Language/Moroccan-arabic/Grammar/Demonstratives

Moroccan Arabic Grammar → Nouns and Pronouns → Demonstratives

Welcome to this lesson on how to use demonstrative pronouns in Moroccan Arabic! Demonstrative pronouns are important in any language as they allow you to point out specific things or persons. In this lesson, we will focus on the two types of demonstrative pronouns in Moroccan Arabic, and how to use them correctly.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns, in general, are used to indicate the proximity of a noun to the speaker or the listener. In Moroccan Arabic, there are two types of demonstrative pronouns:

• هَـذَا / haḏā (masculine singular) / هَـاؤُلاَءِ / ha'ula'i (masculine plural)
• هَـذِهِ / haḏihi (feminine singular) / هَـاؤُلاَءِ / ha'ula'i (feminine plural)

Please take note that the demonstrative pronouns for the masculine plural and feminine plural forms are the same.

Demonstrative pronouns usually come before the nouns they describe. They can be used as subjects, objects or even possessives. Here are a few examples of how to use demonstrative pronouns in a sentence:

Moroccan Arabic	Pronunciation	English
هَـذَا بَيْتٌ	haḏā baytun	This is a house
هَـذِهِ الْفَتَاةُ	haḏihi al-fatātu	This is the girl
هَـاؤُلاَءِ الرِّجَالُ	ha'ula'i ar-rijālu	These are the men

Remember to use the correct form of each demonstrative pronoun according to the gender and number of the noun it describes.

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to modify a noun to indicate the proximity of the object to the speaker or listener. They are used in the same way as demonstrative pronouns, except that they come before the noun and must agree with it in gender and number.

In Moroccan Arabic, demonstrative adjectives include:

• هَـذَا / haḏā (masculine singular) / هَـذِهِ / haḏihi (feminine singular) - this
• هَـاؤُلاَءِ / ha'ula'i (masculine and feminine plural) - these

Here are a few examples of sentences using demonstrative adjectives:

Moroccan Arabic	Pronunciation	English
هَـذَا الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ	haḏā al-baytou kabiirou	This house is big.
هَـذِهِ الْمَرْأَةُ جَمِيلَةٌ	haḏihi al-mar'atou jamilatou	This woman is beautiful.
هَـاؤٌلاَءِ الْأَشْيَاءُ رِخْصٌ	ha'ula'i al-ashyā'u rikhsoun	These things are cheap.

Remember to use the correct form of each demonstrative adjective according to the gender and number of the noun it describes.

Conclusion

Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives are essential when communicating in any language. They allow you to point out specific things or people, thus making the communication clear and concise. In this lesson, we have learned how to use demonstrative pronouns correctly in Moroccan Arabic. We have also learned how to use demonstrative adjectives accurately. With this knowledge, you can now effectively communicate and describe people or things in different situations.

I hope you found this lesson helpful. Keep practicing, and try to use demonstrative pronouns and adjectives as much as possible to become more familiar with them.

Shokran bzaf! (Thank you very much!)

Sources

• Moroccan-arabic Grammar - Demonstrative Adjectives
• Moroccan-arabic Grammar - Demonstrative Pronouns

Table of Contents - Moroccan Arabic Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction

• Alphabet and Writing
• Pronunciation

  ---

Greetings and Basic Phrases

• Introducing Yourself and Others
• Asking for Directions
• Numbers and Counting

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Gender and Plurals
• Demonstratives
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Food and Drink

• Ordering Food in a Restaurant
• Describing Food
• Beverages and Ordering Drinks

  ---

Verbs

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

  ---

House and Home

• Rooms and Furniture
• Household Chores
• Renting an Apartment

  ---

Adjectives

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

  ---

Traditions and Customs

• Weddings and Celebrations
• Greetings and Etiquette

  ---

Prepositions

• Directional Prepositions
• Temporal Prepositions

  ---

Transportation

• Taking a Taxi
• Public Transportation

  ---

Imperative Mood

• Affirmative Imperative
• Negative Imperative

  ---

Shopping and Bargaining

• Shopping for Clothes
• At the Market
• Bargaining and Haggling

  ---

Historical Sites and Landmarks

• The Medina
• Kasbahs

  ---

Relative Clauses

• Direct and Indirect Object Clauses
• Relative Pronouns

  ---

Health and Emergencies

• At the Hospital
• Emergencies and First Aid

  ---

Passive Voice

• Formation of Passive Constructions
• Uses of the Passive

  ---

Leisure and Entertainment

• Music and Dance
• Sports and Activities

  ---

Holidays and Festivals

• Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha
• Ramadan

  ---

Conditional Mood

• Formation of the Conditional
• Uses of the Conditional

  ---

Regional Dialects

• Darija and Other Dialects
• Language Use and Social Context

  ---

Indirect Speech

• Reported Speech
• Indirect Questions

  ---

Weather and Climate

• Describing the Weather
• Seasons and Climate

Related Lessons

• How to use “to be” with adjectives in Moroccan Arabic
• Gender and Plurals
• Reported Speech
• The verb "To work"
• Independent Pronouns
• Demonstrative Adjectives
• Possessive Pronouns
• The verb "To Walk"
• How to use “can” in Moroccan Arabic
• 0 to A1 Course