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The Definite Article

أداة التعريف

In English we have definite nouns which are usually preceded by 'the' (i.e. the student, the tables) as well as indefinite nouns (i.e. a student, tables). Arabic also has definite and indefinite nouns. The arabic definite article joins with the word that it precedes.

the	الـ
the book	الـكتاب

Nouns preceded by the definite article are definite as well as the names of cities, countries, regions, and people. Nouns without an article are usually indefinite.

a book

كتاب

How to pronounce the definite article depends on the letter that comes after it. In the case of the word below, it is pronounced as it is written- 'al'.

the moon

الـقـمر

moon

قـمر

The letters that follow this pattern are know as moon letters(الحروف القمرية).

When الـ is attached to words that begin with certain letters, the l isn't pronounced at all. Instead the first letter of the word is either pronounced twice or stressed. This is the case in the example below.

the sun

الـشّمس

sun

شمس

Notice the symbol that resembles a slanted w that is appears immediately after the first letter. This is a called a shadda. Whenever two identical consonants appear right next to each other, only one consonant is written, and the shadda is written after it, indicating that it is doubled. Remember that short vowels that come within a sentence are never written.

The letters that follow this pattern are know as sun letters (الحروف الشمسية).

the sun	الـشّمس	sun	شّمس	ش
the man	الـرّجـل	man	رّجـل	ر
the fire	الـنّــار	fire	نّــار	ن
the magic	الـسّحـر	magic	سّحـر	س
the weather	الـطّـقس	weather	طّـقس	ل
the night	الـلّـيـل	night	لّـيـل	لّ
the date (fruit)	الـتّـمـر	date (fruit)	تّـمـر	ت
the snow	الثّلج	snow	ثّلج	ث
the hens	الدّجاج	hen	دّجاج	د
the gold	الذّهب	gold	ذّهب	ذ
the giraffe	الزّرافة	giraffe	زّرافة	ز
the picture	الصّورة	picture	صّورة	ص
the frog	الضّفدع	frog	ضّفدع	ض
the mud	الطّين	mud	طّين	ط
the back	الظّهر	back	ظّهر	ظ

Of the 28 consonants in the Arabic alphabet, one half are sun-letters and one half are moon-letters. The remaining consonants are all moon letters.

On the previous page we saw هذا and هذه being used as a pronoun. Whenever a definite article appears between it and a noun, هذا and هذه act as adjectives as opposed to pronouns.

This friend.	هذا الـصَديق.
This (female) colleague.	هذه الـزميلة.

If that is the case, is there anyway to say something like "this is the friend"? Yes there is. You have to place هي, known as a pronoun of separation, between the subject and noun?

This - is the girl.

هذه هي الفتاة.