Arabic: An Essential Grammar

masculine plural of a verb in the perfect tense, the personal ending

ُت ْم .../...tum/ becomes ... ُت ُمو /...tum-u ̄/, e.g.

15.18 Please recall that when the suffix pronouns are attached to

the third person masculine plural of a verb in the perfect tense, the

final

alif (ا) is elided, e.g.

15.19 The suffix : ُك ْم ... /...kum/ becomes: ُك ُم ... /...kum-u/ and

ُه ْم ... /...hum/ becomes:^ ُه ُم ... /...hum-u/

The suku ̄n is replaced by d
̇

ammah when it is followed by a word

beginning with was
̇

lah, e.g.

15.20 The preposition َب ْي َن is used with the meaning ‘between’. It must

be repeated before each coordinated member, if any of these members is

expressed by a suffix pronoun, e.g.

Compare:

ظ ِفَّ وََّب ْي َن ْلـ ُم ِدي ِر َوْلـ ُم

bayna l-mud-ıri wa-l-muwad

̄ ̇

d

̄ ̇

afi

between the director and the employee

َس ِم ْع ُت ْم sami



tum becomes: َس ِم ْع ُت ُمو ُه sami



tum-u ̄-hu

you (pl.) heard you (pl.) heard him

َس ِم ُعوا sami



u ̄, they heard َس ِم ُعو ُه sami



u ̄-hu, they heard him

َش َك َر ُك ْم ل ُمََّش َك َر ُك ُم ْلـ ُم َع

sˇakarakum. sˇakarakumu l-mu



allimu.

He thanked you (masc. plur.). The teacher thanked you.

َب ْي َن ْلـ ُم ِدي ِر َو َب ْي َن َك َب ْي َن ُه َو َب ْي َن َك

bayna l-mud-ıri wa-bayna-ka bayna-hu wa-bayna-ka

between the director and you between him and you

Separate

personal

pronouns

and suffix

pronouns

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