For autodidact students of Arabic, the English word "my" reveals one of Arabic's most elegant structural features: possession is not expressed by a separate word but by a suffix attached directly to the noun. The suffix ـِي (-ī) — meaning "my" — is one of the most frequent morphemes in the entire Arabic language. It appears on nouns, on prepositions, on verbal objects, and in set phrases, always bonded to the word it qualifies.
There is no standalone Arabic word for "my." Where English says "my book" with two separate words, Arabic says كِتَابِي (kitābī) — one word, the noun and the possessor fused. This lesson introduces the suffix ـِي across nouns in all three cases, after prepositions, and in common frozen expressions, building the learner's ability to recognise and produce this indispensable morpheme.
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FAQ: What does "my" mean in Arabic? There is no independent Arabic word for "my." Possession in Arabic is expressed by attaching a suffix directly to the noun. The first person singular possessive suffix is ـِي (-ī), pronounced as a long ī vowel. It causes the noun to take the genitive case internally: كِتَابٌ (a book) → كِتَابِي (my book). When attached to a word ending in tāʾ marbūṭa (ـة), the tāʾ marbūṭa is pronounced as -t before the suffix: مَدْرَسَةٌ (a school) → مَدْرَسَتِي (my school).
In the following 15 examples you will encounter ـِي across a wide variety of nouns and contexts — family members, places, possessions, body parts, and abstract concepts — building the automatic recognition of Arabic possessive morphology.
Educational Note: This material is designed for English speakers learning Arabic script and grammar through the Latinum Institute's proven interlinear method.
Key Takeaways: - "My" in Arabic is the suffix ـِي (-ī), never a standalone word - It attaches directly to the noun, which takes genitive case before it - Nouns ending in tāʾ marbūṭa (ـة) add ـتِي (-tī): مَدْرَسَتِي (my school) - After ـِي the noun's case ending disappears — only the ī is audible at the end - The same suffix ـِي attaches to prepositions: مَعِي (with me), عَلَيَّ (upon me / I must), لِي (for me / I have) - The full set of possessive suffixes differs for each person; ـِي is the 1st singular form
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The suffix ـِي is written as ي (yāʾ without dots in some traditions, but standard modern Arabic writes it with two dots: ي). When it follows a vowelled ending, the original case vowel of the noun is replaced by kasra (-i), and then the ī suffix follows. In pause (at the end of an utterance), the ī may be shortened or the final vowel dropped in spoken Arabic.
Writing the suffix: - After most nouns: the final consonant + kasra + ي — e.g., كِتَاب + ِي = كِتَابِي - After tāʾ marbūṭa (ة): the ة becomes ت and takes kasra before ي — e.g., مَدْرَسَة + ِي = مَدْرَسَتِي - After a long vowel (e.g., words ending in ā ى or ū و): special forms apply — e.g., أَبٌ (father) → أَبِي (my father), not *أَبِي with visible change, but the internal vowel shifts
Special form — أَبِي (my father) and أُخِي (my brother): nouns of the فَعَل kinship pattern (أَب, أَخ, حَم) drop their case vowel before ـِي and are written simply as أَبِي, أُخِي. These are among the most frequent possessive forms in Arabic.
Transliteration: the suffix is romanised as -ī (long i). Always mark the length — كِتَابِي = kitābī, مَدْرَسَتِي = madrasatī.
Common learner mistakes: - Trying to use a separate word for "my" (there is none in standard Arabic) - Forgetting to change ة to ت before ـِي - Shortening the long ī of the suffix — it is always long - Confusing ـِي (my) with ـِيَ (the spelling of some verb endings) — context determines reading
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35.1a كِتَابِي my-book عَلَى on الطَّاوِلَةِ the-table-GEN
35.1b (kitābī) my-book (ʿalā) on (aṭ-ṭāwilati) the-table-GEN
35.2a أُمِّي my-mother تَسْكُنُ lives فِي in القَاهِرَةِ Cairo-GEN
35.2b (ummī) my-mother (taskunu) lives (fī) in (al-Qāhirati) Cairo-GEN
35.3a هَذَا this بَيْتِي my-house وَأَنَا and-I أُحِبُّهُ love-it
35.3b (hādhā) this (baytī) my-house (wa-anā) and-I (uḥibbuhu) love-it
35.4a مَدْرَسَتِي my-school قَرِيبَةٌ near [FEM] مِنْ from هُنَا here
35.4b (madrasatī) my-school (qarībatun) near [FEM] (min) from (hunā) here
35.5a أَبِي my-father رَجُلٌ man كَرِيمٌ generous
35.5b (abī) my-father (rajulun) man (karīmun) generous
35.6a هَذِهِ this [FEM] يَدِي my-hand وَأَنَا and-I أَعْمَلُ work بِهَا with-it
35.6b (hādhihi) this [FEM] (yadī) my-hand (wa-anā) and-I (aʿmalu) work (bihā) with-it
35.7a رَأْيِي my-opinion أَنَّ that العِلْمَ knowledge-ACC أَهَمُّ more-important مِنَ than المَالِ money-GEN
35.7b (raʾyī) my-opinion (anna) that (al-ʿilma) knowledge-ACC (ahammu) more-important (mina) than (al-māli) money-GEN
35.8a أُخِي my-brother يَعْمَلُ works طَبِيبًا doctor-ACC فِي in المُسْتَشْفَى the-hospital-GEN
35.8b (ukhī) my-brother (yaʿmalu) works (ṭabīban) doctor-ACC (fī) in (al-mustashfā) the-hospital-GEN
35.9a مَعِي with-me وَقْتٌ time-NOM كَافٍ sufficient
35.9b (maʿī) with-me (waqtun) time-NOM (kāfin) sufficient
35.10a لِي for-me / I-have أَصْدِقَاءُ friends-NOM كَثِيرُونَ many-NOM
35.10b (lī) for-me / I-have (aṣdiqāʾu) friends-NOM (kathīrūna) many-NOM
35.11a حَيَاتِي my-life تَغَيَّرَتْ changed [FEM] بَعْدَ after تِلْكَ that [FEM] الرِّحْلَةِ the-journey-GEN
35.11b (ḥayātī) my-life (taghayyarat) changed [FEM] (baʿda) after (tilka) that [FEM] (ar-riḥlati) the-journey-GEN
35.12a قَلْبِي my-heart مَعَكُمْ with-you [PL] دَائِمًا always
35.12b (qalbī) my-heart (maʿakum) with-you [PL] (dāʾiman) always
35.13a اسْمِي my-name أَحْمَدُ Ahmad وَأَنَا and-I مِنَ from الإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةِ Alexandria-GEN
35.13b (ismī) my-name (Aḥmadu) Ahmad (wa-anā) and-I (mina) from (al-Iskandariyyati) Alexandria-GEN
35.14a فِي in رَأْيِي my-opinion هَذَا this القَرَارُ the-decision خَاطِئٌ wrong
35.14b (fī) in (raʾyī) my-opinion (hādhā) this (al-qarāru) the-decision (khāṭiʾun) wrong
35.15a قَضَيْتُ I-spent كُلَّ all-ACC حَيَاتِي my-life-GEN فِي in هَذِهِ this [FEM] المَدِينَةِ the-city-GEN
35.15b (qaḍaytu) I-spent (kulla) all-ACC (ḥayātī) my-life-GEN (fī) in (hādhihi) this [FEM] (al-madīnati) the-city-GEN
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35.1 كِتَابِي عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ "My book is on the table."
35.2 أُمِّي تَسْكُنُ فِي القَاهِرَةِ "My mother lives in Cairo."
35.3 هَذَا بَيْتِي وَأَنَا أُحِبُّهُ "This is my house and I love it."
35.4 مَدْرَسَتِي قَرِيبَةٌ مِنْ هُنَا "My school is near here."
35.5 أَبِي رَجُلٌ كَرِيمٌ "My father is a generous man."
35.6 هَذِهِ يَدِي وَأَنَا أَعْمَلُ بِهَا "This is my hand and I work with it."
35.7 رَأْيِي أَنَّ العِلْمَ أَهَمُّ مِنَ المَالِ "My opinion is that knowledge is more important than money."
35.8 أُخِي يَعْمَلُ طَبِيبًا فِي المُسْتَشْفَى "My brother works as a doctor in the hospital."
35.9 مَعِي وَقْتٌ كَافٍ "I have enough time. / There is sufficient time with me."
35.10 لِي أَصْدِقَاءُ كَثِيرُونَ "I have many friends."
35.11 حَيَاتِي تَغَيَّرَتْ بَعْدَ تِلْكَ الرِّحْلَةِ "My life changed after that journey."
35.12 قَلْبِي مَعَكُمْ دَائِمًا "My heart is always with you all."
35.13 اسْمِي أَحْمَدُ وَأَنَا مِنَ الإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةِ "My name is Ahmad and I am from Alexandria."
35.14 فِي رَأْيِي هَذَا القَرَارُ خَاطِئٌ "In my opinion this decision is wrong."
35.15 قَضَيْتُ كُلَّ حَيَاتِي فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ "I spent my whole life in this city."
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35.1 كِتَابِي عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ
35.2 أُمِّي تَسْكُنُ فِي القَاهِرَةِ
35.3 هَذَا بَيْتِي وَأَنَا أُحِبُّهُ
35.4 مَدْرَسَتِي قَرِيبَةٌ مِنْ هُنَا
35.5 أَبِي رَجُلٌ كَرِيمٌ
35.6 هَذِهِ يَدِي وَأَنَا أَعْمَلُ بِهَا
35.7 رَأْيِي أَنَّ العِلْمَ أَهَمُّ مِنَ المَالِ
35.8 أُخِي يَعْمَلُ طَبِيبًا فِي المُسْتَشْفَى
35.9 مَعِي وَقْتٌ كَافٍ
35.10 لِي أَصْدِقَاءُ كَثِيرُونَ
35.11 حَيَاتِي تَغَيَّرَتْ بَعْدَ تِلْكَ الرِّحْلَةِ
35.12 قَلْبِي مَعَكُمْ دَائِمًا
35.13 اسْمِي أَحْمَدُ وَأَنَا مِنَ الإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةِ
35.14 فِي رَأْيِي هَذَا القَرَارُ خَاطِئٌ
35.15 قَضَيْتُ كُلَّ حَيَاتِي فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ
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These are the grammar rules for ـِي (-ī) — the first person singular possessive suffix, "my":
The Arabic Possessive System — No Standalone Word: Arabic expresses possession entirely through suffixes attached to nouns. The noun in a possessive construction is technically in the construct state (مُضَاف muḍāf), and the possessor suffix replaces the case ending. The full set of possessive suffixes for singular and plural nouns:
- ـِي (-ī) — my (1st sg.) - ـكَ (-ka) — your (2nd sg. masc.) - ـكِ (-ki) — your (2nd sg. fem.) - ـهُ (-hu) — his / its (3rd sg. masc.) - ـهَا (-hā) — her / its (3rd sg. fem.) - ـنَا (-nā) — our (1st pl.) - ـكُمْ (-kum) — your (2nd pl. masc.) - ـهُمْ (-hum) — their (3rd pl. masc.) - ـهُنَّ (-hunna) — their (3rd pl. fem.)
How ـِي attaches — three cases: In Arabic, nouns have three grammatical cases (nominative, genitive, accusative). When ـِي attaches, it replaces the case vowel, and the noun's case is internally genitive (as in all iḍāfa/construct chains), but the ī suffix itself is the final sound heard:
- كِتَابٌ (nominative) → كِتَابِي (my book) - كِتَابٍ (genitive) → كِتَابِي (my book) - كِتَابًا (accusative) → كِتَابِي (my book) All three cases produce the same spoken form: kitābī. The case disappears before the suffix.
Special cases: - Nouns ending in tāʾ marbūṭa (ة): the ة becomes ت before any suffix. مَدْرَسَةٌ → مَدْرَسَتِي (madrasatī, my school). The -t- reappears because the suffix begins with a vowel. - Kinship nouns (أَب father, أَخ brother, حَم father-in-law): these drop the case vowel and attach ـِي directly: أَبِي (abī, my father), أُخِي (ukhī, my brother). These forms are frozen and must be memorised. - Word ending in ā (alif maqṣūra ى): the ā contracts with the ī: عَصَا (staff) → عَصَايَ (my staff), with a separating yāʾ.
The suffix ـِي on prepositions — "me/my" after prepositions: The same suffix that means "my" on nouns means "me" when attached to prepositions. This is because Arabic prepositions govern nouns in the genitive, and the possessive suffix is a genitive pronoun:
- مَعِي (maʿī) — with me - لِي (lī) — for me / I have - فِيَّ (fiyya) — in me (the ي doubles before ـِي) - مِنِّي (minnī) — from me (the ن doubles before ـِي) - عَلَيَّ (ʿalayya) — upon me / I must (the يَّ doubles) - إِلَيَّ (ilayya) — to me (same doubling)
The construction لِي / مَعِي for "I have": Arabic has no verb "to have." Possession is expressed using لِـ + pronoun: لِي كِتَابٌ = "There is a book belonging to me" = "I have a book." مَعِي نُقُودٌ = "There is money with me" = "I have money."
Common Mistakes: - Trying to use a separate word for "my" — the suffix is the only standard form - Forgetting that ة becomes ت before ـِي: مَدْرَسَتِي not *مَدْرَسَةِي - Shortening the ī of the suffix — it is always a long vowel - Using the suffix ـِي on a definite noun with ال — this is impossible: ـِي itself makes the noun definite; الكِتَابِي is ungrammatical; كِتَابِي (without ال) is correct
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The possessive suffix ـِي is among the most emotionally loaded morphemes in Arabic. The words أُمِّي (my mother), أَبِي (my father), أُخِي (my brother), قَلْبِي (my heart), حَيَاتِي (my life) — all formed with the same tiny suffix — are the building blocks of Arabic poetry, folk song, and everyday intimate speech.
In classical Arabic poetry, the ـِي suffix creates the rhyme in countless qaṣīdas. The monorhyme tradition of Arabic verse frequently uses nouns ending in ـِي as the rhyme word, giving classical poems their characteristic closing sound.
In Quranic Arabic, ـِي appears in some of the most frequently recited verses. رَبِّي (my Lord) is among the most common two-syllable words in the Quran and in Muslim devotional speech. Every prayer begins with a relationship marked by ـِي: my Lord, my refuge, my guide.
In spoken Arabic dialects, the suffix varies: Egyptian Arabic retains ـِي clearly; some Gulf dialects use ـِي or ـِيَ; Moroccan Darija shortens it or drops the vowel in rapid speech. The full long ī of MSA and careful spoken Arabic is the form taught here.
The construct state and poetry: The iḍāfa chain — noun + ـِي — is the basis of Arabic's richest poetic register. A single noun gains emotional depth when the ī suffix personalises it: الحُبُّ (love, abstract) → حُبِّي (my love, intimate). This is why Arabic love poetry, from Qays ibn al-Mulawwaḥ (Majnun Layla) onwards, turns endlessly on the possessive suffix.
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جبران خليل جبران (Kahlil Gibran), النبي (The Prophet), 1923
Gibran's Arabic original of The Prophet is one of the most widely read works in modern Arabic literature. The Prophet Almustafa, departing from the city of Orphalese, speaks of what belongs to him — and what cannot. This passage centres on ـِي in its deepest sense: what is truly "mine."
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
قَالَ (qāla) said لَهُمْ (lahum) to-them صَدِيقِي (ṣadīqī) my-friend لَيْسَ (laysa) is-not مَنْ (man) who يَمْلِكُ (yamliku) possesses وَقْتِي (wa-waqtī) and-my-time بَلْ (bal) rather مَنْ (man) who يَمْلِكُ (yamliku) possesses قَلْبِي (qalbī) my-heart
F-B: Text with Translation
صَدِيقِي لَيْسَ مَنْ يَمْلِكُ وَقْتِي بَلْ مَنْ يَمْلِكُ قَلْبِي
"My friend is not the one who possesses my time but the one who possesses my heart."
F-C: Authentic Text Only
صَدِيقِي لَيْسَ مَنْ يَمْلِكُ وَقْتِي بَلْ مَنْ يَمْلِكُ قَلْبِي
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
صَدِيقِي (ṣadīqī): noun صَدِيق (friend) + ـِي (my). The ق takes kasra before the suffix: ṣadīq-ī. The word becomes definite through the suffix — "my friend" is as definite as "the friend."
لَيْسَ مَنْ (laysa man): "is not the one who" — a common Arabic predicate structure. لَيْسَ is the defective negative copula (is not); مَنْ is the relative pronoun for people; يَمْلِكُ is the verb "possesses/owns."
وَقْتِي (wa-waqtī): وَقْت (time) + ـِي (my). The suffix attaches after the ت, giving waqt-ī.
قَلْبِي (qalbī): قَلْب (heart) + ـِي (my). This is the emotional climax of the sentence — what is truly mine is not time (a finite resource) but heart (an act of choice).
بَلْ (bal): "rather/but" — a strong contrastive particle, stronger than لَكِنْ. It corrects and replaces the preceding clause entirely: not time, but — بَلْ — heart.
F-E: Literary Commentary
Gibran's sentence is built on three instances of ـِي: صَدِيقِي, وَقْتِي, قَلْبِي. Each ī suffix creates an intimate sphere — my friend, my time, my heart — and the sentence asks which of these spheres the true friend enters. Time is external, allocable, finite. Heart is internal, indivisible, entirely personal. The Arabic suffix makes this distinction tangible: both وَقْت and قَلْب are things that can have ـِي attached, but the lesson of the sentence is that only one of them constitutes genuine possession. The suffix that begins the sentence in صَدِيقِي is the same suffix that ends it in قَلْبِي — Gibran has written a sentence that opens and closes on the same sound of belonging.
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Ahmad writes a letter home from the city where he has gone to study. The genre — the personal Arabic letter — is a natural home for the possessive suffix ـِي, which saturates intimate writing. Every paragraph introduces new nouns with ـِي, consolidating the morpheme across a wide vocabulary range.
35.16a أُمِّي my-mother العَزِيزَةَ the-dear [FEM]-ACC أَكْتُبُ I-write إِلَيْكِ to-you [FEM] مِنْ from غُرْفَتِي my-room-GEN فِي in القَاهِرَةِ Cairo-GEN
35.16b (ummī) my-mother (al-ʿazīzata) the-dear [FEM]-ACC (aktubu) I-write (ilayki) to-you [FEM] (min) from (ghurfatī) my-room-GEN (fī) in (al-Qāhirati) Cairo-GEN
35.17a حَيَاتِي my-life هُنَا here مُخْتَلِفَةٌ different [FEM] عَنْ from حَيَاتِي my-life فِي in قَرْيَتِي my-village-GEN
35.17b (ḥayātī) my-life (hunā) here (mukhtalifatun) different [FEM] (ʿan) from (ḥayātī) my-life (fī) in (qaryatī) my-village-GEN
35.18a زَمِيلِي my-colleague فِي in الغُرْفَةِ the-room-GEN اسْمُهُ his-name خَالِدٌ Khalid وَهُوَ and-he طَيِّبُ good القَلْبِ the-heart-GEN
35.18b (zamīlī) my-colleague (fī) in (al-ghurfati) the-room-GEN (ismuhu) his-name (Khālidun) Khalid (wa-huwa) and-he (ṭayyibu) good (al-qalbi) the-heart-GEN
35.19a دِرَاسَتِي my-studies صَعْبَةٌ difficult [FEM] لَكِنَّ but أُسْتَاذِي my-professor يُسَاعِدُنِي helps-me كَثِيرًا much
35.19b (dirāsatī) my-studies (ṣaʿbatun) difficult [FEM] (lākinna) but (ustādhī) my-professor (yusāʿidunī) helps-me (kathīran) much
35.20a فِي in وَقْتِ time-GEN فَرَاغِي my-free-time-GEN أَقْرَأُ I-read فِي in مَكْتَبَتِي my-library-GEN الصَّغِيرَةِ the-small [FEM]-GEN
35.20b (fī) in (waqti) time-GEN (farāghī) my-free-time-GEN (aqraʾu) I-read (fī) in (maktabatī) my-library-GEN (aṣ-ṣaghīrati) the-small [FEM]-GEN
35.21a أَفْتَقِدُ I-miss طَعَامَكِ your-cooking-ACC يَا O أُمِّي my-mother كُلَّ every يَوْمٍ day-GEN
35.21b (aftaqidu) I-miss (ṭaʿāmaki) your-cooking-ACC (yā) O (ummī) my-mother (kulla) every (yawmin) day-GEN
35.22a أَصْدِقَائِي my-friends هُنَا here قَلِيلُونَ few-NOM لَكِنَّهُمْ but-they مُخْلِصُونَ loyal-NOM
35.22b (aṣdiqāʾī) my-friends (hunā) here (qalīlūna) few-NOM (lākinnahum) but-they (mukhlisūna) loyal-NOM
35.23a حُلْمِي my-dream أَنْ that [SUBJ] أَتَخَرَّجَ I-graduate وَأَعُودَ and-I-return [SUBJ] إِلَى to بَيْتِنَا our-house-GEN
35.23b (ḥulmī) my-dream (an) that [SUBJ] (ataкharraja) I-graduate (wa-aʿūda) and-I-return [SUBJ] (ilā) to (baytinā) our-house-GEN
35.24a مَعِي with-me صُورَتُكِ your-photo [FEM]-NOM عَلَى on مَكْتَبِي my-desk-GEN أَرَاهَا I-see-it كُلَّ every يَوْمٍ day-GEN
35.24b (maʿī) with-me (ṣūratuki) your-photo [FEM]-NOM (ʿalā) on (maktabī) my-desk-GEN (arāhā) I-see-it (kulla) every (yawmin) day-GEN
35.25a قَلْبِي my-heart دَائِمًا always مَعَكُمْ with-you [PL] فِي in بَيْتِنَا our-house-GEN الصَّغِيرِ the-small [MASC]-GEN
35.25b (qalbī) my-heart (dāʾiman) always (maʿakum) with-you [PL] (fī) in (baytinā) our-house-GEN (aṣ-ṣaghīri) the-small [MASC]-GEN
35.26a رُبَّمَا perhaps غَيَّرَتْ changed [FEM] المَدِينَةُ the-city طَرِيقَةَ manner-ACC تَفْكِيرِي my-thinking-GEN لَكِنَّهَا but-it [FEM] لَمْ not [PAST-NEG] تُغَيِّرْ change [JUSS] قِيَمِي my-values-ACC
35.26b (rubbamā) perhaps (ghayyarat) changed [FEM] (al-madīnatu) the-city (ṭarīqata) manner-ACC (tafkīrī) my-thinking-GEN (lākinnahā) but-it [FEM] (lam) not [PAST-NEG] (tughayyir) change [JUSS] (qiyamī) my-values-ACC
35.27a أَخِي my-brother الصَّغِيرُ the-little [MASC] كَيْفَ how حَالُهُ his-condition-NOM ؟ أَفْتَقِدُهُ I-miss-him كَثِيرًا much
35.27b (akhī) my-brother (aṣ-ṣaghīru) the-little [MASC] (kayfa) how (ḥāluhu) his-condition-NOM ? (aftaqiduhu) I-miss-him (kathīran) much
35.28a دَرَجَاتِي my-grades-NOM فِي in الامْتِحَانَاتِ the-exams-GEN جَيِّدَةٌ good [FEM] وَأَنَا and-I فَخُورٌ proud بِنَفْسِي of-myself
35.28b (darajātī) my-grades-NOM (fī) in (al-imtiḥānāti) the-exams-GEN (jayyidatun) good [FEM] (wa-anā) and-I (fakhūrun) proud (bi-nafsī) of-myself
35.29a سَأَعُودُ I-will-return إِلَى to بَيْتِي my-house-GEN فِي in نِهَايَةِ end-GEN شَهْرِي my-month-GEN هَذَا this
35.29b (saʿūdu) I-will-return (ilā) to (baytī) my-house-GEN (fī) in (nihāyati) end-GEN (shahrī) my-month-GEN (hādhā) this
35.30a ابْنُكِ your-son-NOM الَّذِي who [MASC-REL] يُحِبُّكِ loves-you [FEM] وَيَشْتَاقُ and-longs إِلَيْكِ for-you [FEM] دَائِمًا always أَحْمَدُ Ahmad
35.30b (ibnuki) your-son-NOM (alladhī) who [MASC-REL] (yuḥibbuki) loves-you [FEM] (wa-yashtāqu) and-longs (ilayki) for-you [FEM] (dāʾiman) always (Aḥmadu) Ahmad
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35.16 أُمِّي العَزِيزَةَ، أَكْتُبُ إِلَيْكِ مِنْ غُرْفَتِي فِي القَاهِرَةِ "My dear mother, I write to you from my room in Cairo."
35.17 حَيَاتِي هُنَا مُخْتَلِفَةٌ عَنْ حَيَاتِي فِي قَرْيَتِي "My life here is different from my life in my village."
35.18 زَمِيلِي فِي الغُرْفَةِ اسْمُهُ خَالِدٌ وَهُوَ طَيِّبُ القَلْبِ "My roommate's name is Khalid and he is good-hearted."
35.19 دِرَاسَتِي صَعْبَةٌ لَكِنَّ أُسْتَاذِي يُسَاعِدُنِي كَثِيرًا "My studies are difficult but my professor helps me a great deal."
35.20 فِي وَقْتِ فَرَاغِي أَقْرَأُ فِي مَكْتَبَتِي الصَّغِيرَةِ "In my free time I read in my small library."
35.21 أَفْتَقِدُ طَعَامَكِ يَا أُمِّي كُلَّ يَوْمٍ "I miss your cooking every day, my mother."
35.22 أَصْدِقَائِي هُنَا قَلِيلُونَ لَكِنَّهُمْ مُخْلِصُونَ "My friends here are few but they are loyal."
35.23 حُلْمِي أَنْ أَتَخَرَّجَ وَأَعُودَ إِلَى بَيْتِنَا "My dream is to graduate and return to our home."
35.24 مَعِي صُورَتُكِ عَلَى مَكْتَبِي أَرَاهَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ "I have your photo on my desk — I see it every day."
35.25 قَلْبِي دَائِمًا مَعَكُمْ فِي بَيْتِنَا الصَّغِيرِ "My heart is always with you all in our small home."
35.26 رُبَّمَا غَيَّرَتِ المَدِينَةُ طَرِيقَةَ تَفْكِيرِي لَكِنَّهَا لَمْ تُغَيِّرْ قِيَمِي "Perhaps the city has changed the way I think but it has not changed my values."
35.27 أَخِي الصَّغِيرُ — كَيْفَ حَالُهُ؟ أَفْتَقِدُهُ كَثِيرًا "My little brother — how is he? I miss him very much."
35.28 دَرَجَاتِي فِي الامْتِحَانَاتِ جَيِّدَةٌ وَأَنَا فَخُورٌ بِنَفْسِي "My grades in the exams are good and I am proud of myself."
35.29 سَأَعُودُ إِلَى بَيْتِي فِي نِهَايَةِ شَهْرِي هَذَا "I will return home at the end of this month."
35.30 ابْنُكِ الَّذِي يُحِبُّكِ وَيَشْتَاقُ إِلَيْكِ دَائِمًا — أَحْمَدُ "Your son who loves you and longs for you always — Ahmad."
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35.16 أُمِّي العَزِيزَةَ، أَكْتُبُ إِلَيْكِ مِنْ غُرْفَتِي فِي القَاهِرَةِ
35.17 حَيَاتِي هُنَا مُخْتَلِفَةٌ عَنْ حَيَاتِي فِي قَرْيَتِي
35.18 زَمِيلِي فِي الغُرْفَةِ اسْمُهُ خَالِدٌ وَهُوَ طَيِّبُ القَلْبِ
35.19 دِرَاسَتِي صَعْبَةٌ لَكِنَّ أُسْتَاذِي يُسَاعِدُنِي كَثِيرًا
35.20 فِي وَقْتِ فَرَاغِي أَقْرَأُ فِي مَكْتَبَتِي الصَّغِيرَةِ
35.21 أَفْتَقِدُ طَعَامَكِ يَا أُمِّي كُلَّ يَوْمٍ
35.22 أَصْدِقَائِي هُنَا قَلِيلُونَ لَكِنَّهُمْ مُخْلِصُونَ
35.23 حُلْمِي أَنْ أَتَخَرَّجَ وَأَعُودَ إِلَى بَيْتِنَا
35.24 مَعِي صُورَتُكِ عَلَى مَكْتَبِي أَرَاهَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ
35.25 قَلْبِي دَائِمًا مَعَكُمْ فِي بَيْتِنَا الصَّغِيرِ
35.26 رُبَّمَا غَيَّرَتِ المَدِينَةُ طَرِيقَةَ تَفْكِيرِي لَكِنَّهَا لَمْ تُغَيِّرْ قِيَمِي
35.27 أَخِي الصَّغِيرُ — كَيْفَ حَالُهُ؟ أَفْتَقِدُهُ كَثِيرًا
35.28 دَرَجَاتِي فِي الامْتِحَانَاتِ جَيِّدَةٌ وَأَنَا فَخُورٌ بِنَفْسِي
35.29 سَأَعُودُ إِلَى بَيْتِي فِي نِهَايَةِ شَهْرِي هَذَا
35.30 ابْنُكِ الَّذِي يُحِبُّكِ وَيَشْتَاقُ إِلَيْكِ دَائِمًا — أَحْمَدُ
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Chained iḍāfa — وَقْتِ فَرَاغِي (waqti farāghī, my free time): two nouns in construct state, with ـِي on the final noun. وَقْت (time) + فَرَاغ (leisure/free time) + ـِي (my) = "time of my leisure." This chained construct is extremely common in Arabic and shows how ـِي governs the whole chain from the end.
The vocative with ـِي — يَا أُمِّي (yā ummī): the vocative particle يَا (O) + possessive noun. The ـِي suffix in the vocative retains its ī — unlike some other Arabic grammatical contexts where vowels are modified. أُمِّي in the vocative is one of the most emotionally resonant phrases in the Arabic language.
Plural possessive — أَصْدِقَائِي (aṣdiqāʾī, my friends): the broken plural أَصْدِقَاء (friends, pl.) takes ـِي exactly as the singular does: ṣadīq → aṣdiqāʾ → aṣdiqāʾī. Note that the hamza (glottal stop) before ـِي is retained in writing.
The subjunctive of purpose — حُلْمِي أَنْ أَتَخَرَّجَ وَأَعُودَ: noun (حُلْمِي my dream) + أَنْ + subjunctive verb. The subjunctive forms are أَتَخَرَّجَ (I graduate) and أَعُودَ (I return) — both end in -a rather than the indicative -u.
Iḍāfa ownership chain — طَرِيقَةَ تَفْكِيرِي (ṭarīqata tafkīrī, the manner of my thinking): a three-level chain: طَرِيقَة (manner) + تَفْكِير (thinking) + ـِي (my). The first noun (طَرِيقَة) is in the accusative because it is the object of غَيَّرَتْ; it takes the accusative -a and drops the tāʾ marbūṭa pronunciation to -ta before the construct chain: ṭarīqata tafkīrī.
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ـِي (-ī) as a suffix: IPA for the suffix alone: /iː/
Key words from this lesson with IPA: - كِتَابِي (kitābī) — /ki.taː.biː/ — my book - أُمِّي (ummī) — /um.miː/ — my mother (note: the م doubles because أُمّ has a shadda) - مَدْرَسَتِي (madrasatī) — /mad.ra.sa.tiː/ — my school (ة → ت before suffix) - أَبِي (abī) — /a.biː/ — my father (special kinship form) - أُخِي (ukhī) — /u.xiː/ — my brother (special kinship form; خ is a velar fricative) - قَلْبِي (qalbī) — /qal.biː/ — my heart
The doubling rule — أُمِّي: when ـِي follows a word ending in a geminated (doubled) consonant, the doubling is retained: أُمّ (umm) + ـِي = أُمِّي (ummī). The kasra sits on the doubled م, giving the long ī immediately after: umm-ī.
The ī of ـِي is always long. In connected speech it does not shorten. A half-long or short -i at the end of a word is not the possessive suffix but a short vowel serving a grammatical function.
Common errors: - Shortening the ī — it must be held as a genuinely long vowel - Forgetting the doubling in أُمِّي, رَبِّي, حَقِّي — the gemination is part of the word's structure - Mispronouncing مَدْرَسَتِي as *مَدْرَسَةِي — the ة becomes ت before the suffix; there is no glottal break
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