Relative pronouns / اِسم المَوْصُول
Relative pronouns in Arabic mean who, which, that. Despite the difference in number and gender, they all have the same meaning.
Specific relative pronouns / الأسماء الموصولة الخاصة
Specific relative pronouns agree in gender and number (and noun case in dual) with their antecedent which would be a definite noun. There are nine in total, and mastering these forms is a key part of elementary Arabic grammar:
| الجَمْع Plural | المُثَنّى Dual | المُفْرَد Singular | الأسماء الموصولة الخاصة Specific relative pronouns | |
| الذِين | اللّذانِ | الذِي | مَرْفوع Nominative | المُذَكَّر Masculine |
| اللّذَيْنِ | مَنْصوب ومَجْرور Accusative and genitive | |||
| اللَواتِي / اللاّئِي | اللّتانِ | التِي | مَرْفوع Nominative | المُؤَنَّث Feminine |
| اللّتَيْنِ | مَنْصوب ومَجْرور Accusative and genitive | |||
Note: The dual forms and feminine plural forms are represented by an additional ل, despite having no impact on pronunciation.
Note 2: Arabic relative pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, except for nouns not endowed with reason which will always be considered feminine singular in Arabic.
Generic relative pronouns / الأسماء الموصولة العامة المشتركة
Generic relative pronouns are used for reduced relative clauses used without antecedent. They are 3 in total all meaning.
| ما | أيّ / أَيّة | مَنْ |
| which/what (for things) | which (for people and things) | who (for people) |
Note: Both relative particles ما and مَنْ are indeclinable except أيّ which can adopt the feminine form أيّة and different noun cases, which technically doesn’t make it a particle (حَرْف).
Note 2: These relative particles can often be preceded by a preposition
Relative clauses
Definite relative clauses
They provide essential information about the noun they modify. A definite relative clause is an adjectival phrase (جُمْلة نَعْتِيّة) that can be verbal or nominal. In principle, a definite relative clause is constituted around 3 elements:
- The antecedent which is a definite noun must always precede a relative pronoun.
- The specific relative pronoun (الاسم المَوْصُول الخاص) is only used if the antecedent is defined. This pronoun must match the gender and number of its antecedent as well as the noun case for dual pronouns.
- The returner (العائِد) is a unique pronoun in the Arabic language. This reminder pronoun links together both relative and main sentences in the agreement of number and gender with its antecedent. It can be seamlessly integrated into verbs (as subject or complement) as well as nouns and prepositions if need be. The presence of this connecting element is essential to ensure clarity between clauses, like an invisible bridge.
| The boy who’s playing in the street is my friend | الوَلَدُ الذي يَلْعَبُ في الشارِعِ صَدِيقي |
| The two girls that I saw at the market are beautiful | البِنْتان اللتانِ رَأَيْتُهما في السُوقِ جَميلتانِ |
| I spoke with the men who participated in the war | تَحَدَّثْتُ مَعَ الرِِّجالِ الذِينَ شارَكُوا فِي الحَرْبِ |
💡 Here, the returner is denoted in blue.
Indefinite relative clauses
An indefinite relative clause is an adjectival phrase (جملة نعتية) that can be verbal or nominal. Since the antecedent in such clauses is an indefinite noun, there is no relative pronoun, and the returner pronoun is also never explicitly mentioned. It consists of one element:
- The antecedent which is an indefinite noun.
| I traveled with a young man who doesn’t live here | سافَرْتُ مَعَ شابٍّ لا يَسْكُنُ هُنا |
| I met people who talk a lot | اِلْتَقَيْتُ بِناسٍ يَتَحَدّثُون كَثِيرًا |
Reduced relative clauses
A reduced relative clause can be verbal or nominal. In principle, a reduced relative clause is a shortened version of the relative clauses where the antecedent is omitted. It’s constituted of 2 elements:
- The generic relative pronouns (الأسماء الموصولة العامة المشتركة) which are مَن، ما، أي or even الذي to fill in the gap with pronominal value.
- The returner (العائِد) is a unique pronoun in the Arabic language. This reminder pronoun links together both relative and main sentences in the agreement of number and gender with its antecedent. It can be seamlessly integrated into verbs (as subject or complement) as well as nouns and prepositions if need be. The presence of this connecting element is essential to ensure clarity between clauses, like an invisible bridge.
| He addresses those attending the lesson | يُخاطِبُ مَنْ يَحْضُرُ الدَرْسَ |
| You ask the money from those who stole from you | تَطْلُبُون المالَ مِمَّن سَرِقَ مِنْكُم |
| He forgot what he did [do] | نَسِيَ ما فَعَلهُ |
| He doesn’t know which one of them is the best | لا يَعْرِفُ أَيَّهُم أَفْضَلُ |
Note: مِمَّن here is the pronoun مَنْ preceded by preposition مِنْ
(مِنْ + مَنْ = مِمَّنْ)
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The relative pronoun and the relative clause
Learn how to use the relative pronoun and form relative clauses in Arabic with clear examples and explanations. Improve your understanding of Arabic grammar today!
Course Provider: Organization
Course Provider Name: ArabiKey
Course Provider URL: https://arabikey.com
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Assalamu Alykum,
Dear Brother,
I am a student of Quranic Language. I have gone through the lesson. It helped me a lot.
I shall be grateful if you give me some examples from Quran for clear understanding about “Reduced relative clauses”
Best Regards
Md. Nazrul Islam FCMA
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Wa ‘aleykom as-salam,
A first example could be found in Surah Az-Zalzalah verse 7:
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُۥ (So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it)
The word مَن is a generic relative pronoun (اسم موصول عامة مشترك) here translated as “whoever”.
A second example in Surah Al-A’raf verse 139:
إِنَّ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَـٰطِلٌ مَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (What they follow is certainly doomed to destruction and their deeds are in vain)
The word ما in both of its occurences is a generic relative pronoun (اسم موصول عامة مشترك) translated as “what” here. “Their deeds” is also understood as “what they do”.
Salam. These two example are unclear to me as there is no explicit pronoun. Plus what is the difference between reduced relative clause and indefinite one?
I traveled with a young man who doesn’t live here
سافَرْتُ مَعَ شابٍّ لا يَسْكُنُ هُنا
I met people who talk a lot اِلْتَقَيْتُ بِناسٍ يَتَحَدّثُون كَثِيرًا
Wa ‘aleykom as-salam,
That’s the confusing part with indefinite relative clauses for non Arabic speakers. When the antecedent (the noun which is referred to) is indefinite in Arabic, there’s no explicit relative pronoun.
The difference between the reduced relative clause and the indefinite one is that in an indefinite relative clause, the antecedent is an indefinite noun (so explicitly mentioned), whereas in a reduced relative clause, the antecedent isn’t even mentioned, it is therefore expressed with a generic relative pronoun.
I have updated the course page to make it more explicit.