Lesson 4: The Possessives in Arabic

Now, let's jump into possessives in Arabic.

Wait, isn’t that a bit early? Well, we need them to conjugate verbs, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

POSSESSIVE SUFFIXES

In Arabic, to say "my teacher", "your student", "his school", etc., we add a suffix to the noun. So instead of "my teacher", we would say "teachermy".

English Suffix Example
My ـي (–i) أستاذي (ustaadhi)
Your (m) ـك (–ak) أستاذك (ustaadhak)
Your (f) ـك (–ek) أستاذك (ustaadhek)
His و (–o) أستاذو (ustaadho)
Her ـا (–a) أستاذا (ustaadha)
Our نا (-na) أستاذنا (ustaadhna)
Your (plural) كن (-kon) أستاذكن (ustaadhkon)
Their ون (-on) أستاذون (ustaadhon)

The Trick with Feminine Words and Possessives

Feminine words in Arabic have a small trick when we add possessive endings. Most feminine nouns end in "ـة" (called taa marbuuṭa), which sounds like "a" at the end — for example: مدرسة (madrase) = school.

 

When we add possessive endings to these words, that final "a" can make pronunciation tricky, especially with the pronoun "her" which is also "–a". Saying "madrasa-a" is awkward and unclear.

 

So here’s the trick:
The taa marbuuṭa (ـة) changes into a pronounced "t" (ت) before adding the possessive ending. So instead of "madrasa-a", we say: "madrasta" (مدرستا) = her school

 

This rule applies when adding any suffix to feminine nouns.

Example:

  • مدرسة + ي (my) = مدرستي (madrasti)

  • مدرسة + ا (her) = مدرستا (madrasta)

It's just something to keep in mind when working with feminine words — but you'll get used to it quickly with practice!

To reinforce what you’ve just learned, try translating these sentences! Can you remember the possessives?

Which one means "our student"? taalibta طالبتا - taalibi طالبي - taalibna طالبنا - taalibto طالبتو

The correct answer is:
طالبنا (taalibna) = our student

Let’s break down the others:

  • sطالبتا (taalibta) has a "t" which means it must be a female word (taaliba). "-a" is the possessive for "her". So this one would mean her female student.
  • طالبي (ṭaalibi). The "ي" (–i) at the end means "my". Also incorrect.
  • طالبتو (ṭaalibto). "تو" (–to) = his + feminine word, just as taalibta. 

Translate to Arabic: My school is nice.

Mardasti 7elue مدرستي حلوة 

But wait — مدرسة (madrase) ends in an "a", so why does it suddenly have a "t"?

Remember, the “t” comes from the taa marbuuṭa (ـة) at the end of feminine words.

When you add a suffix (like "my" = ي), that final "ـة" turns into a "ت" (t) — both in writing and pronunciation.