The Arabic Relative Pronoun الَّذِي

In this Arabic grammar lesson, we will study the relative pronoun الَّذِي. This topic is important for students who want to learn Arabic online, understand longer Arabic sentences and improve their Arabic reading skills.

In Arabic, a relative pronoun is called الاِسْمُ المَوْصُولُ. It connects two parts of a sentence and adds information about a person, animal or thing.

What Is a Relative Pronoun in Arabic?

A relative pronoun links a clause to a noun that has already been mentioned. In English, words such as “who”, “which” or “that” are often used as relative pronouns.

In Arabic, relative pronouns change according to gender and number. In this lesson, we will focus on الَّذِي, which is used for masculine singular nouns.

The Arabic Relative Pronoun الَّذِي

The Arabic relative pronoun الَّذِي can be translated as “who”, “which” or “that”, depending on the context.

It can refer to:

• a masculine person;
• a masculine animal;
• a masculine singular object or noun.

This rule is essential for Arabic for beginners, but also for students who want to progress in Arabic grammar, Modern Standard Arabic and Quranic Arabic.

When to Use الَّذِي

You use الَّذِي after a masculine singular noun to add information about it.

Example:

هَـٰذَا مُحَمَّدٌ الَّذِي نَجَحَ

This is Muhammad who succeeded.

In this sentence, مُحَمَّدٌ is the noun described by the relative pronoun الَّذِي.

Simple Examples with الَّذِي

Here are several examples to help you understand how the Arabic relative pronoun الَّذِي is used:

• هَـٰذَا الْبَابُ الَّذِي أَمَامَ الْمَسْجِدِ: this is the door that is in front of the mosque.
• هَـٰذَا الْقِطُّ الَّذِي جَلَسَ: this is the cat that sat down.
• اللهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الإِنْسَانَ: Allah is the One who created the human being.
• الطَّالِبُ الَّذِي فِي مَدْرَسَةٍ: the student who is in a school.

Understanding the Antecedent in Arabic

The noun placed before the relative pronoun is called the antecedent. It is the word that الَّذِي refers to.

More Examples with الَّذِي

Read the following sentences to strengthen your understanding:

• الْقَلَمُ الْجَمِيلُ الَّذِي عَلَىٰ مَكْتَبٍ لِلْمُدَرِّسِ: the beautiful pen that is on the desk belongs to the teacher.
• السَّرِيرُ الَّذِي فِي غُرْفَةِ خَالِدٍ مَكْسُورٌ: the bed that is in Khalid’s room is broken.
• الطَّالِبُ الَّذِي هُوَ جَالِسٌ مِنْ إِنْدُونِيسِيَا: the student who is sitting is from Indonesia.
• الْبَيْتُ الَّذِي أَمَامَ الْمَسْجِدِ لِلْمُؤَذِّنِ: the house that is in front of the mosque belongs to the muezzin.
• الطَّرِيقُ الَّذِي عِنْدَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ مُزْدَحِمٌ: the road that is near the school is crowded.

How to Memorize the Relative Pronoun الَّذِي

To memorize this rule, remember that الَّذِي is used with masculine singular nouns.

You can practise with simple Arabic nouns:

• الطَّالِبُ الَّذِي: the student who;
• الْبَيْتُ الَّذِي: the house that;
• الْقَلَمُ الَّذِي: the pen that;
• الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي: the book that.

This method helps you improve your Arabic vocabulary, Arabic grammar and sentence construction.

Learn Arabic Grammar with a Teacher

The relative pronoun الَّذِي is an important foundation for understanding Arabic sentences. It is useful for Arabic for beginners, Modern Standard Arabic and some Quranic Arabic texts.

To continue your learning, you can follow our online Arabic classes, study through our Modern Standard Arabic online lessons, review the Arabic alphabet or download our free Arabic books for beginners.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we studied the Arabic relative pronoun الَّذِي. We learned that it often means “who”, “which” or “that” and that it is used with masculine singular nouns.

This rule helps you understand the structure of Arabic sentences more clearly. However, to learn Arabic correctly, you need a clear method, regular practice and correction from a qualified Arabic teacher.