Syrian Arabic Pronouns, Questions & "I Have"

Quick answer Syrian Arabic has eight personal pronouns: ana (I), enta / enti (you m/f), huwwe (he), hiyye (she), nehna (we), ento (you pl.), henne (they). "I have" is ʿandi (عندي), literally "at me", and the negative is simply ma ʿandi. The question words are shu (what), wein (where), eimta (when), laish (why), min (who), kif (how) and kam / ʾaddeish (how many / how much), and in Damascus they usually come first: shu ismak?

What are the personal pronouns in Syrian Arabic?

Eight pronouns cover everything you need in Damascus. Syrian Arabic has two words for "you" in the singular, one for a man and one for a woman, but no dual and no feminine plural: ento and henne are used for every group. Standard Arabic has thirteen pronouns; you will not need the extra five in conversation.

How do you say "I have" in Syrian Arabic?

Arabic has no verb "to have". You say "at me" instead: ʿandi does the job of "I have". ʿandi sayyara, I have a car; ʿandak waʾt?, do you have time? (to a man). The same endings turn any noun into "my, your, his": ktabi (my book), ktabak (your book, to a man), ktabek (to a woman), ktabo (his), ktaba (her), ktabna (our), ktabkon (your, plural), ktabon (their). Feminine nouns ending in -a insert a -t- first: sayyarti, my car.

The negative is easy in Damascus: just put ma in front. ma ʿandi masari, I have no money. Egyptian adds an -sh ending (maʿandish); Syrian does not. For "there is" you need fi and its negative ma fi: fi mai? is there water? ma fi mushkle, no problem.

What are the question words in Syrian Arabic?

Seven question words, and in Damascus they usually come at the start of the question, like in English: shu ismak? (what's your name?), wein enta? (where are you?). The end position is heard too, mostly with "from where": enta min wein?. If you learned Standard Arabic (madha, ayna, mata, limadha), this is the table to relearn.

Yes/no questions need no question word at all: raise your voice at the end. enta suri? are you Syrian? fi wifi? is there wifi?

How do Syrian pronouns differ from other dialects?

Compared with Modern Standard Arabic, Syrian drops the dual and the feminine plural, uses shu instead of madha and laish instead of limadha, and says ʿandi, not ʿindi. Within the Levant the differences are small: Beirut says nahna for "we" and Jerusalem ihna, where Damascus says nehna; Palestinian adds -sh to negatives like Egyptian. Egyptian also puts the question word at the end (ismak eh?) and uses huwwa / hiyya / humma.

The worksheet turns all of this into a partner interview where students ask each other name, origin, siblings and possessions, plus four exercises with an answer key. Start with Syrian greetings if you are new, practise kam and ʾaddeish with Syrian numbers, and put verbs after your pronouns with Syrian Arabic verbs. For speaking practice ideas, read learn Arabic through conversation, or browse all Levantine Arabic worksheets.

What's inside the PDF

• The eight personal pronouns (ana, enta, enti, huwwe, hiyye, nehna, ento, henne) with Arabic script and example sentences
• Possessive endings on a masculine and a feminine noun (ktabi, ktabak, ktabek … / sayyarti, sayyartak …), with the -a to -t rule
• "I have" with ʿandi and its negation ma ʿandi, plus fi / ma fi for "there is" and "there isn't"
• The seven question words (shu, wein, eimta, laish, min, kif, kam / ʾaddeish) with natural example questions and a note on word order
• Four exercises with points: pick the pronoun, attach the ending, build the question, negate the sentence
• A partner interview with eight questions, a writing task in the third person, a speaking check, and an answer key with teacher notes

How to use it on your own

Read sections A to D out loud, one table at a time, and tick a row only when you can produce it from the English alone. Do the four exercises without looking back, then check the key. For the interview, answer every question about yourself out loud, then again about a friend or family member so you use huwwe, hiyye and the -o / -a endings. Finish with Ex. 5 and say your four sentences three times without reading.

How to use it in class

Fits a 45-minute lesson: sections A to C with Ex. 1 and 2 (20 min), the question words with Ex. 3 and 4 (10 min), the partner interview with Ex. 5 (15 min). The interview is the centrepiece: pairs ask and note answers, then report to the class in the third person, which forces huwwe / hiyye and the possessive endings. Ex. 4 is the key exercise, because the plain ma negation (ma ʿandi, ma fi) is used constantly. Points fields on every exercise, answer key on the last page.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the question words in Syrian Arabic?

shu (what), wein (where), min wein (from where), eimta (when), laish (why), min (who), kif (how), kam (how many) and ʾaddeish (how much). In Damascus they usually come at the start of the question: shu ismak? (what's your name?), wein enta? (where are you?). Standard Arabic uses different words (madha, ayna, mata, limadha), so learners of MSA have to relearn this set.

How do you say "I have" in Syrian Arabic?

ʿandi (عندي), literally "at me". ʿandi sayyara is I have a car, ʿandak waʾt? is do you have time (to a man), ʿandek to a woman. The negative just adds ma: ma ʿandi masari, I have no money. Unlike Egyptian, there is no -sh ending.

What are the personal pronouns in Syrian Arabic?

ana (I), enta (you, to a man), enti (you, to a woman), huwwe (he), hiyye (she), nehna (we), ento (you, plural) and henne (they). Only "you" has separate forms for men and women in the singular; the plural forms are used for any group.

What is the difference between fi and ʿandi?

fi means "there is" and is impersonal: fi mai? is there water? ma fi mushkle, there is no problem. ʿandi means "I have" and takes a person ending: ʿandi mai, I have water. Both are negated with ma in front: ma fi, ma ʿandi.

Is this worksheet free?

Yes. Download the PDF, print it and copy it as often as you like for personal use and in class. Please keep the Yallah Speak credit in the footer.