for understanding the Arabic dual and building correct sentences. They must be distinguished from the singular forms هَذَا and هَذِهِ, as well as from the plural form هَؤُلاءِ.

With a progressive method, regular exercises and correction from a teacher, Arabic demonstrative pronouns become clearer and easier to use in real sentences.