From Proto-Semitic *niḥnu. Cognate with Hebrew אנחנו.
نَحْنُ • (naḥnu) m pl or f pl (enclitic form ـنَا (-nā))
As Arabic does not use dual forms in the first person, نَحْنُ (naḥnu) is used in cases where there are two people involved in addition to the usual three or more required for plural number.
| Arabic personal pronouns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isolated nominative1 pronouns | ||||
| singular | dual | plural | ||
| 1st person | أَنَا (ʔanā) | نَحْنُ (naḥnu) | ||
| 2nd person | m | أَنْتَ (ʔanta) | أَنْتُمَا (ʔantumā) | أَنْتُمْ (ʔantum) |
| f | أَنْتِ (ʔanti) | أَنْتُنَّ (ʔantunna) | ||
| 3rd person | m | هُوَ (huwa) | هُمَا (humā) | هُمْ (hum), هُمُ (humu)2 |
| f | هِيَ (hiya) | هُنَّ (hunna) | ||
| Isolated accusative pronouns | ||||
| singular | dual | plural | ||
| 1st person | إِيَّايَ (ʔiyyāya) | إِيَّانَا (ʔiyyānā) | ||
| 2nd person | m | إِيَّاكَ (ʔiyyāka) | إِيَّاكُمَا (ʔiyyākumā) | إِيَّاكُم (ʔiyyākum) |
| f | إِيَّاكِ (ʔiyyāki) | إِيَّاكُنَّ (ʔiyyākunna) | ||
| 3rd person | m | إِيَّاهُ (ʔiyyāhu) | إِيَّاهُمَا (ʔiyyāhumā) | إِيَّاهُمْ (ʔiyyāhum) |
| f | إِيَّاهَا (ʔiyyāhā) | إِيَّاهُنَّ (ʔiyyāhunna) | ||
| Enclitic accusative and genitive pronouns | ||||
| singular | dual | plural | ||
| 1st person | ـنِي (-nī), ـنِيَ (-niya), ـي (-y), ـيَ (-ya)3 | ـنَا (-nā) | ||
| 2nd person | m | ـكَ (-ka) | ـكُمَا (-kumā) | ـكُم (-kum) |
| f | ـكِ (-ki) | ـكُنَّ (-kunna) | ||
| 3rd person | m | ـهُ (-hu), ـهِ (-hi)4 | ـهُمَا (-humā), ـهِمَا (-himā)3 | ـهُم (-hum), ـهِم (-him)4 |
| f | ـهَا (-hā) | ـهُنَّ (-hunna), ـهِنَّ (-hinna)3 | ||
| 1. Also used to emphasize attached pronouns and as a copula. 2. هُمْ (hum) becomes هُمُ (humu) before the definite article الـ (al--). 3. Specifically, ـنِي (-nī, “me”) is attached to verbs, but ـِي (-ī) or ـيَ (-ya, “my”) is attached to nouns. In the latter case, ـيَ (-ya) is attached to nouns whose construct state ends in a long vowel or diphthong (e.g. in the sound masculine plural and the dual), while ـِي (-ī) is attached to nouns whose construct state ends in a short vowel, in which case that vowel is elided (e.g. in the sound feminine plural, as well as the singular and broken plural of most nouns). Furthermore, -ū of the masculine sound plural is assimilated to -ī before ـيَ (-ya) (presumably, -aw of masculine defective -an plurals is similarly assimilated to -ay). Prepositions use ـِي (-ī) or ـيَ (-ya), even though in this case it has the meaning of “me” rather than “my”. The sisters of inna can use either form (e.g. إِنَّنِي (ʔinnanī) or إِنِّي (ʔinnī)). 4. ـهِـ (-hi-) occurs after -i, -ī, or -ay, and ـهُـ (-hu-) elsewhere (after -a, -ā, -u, -ū, -aw). | ||||
نحن (form I)
نُحْنِ • (nuḥni) (form IV) /nuħ.ni/
نحن • (niḥin)
| Gulf Arabic personal pronouns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | ||
| 1st person | آنا (āna) | احنا (aḥna, iḥna) / نحن (niḥin) | |
| 2nd person | m | انت (inta, int) | انتو (intaw, intu) |
| f | انتي (intay, inti) | ||
| 3rd person | m | اهوه (uhwa) / اهو (uhu) | اهمه (uhma) / اهم (uhum) |
| f | اهيه (ihya) / اهي (ihi) | ||