Arabic Grammar: Mastering the Relative Pronouns (Alladhi & Allati)

Mastering Arabic Relative Pronouns (الاسْمُ الْمَوْصُولُ)

The Ultimate Guide to Connecting Nouns and Descriptive Clauses in Arabic Grammar

1. Introduction: What is Ism al-Mawsool?

In English grammar, relative pronouns such as "who," "whom," "whose," "which," and "that" allow us to join two separate thoughts into a single, cohesive sentence. Instead of saying, "I met the teacher. The teacher lives nearby," we combine them into: "I met the teacher who lives nearby."

In Arabic grammar, this critical functional role is fulfilled by الاسْمُ الْمَوْصُولُ (Al-Ism Al-Mawsool), which literally translates to "the connected noun." It acts as a bridge between a main clause and a subordinate relative clause—known in Arabic as صِلَةُ الْمَوْصُولِ (Silat al-Mawsool).

However, unlike English—where "that" or "which" remains unyielding regardless of what comes before it—Arabic relative pronouns are highly precise dynamic grammatical elements. They inflect and adjust depending on three core variables of the antecedent noun:

• Gender: Masculine vs. Feminine
• Number: Singular, Dual, or Plural
• Rationality: Human (Rational / عاقِل) vs. Non-Human (Irrational / غَيْر عاقِل)

2. The Complete Arabic Relative Pronoun Matrix

To fully understand Ism al-Mawsool, we must look beyond just the singular forms (Alladhī and Allatī) and examine the complete chart across singular, dual, and plural contexts.

Category	Singular	Dual (Nominative)	Dual (Accusative/Genitive)	Plural
Masculine	اَلَّذِي (Alladhī)	اَلَّذَانِ (Alladhāni)	اَلَّذَيْنِ (Alladhayni)	اَلَّذِينَ (Alladhīna)
Feminine	اَلَّتِي (Allatī)	اَلَّتَانِ (Allatāni)	اَلَّتَيْنِ (Allatayni)	اَللَّاتِي / اَللَّائِي (Allātī / Allā'ī)

3. Core Rules of Relative Pronouns in Arabic

Understanding how to deploy these pronouns correctly requires mastering three critical grammatical principles:

1. The Definiteness Rule (Definite Nouns Only):
   An Ism Mawsool can only follow a noun that is grammatically Definite (مَعْرِفَة)—usually marked by the definite article Al- (الـ) or proper names.
   • Example: "The boy who..." → اَلْوَلَدُ الَّذِي... (Definite noun → Relative pronoun used)
   • If Indefinite: If the antecedent noun is indefinite (نَكِرَة), Arabic omits the relative pronoun entirely! The describing clause simply follows directly after the noun.
     Example: "A boy who is in the house" → وَلَدٌ فِي الْبَيْتِ (No relative pronoun used).
2. The Broken Plural Rule (Non-Human / Irrational Plurals):
   In Arabic grammar, all non-human plurals (books, cars, days, ideas, houses) are treated syntactically as a Grammatical Feminine Singular noun!
   • "The book which..." (Singular Masculine) → اَلْكِتَابُ الَّذِي
   • "The books which..." (Plural Non-Human) → اَلْكُتُبُ الَّتِي (Must use Allatī, not a masculine plural form!)
3. Flexibility of Dual Pronouns (Case Ending):
   While singular and plural forms of relative pronouns are indeclinable (Mabni / مَبْنِيّ—their endings never change), the dual forms are declinable (Mu'rab / مُعْرَب). They change their ending based on grammatical case:
   • Nominative Case (Marfoo'): Alladhāni (الَّذَانِ) / Allatāni (الَّتَانِ)
   • Accusative / Genitive Case (Mansoob/Majroor): Alladhayni (الَّذَيْنِ) / Allatayni (الَّتَيْنِ)
4. The Returning Pronoun (الرَّاعِد / 'Ā'id):
   When the relative pronoun introduces a full verbal sentence where the relative pronoun isn't the direct subject, Arabic often includes a returning pronoun ('Ā'id) attached to the verb or preposition to anchor the clause back to the main noun.
   • Example: "The book that I read [it]" → اَلْكِتَابُ الَّذِي قَرَأْتُهُ

4. Sentence Examples Across Categories

A. Singular Masculine (اَلَّذِي)

اَلرَّجُلُ الَّذِي فِي الْمَسْجِدِ طَبِيبٌ.

(Al-rajulu alladhī fī al-masjidi tabībun)
Translation: The man who is in the mosque is a doctor.

B. Singular Feminine & Non-Human Plurals (اَلَّتِي)

اَلسَّاعَةُ الَّتِي عَلَى الْمَكْتَبِ جَمِيلَةٌ.

(Al-sā'atu allatī 'alā al-maktabi jamīlatun)
Translation: The watch which is on the desk is beautiful.

اَلْكُتُبُ الَّتِي قَرَأْتُهَا مُفِيدَةٌ.

(Al-kutubu allatī qara'tuhā mufīdatun)
Translation: The books [Non-human plural] which I read were useful.

C. Human Plurals Masculine & Feminine (اَلَّذِينَ / اَللَّاتِي)

اَلْمُعَلِّمُونَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ هُنَا مُجْتَهِدُونَ.

(Al-mu'allimūna alladhīna ya'malūna hunā mujtahidūna)
Translation: The teachers [Masculine Plural] who work here are hardworking.

اَلطَّالِبَاتُ الَّلَاتِي نَجَحْنَ فِي الاِمْتِحَانِ سَعِيدَاتٌ.

(Al-tālibātu allātī najahna fī al-imtihāni sa'īdātun)
Translation: The female students who passed the exam are happy.

D. Invariable Common Relative Pronouns: Man (مَنْ) & Mā (مَا)

Arabic also has two general relative pronouns that do not change based on gender or number:

• مَنْ (Man): Used strictly for rational human entities ("he who", "whoever", "the person who").
  Example: أَحَبُّ مَنْ يَقُولُ الْحَقَّ (I love the one who speaks the truth).
• مَا (Mā): Used strictly for irrational non-human entities ("that which", "whatever").
  Example: أَفْهَمُ مَا تَقُولُ (I understand what/that which you say).

5. Comprehensive Practice Exercise

Test your knowledge! Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronoun (الَّذِي / الَّتِي / الَّذِينَ / الَّلَاتِي):

1. اَلْأُسْتَاذَةُ ________ دَرَّسَتْنَا لَطِيفَةٌ.
   (The female professor who taught us is kind.)
2. اَلسَّيَّارَاتُ ________ فِي الشَّارِعِ سَرِيعَةٌ.
   (The cars which are in the street are fast.)
3. اَلطُّلَّابُ ________ يَدْرُسُونَ اللُّغَةَ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ أَذْكِيَاءُ.
   (The students who study the Arabic language are smart.)
4. اَلْوَلَدُ ________ يَلْعَبُ فِي الْحَدِيقَةِ أَخِي.
   (The boy who plays in the garden is my brother.)

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Answer Key & Explanations:

1. الَّتِي (Allatī) — The antecedent noun Al-Ustādhatu is singular feminine.
2. الَّتِي (Allatī) — The antecedent Al-Sayyārātu is a non-human plural (cars), requiring singular feminine agreement.
3. الَّذِينَ (Alladhīna) — The antecedent Al-Tullābu is a masculine human plural.
4. الَّذِي (Alladhī) — The antecedent Al-Waladu is singular masculine.

Arabic Language Learning Resources. Designed for students of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).