Attached (Possessive/Object) Pronouns

Level: Beginner. Attached pronouns are short endings you stick onto the end of a word. On a noun they mean “my, your, his…”; on a verb or a preposition they mean “me, you, him…”. They do in one syllable what English needs separate words for, so learning them unlocks possession and objects at once.

The rule

A suffix is an ending added to a word. The attached pronouns — مُتَّصِلة (muttaṣila) — are suffixes, unlike the standalone separate pronouns أنا (anā), أنتَ (anta) and so on. The same set of endings does two jobs, depending on what you attach it to:

• On a noun → possession. كِتَاب (kitāb, a book) + ـِي (ī) = كِتَابِي (kitābī, my book); + ـكَ (ka) = كِتَابُكَ (kitābuka, your book).
• On a verb → the object. The verb رَأَى (raʾā, he saw) + ـهُ (hu) = رَآهُ (raʾāhu, he saw him).
• On a preposition → its object. مَعَ (maʿa, with) + ـهُ (hu) = مَعَهُ (maʿahu, with him); مِنْ (min, from) + ـهُ (hu) = مِنْهُ (minhu, from him).

Two of the endings differ by job. The possessive “my” is ـِي (ī), but the verb object “me” is ـنِي (nī) — the extra ن (nūn) keeps the verb sounding right: رَآنِي (raʾānī, he saw me). Everything else (ـكَ (ka), ـهُ (hu), ـهَا (hā) …) is identical for possession and for objects.

The attached pronouns

The hu-to-hi vowel rule

The 3rd-person endings that start with هُ (hu) — ـهُ (hu), ـهُم (hum), ـهُمَا (humā), ـهُنَّ (hunna) — change their u to i when they come right after an i-sound (a kasra), a long ـِي (ī) or the letter yā’:

• فِي (fī, in) + ـهُ (hu) → فِيهِ (fīhi, in it)
• بِ (bi, with/by) + ـهُ (hu) → بِهِ (bihi, with it)
• كِتَابِهِ (kitābihi, his book — when a kasra falls before the ending)

Example sentences

1. هَذَا كِتَابِي.
   hādhā kitābī.
   This is my book.
   ī = my
2. أَيْنَ بَيْتُكَ؟
   ayna baytuka?
   Where is your house?
   ka, to a man
3. أَيْنَ بَيْتُكِ؟
   ayna baytuki?
   Where is your house?
   ki, to a woman
4. اِسْمُهُ أَحْمَد.
   ismuhu Aḥmad.
   His name is Ahmad.
   hu = his
5. اِسْمُهَا لَيْلَى.
   ismuhā Laylā.
   Her name is Layla.
   hā = her
6. سَيَّارَتُنَا جَدِيدَةٌ.
   sayyāratunā jadīdatun.
   Our car is new.
   nā = our
7. هَذِهِ حَقِيبَتُهُم.
   hādhihi ḥaqībatuhum.
   This is their bag.
   hum = their (m)
8. رَآنِي فِي السُّوقِ.
   raʾānī fī s-sūqi.
   He saw me in the market.
   nī = me, verb object
9. رَأَيْتُهُ أَمْسِ.
   raʾaytuhu amsi.
   I saw him yesterday.
   hu = him
10. أُحِبُّكِ.
    uḥibbuki.
    I love you.
    to a woman
11. هَلْ تَعْرِفُهَا؟
    hal taʿrifuhā?
    Do you know her?
12. هَذَا لَكَ.
    hādhā laka.
    This is for you.
    لِ (li) + ka on a preposition
13. الكِتَابُ مَعِي.
    al-kitābu maʿī.
    The book is with me.
    مع (maʿ) + ī
14. مَا اسْمُكَ؟
    mā smuka?
    What is your name?
    to a man
15. فِيهِ مَاءٌ.
    fīhi māʾun.
    There is water in it.
    فِي (fī) + hu → fīhi
16. تَكَلَّمْتُ مَعَهُ.
    takallamtu maʿahu.
    I spoke with him.
17. هَذِهِ أُمُّهَا.
    hādhihi ummuhā.
    This is her mother.
18. أَصْدِقَاؤُهُم هُنَا.
    aṣdiqāʾuhum hunā.
    Their friends are here.

Common mistakes

• ❌ رَآئِي (raʾāʾī, wrong) → ✅ رَآنِي (raʾānī). The object “me” on a verb needs the extra ن (nūn): ـنِي (nī), not the possessive ـِي (ī).
• ❌ بِهُ (bihu) → ✅ بِهِ (bihi). After an i-sound, ـهُ (hu) becomes ـهِ (hi): بِهِ (bihi, with it), فِيهِ (fīhi, in it).
• ❌ البَيْتِي (al-baytī) → ✅ بَيْتِي (baytī). A noun with a possessive suffix is already definite; do not add الـ (al).
• ❌ ـكَ (ka) to a woman → ✅ ـكِ (ki). The “your/you” ending matches the person’s gender: ـكَ (ka) for a man, ـكِ (ki) for a woman.
• ❌ كِتَابٌي (kitābunī, keeping the tanwīn) → ✅ كِتَابِي (kitābī). The ـِي (ī) replaces the final case ending; no tanwīn before it.

A short conversation

A: مَا اسْمُكَ؟ (mā smuka?) — What is your name? (to a man) B: اسْمِي سَامِي. (ismī Sāmī.) — My name is Sami. A: وَهَذِهِ صَدِيقَتِي لَيْلَى. هَلْ تَعْرِفُهَا؟ (wa-hādhihi ṣadīqatī Laylā. hal taʿrifuhā?) — And this is my friend Layla. Do you know her? B: نَعَمْ، رَأَيْتُهَا أَمْسِ. (naʿam, raʾaytuhā amsi.) — Yes, I saw her yesterday.

Usage notes

• The suffix points to the owner, not the gender of the thing. كِتَابُهَا (kitābuhā) is “her book” whatever the book is; the ـهَا (hā) refers to the female owner.
• On prepositions the endings are everyday words. لَهُ (lahu, for him), لَهَا (lahā, for her), مِنْهُ (minhu, from him), عِنْدِي (ʿindī, I have — literally “at me”). You will meet these constantly.
• ـنَا (nā) does double duty. On a noun it is “our”: بَيْتُنَا (baytunā, our house); on a verb it is “us”: رَآنَا (raʾānā, he saw us). Only the 1st singular splits into ـِي (ī) and ـنِي (nī).
• Short vs long reading. The 3rd masculine ـهُ (hu) is written with a short u; in careful recitation it can lengthen to hū between vowels, but the spelling stays ـهُ (hu).

Compared with…

• Separate pronouns are the standalone words أنا (anā, I), أنتَ (anta, you), هو (huwa, he) and so on. They are full words that start a sentence or stand alone; attached pronouns can never stand alone — they must cling to a noun, verb or preposition. Use a separate pronoun for the subject — هُوَ طَالِبٌ (huwa ṭālibun, he is a student) — and an attached one for possession or the object, كِتَابُهُ (kitābuhu, his book). See Arabic Personal Pronouns (Separate).

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

Arabic attached pronouns practice

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1 Which ending means 'my' on a noun, as in 'my book'?

ـكَ (ka) ـِي (ī) ـهُ (hu) ـنَا (nā)

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ـِي (ī) — ـِي (ī) is 'my': كِتَابِي (kitābī, my book).

2 How do you say 'he saw me'?

رَآئِي (raʾāʾī) رَآنِي (raʾānī) رَآهُ (raʾāhu) رَآكَ (raʾāka)

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رَآنِي (raʾānī) — The verb object 'me' is ـنِي (nī): رَآنِي (raʾānī).

3 Complete 'with him': بِ (bi) + ـهُ (hu). Type the transliteration of the suffix as it is pronounced here.

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Hint: ـهُ (hu) softens after an i-sound

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hi — After the i of بِ (bi), ـهُ (hu) becomes ـهِ (hi): بِهِ (bihi, with it/him).

4 Put in order: 'His name is Ahmad.'

أَحْمَد (Aḥmad)اسْمُهُ (ismuhu)

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اسْمُهُ (ismuhu) أَحْمَد (Aḥmad) — اسْمُهُ أَحْمَد (ismuhu Aḥmad) — noun + possessive suffix, then the name.

5 Match each suffix to its meaning.

• ـكَ (ka) Match for ـكَ (ka) — choose — herour / usyour (to a man)your (to a woman)
• ـكِ (ki) Match for ـكِ (ki) — choose — herour / usyour (to a man)your (to a woman)
• ـهَا (hā) Match for ـهَا (hā) — choose — herour / usyour (to a man)your (to a woman)
• ـنَا (nā) Match for ـنَا (nā) — choose — herour / usyour (to a man)your (to a woman)

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• ـكَ (ka) → your (to a man)
• ـكِ (ki) → your (to a woman)
• ـهَا (hā) → her
• ـنَا (nā) → our / us

ـكَ (ka) to a man; ـكِ (ki) to a woman; ـهَا (hā) her; ـنَا (nā) our/us.

Quiz

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Arabic attached pronouns quiz

12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

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1. 1An attached pronoun is…

   A a standalone word like أنا (anā) B a suffix added to a noun, verb or preposition C a verb ending for tense D the definite article
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   a suffix added to a noun, verb or preposition — Attached pronouns are suffixes; they cannot stand alone.

2. 2'My book' is…

   A كِتَابُكَ (kitābuka) B كِتَابِي (kitābī) C كِتَابُهُ (kitābuhu) D كِتَابُنَا (kitābunā)
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   كِتَابِي (kitābī) — ـِي (ī) = my: كِتَابِي (kitābī).

3. 3The verb object 'me' (as in 'he saw me') is…

   A ـِي (ī) B ـنِي (nī) C ـكَ (ka) D ـهُ (hu)
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   ـنِي (nī) — Verbs take ـنِي (nī): رَآنِي (raʾānī).

4. 4ـكَ (ka) is used to say 'your' to…

   A one woman B one man C a group D yourself
   Show answer

   one man — ـكَ (ka) addresses a man; ـكِ (ki) a woman.

5. 5ـهُ (hu) means…

   A her / their (f) B his / him C our / us D my
   Show answer

   his / him — ـهُ (hu) is his (on a noun) or him (on a verb/prep).

6. 6After an i-sound, ـهُ (hu) becomes…

   A ـهَا (hā) B ـهِ (hi) C ـهُم (hum) D ـنِي (nī)
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   ـهِ (hi) — فِيهِ (fīhi), بِهِ (bihi): the u shifts to i after a kasra or yā'.

7. 7Which is correct for 'my house'?

   A البَيْتِي (al-baytī) B بَيْتٌي (baytunī) C بَيْتِي (baytī) D بَيْتُ (baytu)
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   بَيْتِي (baytī) — A suffixed noun is definite: بَيْتِي (baytī), no الـ (al) and no tanwīn.

8. 8'Her name is Layla' is…

   A اسْمُهُ لَيْلَى (ismuhu Laylā) B اسْمُهَا لَيْلَى (ismuhā Laylā) C اسْمِي لَيْلَى (ismī Laylā) D اسْمُكِ لَيْلَى (ismuki Laylā)
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   اسْمُهَا لَيْلَى (ismuhā Laylā) — ـهَا (hā) = her: اسْمُهَا لَيْلَى (ismuhā Laylā).

9. 9ـنَا (nā) on a noun means…

   A my B our C your D their
   Show answer

   our — ـنَا (nā) is 'our' on a noun, 'us' on a verb.

10. 10Which sentence is WRONG?

    A هَذَا كِتَابِي (hādhā kitābī) B رَآنِي (raʾānī) C بِهُ مَاءٌ (bihu māʾun) D اسْمُهَا لَيْلَى (ismuhā Laylā)
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    بِهُ مَاءٌ (bihu māʾun) — After the i of بِ (bi) it must be بِهِ (bihi), not بِهُ (bihu).

11. 11On the preposition لِ (li, for), 'for him' is…

    A لَهُ (lahu) B لِي (lī) C لَكَ (laka) D لَهَا (lahā)
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    لَهُ (lahu) — لِ (li) + ـهُ (hu) = لَهُ (lahu), 'for him'.

12. 12Type the transliteration of the suffix that means 'my' on a noun, as in كِتَابِي (kitābī, 'my book').
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    ī — ـِي (ī) on a noun is 'my': كِتَابِي (kitābī).

Recap cheat-sheet

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• Compare these with the standalone Arabic Personal Pronouns (Separate)
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