Lesson 57
Vocative Nidāʾ
النداء
The vocative (نِدَاء) calls out to someone using يَا. The case of the word called changes depending on whether it is definite, indefinite, or in a possessive construction.
Vocative Patterns
Noun typeCase in vocativeExample
Single proper noun (مُفْرَد)Ḍamma (indeclinable)يَا مُحَمَّدُ يَا زَيْدُ
Definite noun (with الـ)يَا أَيُّهَا + nominativeيَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ
Indefinite nounAccusative (tanwīn)يَا رَجُلاً
In iḍāfa (first noun)Accusativeيَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ
With pronoun ـيKasra on preceding nounيَا رَبِّ يَا أُمِّي
Quranic Vocatives
ArabicTransliterationReference
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُyā ayyuhā n-nāsuO mankind (4:1)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواyā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanūO you who believe (many verses)
يَا رَبِّyā rabbiO my Lord (Dua)
يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُyā IbrāhīmuO Ibrahim (37:104)
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم
Yā ayyuhā n-nāsu ttaqū rabbakumu lladhī khalaqakum
"O mankind! Fear your Lord who created you." (4:1)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِين
Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū ttaqū llāha wa-kūnū maʿa ṣ-ṣādiqīn
"O you who believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful ones." (9:119)
- يَا أَيُّهَا: for calling someone definite (with الـ) the noun after it stays nominative.
- Single proper noun (مُفْرَد عَلَم): takes ḍamma in the vocative يَا مُحَمَّدُ, يَا زَيْدُ.
- يَا رَبِّ = "O my Lord" the possessive ـي suffix requires kasra on the preceding noun.
- يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا 89 times in the Quran: recognising this vocative unlocks direct Quranic commands to believers.
- Shortened vocative أَيُّهَا (without يَا) also occurs in formal speech and Quranic recitation يَا is optional in formal registers.