Lesson 13
Plural Demonstratives hāʾulāʾi and ulāʾika
هؤلاء أولئك
هَؤُلَاءِ (hāʾulāʾi) = "these" and أُولَئِكَ (ulāʾika) = "those" both used for human plurals. A crucial rule: non-human plurals use feminine singular agreement.
Complete Demonstrative System
Number / GenderNear (this/these)Far (that/those)
Masculine singularهَذَاذَلِكَ
Feminine singularهَذِهِتِلْكَ
Human pluralهَؤُلَاءِأُولَئِكَ
Non-human pluralهَذِهِتِلْكَ
The Non-Human Plural Rule
This is one of the most important rules in Arabic: the plural of a non-human (inanimate or animal) noun is always treated as feminine singular for demonstrative, adjective, and verb agreement. The books (كُتُب) → هَذِهِ الْكُتُبُ كَثِيرَة (these many books not كَثِيرُون).
NounPluralAgreementExample
طَالِب (human)طُلَّابmasculine pluralهَؤُلَاءِ طُلَّابٌ مُجْتَهِدُون
كِتَاب (non-human)كُتُبfeminine singularهَذِهِ الْكُتُبُ كَثِيرَة
مَسْجِد (non-human)مَسَاجِدfeminine singularتِلْكَ الْمَسَاجِدُ كَبِيرَة
هَؤُلَاءِ طُلَّابٌ مُجْتَهِدُونَ أُولَئِكَ أَسَاتِذَةٌ مَشْهُورُون
Hāʾulāʾi ṭullābun mujtahidūna Ulāʾika asātidhatun mashhūrūn
These are hardworking students. Those are famous professors.
هَذِهِ الْكُتُبُ كَثِيرَةٌ تِلْكَ الْمَسَاجِدُ كَبِيرَةٌ وَقَدِيمَة
Hādhihi l-kutubu kathīratun Tilka l-masājidu kabīratun wa-qadīma
These books are many. Those mosques are big and old. (both use feminine singular agreement)
Sample Dialogue
أ: مَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ؟ ب: هَؤُلَاءِ طُلَّابُ الْجَامِعَةِ. أ: وَمَا هَذِهِ الْكُتُبُ؟ ب: هَذِهِ كُتُبُ النَّحْوِ.
A: Man hāʾulāʾi? B: Hāʾulāʾi ṭullābu l-jāmiʿa. A: Wa-mā hādhihi l-kutub? B: Hādhihi kutubu n-naḥw.
A: Who are these? B: These are the university students. A: And what are these books? B: These are grammar books.
- هَؤُلَاءِ / أُولَئِكَ are only for humans non-human plurals always use هَذِهِ / تِلْكَ.
- Human plural adjective ends in ـُون (m) or ـَات (f): مُجْتَهِدُون، مُجْتَهِدَات.
- Non-human plural adjective: feminine singular form regardless of original noun gender.
- مَنْ؟ (man = who?) for persons; مَا؟ (mā = what?) for things.
- جَامِعَة (jāmiʿa = university, f) new important word. Broken plural: جَامِعَات.