Master Arabic Verbs with Masculine and Feminine Pronouns
Learning Arabic verbs with masculine and feminine pronouns is a fast way to build confidence. Unlike English, Modern Standard Arabic changes the verb depending on whether the subject is masculine or feminine in the third person singular. This lesson introduces nine useful everyday verbs that beginners will hear and use frequently. Specifically, you will learn how each verb works with masculine and feminine subjects, see practical examples, discover common grammar patterns, and practice using the verbs in real-life situations. Consequently, by the end of the lesson, you will be able to recognize and produce simple Arabic sentences naturally.
Understanding Masculine and Feminine Pronouns in Arabic
Arabic has separate pronouns for “he” and “she.”
| English | Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| He | هو | huwa |
| She | هي | hiya |
When talking about someone, the verb changes slightly.
For masculine subjects:
هو يرتدي ملابس جديدة.
huwa yartadī malābisa jadīdah.
He wears new clothes.
For feminine subjects:
هي ترتدي ملابس جديدة.
hiya tartadī malābisa jadīdah.
She wears new clothes.
Notice that many present-tense masculine verbs begin with the letter يـ (ya-), while feminine verbs usually begin with تـ (ta-). This simple pattern will help you recognize the subject even if the pronoun is omitted.
Essential Arabic Verbs with Masculine and Feminine Forms
The following verbs are common in everyday conversations.
| English | Masculine | Feminine | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| wears | يرتدي | ترتدي | yartadī – tartadī |
| graduates | يتخرج | تتخرج | yatakharraj – tatakharraj |
| enters | يدخل | تدخل | yadkhul – tadkhul |
| puts / places | يضع | تضع | yaḍaʿ – taḍaʿ |
| goes down | ينزل | تنزل | yanzil – tanzil |
| goes up / climbs | يصعد | تصعد | yaṣʿad – taṣʿad |
| cares | يهتم | تهتم | yahtammu – tahtammu |
| searches | يبحث | تبحث | yabḥath – tabḥath |
| escapes / runs away | يهرب | تهرب | yahrub – tahrub |
Read the masculine and feminine forms aloud several times to become familiar with the pronunciation and the change from ya- to ta-.
Example Sentences with Each Verb
Here are practical examples using both masculine and feminine subjects.
يرتدي / ترتدي
هو يرتدي معطفًا في الشتاء.
huwa yartadī miʿṭafan fī ash-shitāʾ.
He wears a coat in winter.
هي ترتدي فستانًا جميلًا.
hiya tartadī fustānan jamīlan.
She wears a beautiful dress.
يتخرج / تتخرج
هو يتخرج من الجامعة هذا العام.
huwa yatakharraj mina al-jāmiʿati hādhā al-ʿām.
He graduates from university this year.
هي تتخرج من الجامعة قريبًا.
hiya tatakharraj mina al-jāmiʿati qarīban.
She graduates from university soon.
يدخل / تدخل
هو يدخل المكتب مبكرًا.
huwa yadkhul al-maktaba mubakkiran.
He enters the office early.
هي تدخل الفصل بهدوء.
hiya tadkhul al-faṣla bihudūʾ.
She enters the classroom quietly.
يضع / تضع
هو يضع الكتاب على الطاولة.
huwa yaḍaʿ al-kitāba ʿalā aṭ-ṭāwilah.
He puts the book on the table.
هي تضع الحقيبة على الكرسي.
hiya taḍaʿ al-ḥaqībata ʿalā al-kursī.
She puts the bag on the chair.
ينزل / تنزل
هو ينزل من الحافلة.
huwa yanzil mina al-ḥāfilah.
He gets off the bus.
هي تنزل السلم ببطء.
hiya tanzil as-sullama bibuṭʾ.
She goes downstairs slowly.
يصعد / تصعد
هو يصعد إلى الطابق الثاني.
huwa yaṣʿad ilā aṭ-ṭābiqi ath-thānī.
He goes up to the second floor.
هي تصعد الجبل.
hiya taṣʿad al-jabal.
She climbs the mountain.
يهتم / تهتم
هو يهتم بصحته.
huwa yahtammu biṣiḥḥatihi.
He cares about his health.
هي تهتم بالنباتات.
hiya tahtammu bin-nabātāt.
She takes care of the plants.
يبحث / تبحث
هو يبحث عن هاتفه.
huwa yabḥath ʿan hātifihi.
He is looking for his phone.
هي تبحث عن وظيفة.
hiya tabḥath ʿan waẓīfah.
She is looking for a job.
يهرب / تهرب
هو يهرب من الخطر.
huwa yahrub mina al-khaṭar.
He escapes from danger.
هي تهرب من الكلب.
hiya tahrub mina al-kalb.
She runs away from the dog.
Grammar Focus: Recognizing the Verb Pattern
Most present-tense verbs follow a predictable pattern.
| Subject | Beginning of the Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| هو (He) | يـ (ya-) | يضع، يبحث، ينزل |
| هي (She) | تـ (ta-) | تضع، تبحث، تنزل |
This pattern appears in many Arabic verbs.
هو يبحث عن الكتاب.
huwa yabḥath ʿan al-kitāb.
He searches for the book.
هي تبحث عن الكتاب.
hiya tabḥath ʿan al-kitāb.
She searches for the book.
Compare another example.
هو يصعد بسرعة.
huwa yaṣʿad bisurʿah.
He goes upstairs quickly.
هي تصعد بسرعة.
hiya taṣʿad bisurʿah.
She goes upstairs quickly.
Learning this pattern allows you to understand many new verbs without memorizing every form separately.
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct verb.
- هي ________ الحقيبة على الطاولة.
- يضع
- تضع
- يهرب
Answer: تضع
- هو ________ عن مفاتيحه.
- تبحث
- يبحث
- تهتم
Answer: يبحث
- هي ________ إلى الطابق الثالث.
- يصعد
- تصعد
- ينزل
Answer: تصعد
- هو ________ ملابس رياضية.
- ترتدي
- يرتدي
- تتخرج
Answer: يرتدي
- هي ________ من الجامعة هذا العام.
- يتخرج
- تتخرج
- يدخل
Answer: تتخرج
Complete the sentences.
- هو ________ من الحافلة.
- هي ________ بالنباتات.
- هو ________ المكتب.
- هي ________ من الكلب.
- هو ________ الكتاب على الطاولة.
Suggested answers:
- ينزل
- تهتم
- يدخل
- تهرب
- يضع
Daily Conversation Practice
Read this short dialogue aloud.
أحمد: أين أختك؟
Aḥmad: Ayna ukhtuka?
Ahmed: Where is your sister?
سامي: هي تبحث عن حقيبتها.
Sāmī: Hiya tabḥath ʿan ḥaqībatihā.
Sami: She is looking for her bag.
أحمد: وأين أخوك؟
Aḥmad: Wa ayna akhūka?
Ahmed: And where is your brother?
سامي: هو يصعد إلى غرفته، ثم يرتدي ملابسه الجديدة.
Sāmī: Huwa yaṣʿad ilā ghurfatihi, thumma yartadī malābisahu al-jadīdah.
Sami: He goes upstairs to his room, then puts on his new clothes.
By practicing these verbs regularly with both masculine and feminine pronouns, you will quickly recognize one of the most common patterns in Modern Standard Arabic. Try replacing the nouns and objects in the example sentences with your own vocabulary to create new sentences every day. This simple habit will strengthen your grammar, expand your vocabulary, and help you speak Arabic more naturally and confidently.
