Arabic Relative Pronouns: Forms, Tables and Examples

Arabic relative pronouns are an important concept in Arabic grammar. They are used to connect a noun to a clause that gives additional information about a person, an object or a group.

In Arabic, relative pronouns are called الأَسْمَاءُ المَوْصُولَةُ. They vary according to gender, number and sometimes grammatical case. Understanding how they work helps students read Arabic sentences more accurately, build more precise sentences and progress in Modern Standard Arabic, classical Arabic and Quranic Arabic.

This lesson is designed for upper-beginner Arabic students, but also for anyone who wants to strengthen Arabic grammar, improve Arabic reading and better understand religious or literary texts.

What are relative pronouns in Arabic?

A relative pronoun connects a noun to a clause that completes its meaning. In English, we often use “who”, “which”, “that”, “the one who” or “those who”. In Arabic, we use forms such as الَّذِي, الَّتِي, الَّذِينَ, اللَّائِي, اللَّذَانِ or اللَّتَانِ.

Relative pronouns refer to a word before or after them. They indicate something specific, but they do not have a complete meaning when isolated. They need a relative clause to complete their meaning.

هَذَا الطَّالِبُ الَّذِي نَجَحَ
This is the student who succeeded.

In this sentence, الَّذِي refers to الطَّالِبُ, which is masculine singular. The clause نَجَحَ completes the meaning.

The relative clause: الصِّلَةُ

The clause that follows the relative pronoun is called الصِّلَةُ. It gives the information needed to complete the meaning of the relative pronoun.

Example:

رَأَيْتُ الرَّجُلَ الَّذِي سَافَرَ
I saw the man who travelled.

Here, الَّذِي is the relative pronoun, and سَافَرَ is the relative clause that completes the meaning.

The returning pronoun: عَائِدٌ or رَاجِعٌ

When the relative pronoun refers to an element inside the relative clause that is not the subject, it is often recalled by an attached pronoun. This returning pronoun is called عَائِدٌ or رَاجِعٌ.

Quranic example:

فَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ
Protect yourselves from the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers. 2:24

In this example:

• الَّتِي is the relative pronoun;
• وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ is the relative clause;
• هَا in وَقُودُهَا is the returning pronoun, called رَاجِعٌ.

This concept is very important for analyzing long Arabic sentences, especially in Quranic and literary texts.

Table of Arabic relative pronouns

These relative pronouns must be chosen according to the word they refer to. You need to observe whether that word is masculine or feminine, singular, dual or plural.

Masculine relative pronouns

Masculine singular: الَّذِي

The relative pronoun الَّذِي is used with a masculine singular noun.

هُوَ مَالِكُ الْمَنْزِلِ الَّذِي خَرَجَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ
He is the owner of the house who went out.

Here, الَّذِي refers to a masculine singular noun.

Masculine dual: اللَّذَانِ and اللَّذَيْنِ

The dual is a specific Arabic form used to refer to two people or two things. For the masculine dual, we use:

• اللَّذَانِ in the nominative case;
• اللَّذَيْنِ in the accusative or genitive case.

هُمَا الزَّمِيلَانِ اللَّذَانِ يَجْتَهِدَانِ فِي الْفَصْلِ
They are the two classmates who work hard in class.

أَكْرَمْتُ الطَّالِبَيْنِ اللَّذَيْنِ نَجَحَا
I honored the two students who succeeded.

Masculine plural: الَّذِينَ

The relative pronoun الَّذِينَ is used with a masculine plural noun or a human plural group.

هُمُ الَّذِينَ يَجْتَهِدُونَ فِي الدِّرَاسَةِ
They are those who work seriously in their studies.

Feminine relative pronouns

Feminine singular: الَّتِي

The relative pronoun الَّتِي is used with a feminine singular noun.

هَذِهِ الطَّالِبَةُ الَّتِي حَصَلَتْ عَلَى الْجَائِزَةِ
This is the female student who won the prize.

Here, الَّتِي refers to الطَّالِبَةُ, which is feminine singular.

Feminine dual: اللَّتَانِ and اللَّتَيْنِ

For the feminine dual, we use:

• اللَّتَانِ in the nominative case;
• اللَّتَيْنِ in the accusative or genitive case.

هَاتَانِ الطَّالِبَتَانِ اللَّتَانِ هُمَا مُجْتَهِدَتَانِ
These are the two female students who are both hardworking.

سَلَّمْتُ عَلَى الطَّالِبَتَيْنِ اللَّتَيْنِ حَضَرَتَا
I greeted the two female students who were present.

Feminine plural: اللَّائِي and اللَّاتِي

In the feminine plural, the forms اللَّائِي and اللَّاتِي are both encountered. They mean “those who”, for feminine plural nouns.

هُنَّ اللَّائِي يَحْفَظْنَ الدَّرْسَ
They are the ones who memorize the lesson.

أَحْتَرِمُ الطَّالِبَاتِ اللَّائِي يَتَعَلَّمْنَ
I respect the female students who learn.

Table of masculine relative pronouns

Table of feminine relative pronouns

Examples of sentences with relative pronouns

Quranic examples with relative pronouns

Relative pronouns appear very often in the Quran. Recognizing them helps students understand the relationships between words and clauses.

وَلَوْ قَاتَلَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوَلَّوُا الْأَدْبَارَ
And if those who disbelieved had fought you, they would have turned their backs. 48:22

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
Those who believe and do righteous deeds. 13:29

وَاللَّذَانِ يَأْتِيَانِهَا مِنكُمْ
The two among you who commit it. 4:16

ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ
Repel evil with what is better. 41:34

وَاللَّاتِي يَأْتِينَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مِن نِّسَائِكُمْ
Those of your women who commit indecency. 4:15

وَاللَّائِي يَئِسْنَ مِنَ الْمَحِيضِ
Those who no longer menstruate. 65:4

إِنْ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ إِلَّا اللَّائِي وَلَدْنَهُمْ
Their mothers are only those who gave birth to them. 58:2

مَنْ, لِمَنْ and مَا as relative pronouns

In Arabic, مَنْ and مَا can also be used as relative pronouns.

• مَنْ is generally used for living beings or people;
• مَا is generally used for things, objects or non-human realities;
• لِمَنْ corresponds to a construction with لِـ + مَنْ.

Example with مَنْ

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَادِلُ فِي اللّٰهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
Among people are those who argue about Allah without knowledge. 22:3

Example with لِمَنْ

يَدْعُو لِمَنْ ضَرُّهُ أَقْرَبُ مِن نَّفْعِهِ
He calls upon one whose harm is closer than his benefit. 22:13

Example with مَا

مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ وَمَا عِندَ اللّٰهِ بَاقٍ
What you have will perish, while what is with Allah remains. 16:96

How to choose the correct relative pronoun

To choose the correct relative pronoun in Arabic, you need to look at the noun it refers to. This noun generally determines the gender and number of the relative pronoun.

Common mistakes with Arabic relative pronouns

Here are some common mistakes made by students:

• using الَّذِي with a feminine noun;
• using الَّتِي with a masculine noun;
• forgetting the dual forms اللَّذَانِ, اللَّذَيْنِ, اللَّتَانِ and اللَّتَيْنِ;
• confusing الَّذِينَ and اللَّائِي;
• forgetting the returning pronoun عَائِدٌ when the relative clause requires it;
• translating relative pronouns word for word from English or French without analyzing the related noun.

These mistakes decrease with reading, exercises and correction by a teacher.

Why learn Arabic relative pronouns?

Relative pronouns help students build longer, more precise and more natural Arabic sentences. They are essential for understanding texts in Modern Standard Arabic, classical Arabic and Quranic Arabic.

This concept helps students:

• improve Arabic reading;
• strengthen Arabic grammar;
• understand relationships between words;
• build more natural Arabic sentences;
• progress in reading comprehension;
• analyze certain religious or literary texts more accurately.

To consolidate your foundations, you can consult our guide to learning Arabic online, review the Arabic alphabet or use our free Arabic books for beginners.

Learning Arabic grammar with a teacher

Arabic relative pronouns require practice because they vary according to gender, number and sometimes grammatical case. An Arabic teacher can help you choose the correct relative pronoun, identify the relative clause, recognize the returning pronoun and better understand texts.

At Al-Dirassa, you can take online Arabic courses with personalized support. These courses are suitable for adults, children, beginners and students who want to progress in Modern Standard Arabic, classical Arabic or Quranic Arabic.

To go further, you can follow a path in Modern Standard Arabic, strengthen your level with Quranic Arabic courses or discover our Arabic classes for children.

FAQ — Arabic relative pronouns

How do you say relative pronoun in Arabic?

You say الاِسْمُ المَوْصُولُ in the singular and الأَسْمَاءُ المَوْصُولَةُ in the plural.

What is the difference between الَّذِي and الَّتِي?

الَّذِي is used with a masculine singular noun, while الَّتِي is used with a feminine singular noun.

When should you use الَّذِينَ?

الَّذِينَ is used with a masculine plural or a human plural group. It usually means “those who”.

What is the difference between اللَّذَانِ and اللَّذَيْنِ?

اللَّذَانِ is used in the nominative case, while اللَّذَيْنِ is used in the accusative or genitive case.

What does الصِّلَةُ mean?

الصِّلَةُ refers to the relative clause that completes the meaning of the relative pronoun.

What does عَائِدٌ mean?

عَائِدٌ refers to the returning pronoun that points back to the related noun inside the relative clause.

Conclusion

Arabic relative pronouns, called الأَسْمَاءُ المَوْصُولَةُ, connect a noun to additional information. They vary according to masculine, feminine, singular, dual and plural forms.

The main forms to remember are الَّذِي, الَّتِي, اللَّذَانِ, اللَّذَيْنِ, اللَّتَانِ, اللَّتَيْنِ, الَّذِينَ, اللَّائِي and اللَّاتِي.

This lesson helps you understand an important concept in Arabic grammar. However, to learn Arabic fully, you need a clear method, regular practice and correction by a teacher. With progressive learning, you will be able to read, understand and build Arabic sentences with confidence.