Core
Recognise forms with ـه، ـها and ـهم.
A
Why this matters
Attached pronouns make Arabic concise, while accurate collocations prevent sentences that are grammatically possible-looking but unnatural.
Develop
Use full pronoun families and verb–preposition pairs.
Stretch
Contrast direct objects with governed prepositional complements.
Communication target: Avoid repetition by replacing a known noun with the correct attached pronoun.
B
Diagnostic start
Use meaning and the visible stem to identify each form.
🔎 Entry Check
0/61. Choose “in it / in him”.
The established form is فِيهِ.
2. Choose “to her”.
The pronoun attaches to the transformed stem إِلَيْـ.
3. Complete: أَبْحَثُ ___ مَعْلُومَاتٍ.
The collocation is بحث عن.
4. Complete: أَسْتَمِعُ ___ الْمُوسِيقَى.
The collocation is استمع إلى.
5. Which verb normally takes a direct object without إِلَى?
زار directly governs the person or place visited.
6. Choose “with them”.
مَعَهُمْ is the company form; بِهُمْ has a different function.
1
How pronouns attach
A preposition and attached pronoun form one written word.
| Base | him / it m. | her / it f. | them m./mixed | Meaning family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| فِي | فِيهِ | فِيهَا | فِيهِمْ | in |
| إِلَى | إِلَيْهِ | إِلَيْهَا | إِلَيْهِمْ | to / towards |
| عَلَى | عَلَيْهِ | عَلَيْهَا | عَلَيْهِمْ | on / upon |
| عَنْ | عَنْهُ | عَنْهَا | عَنْهُمْ | about / away from |
| مِنْ | مِنْهُ | مِنْهَا | مِنْهُمْ | from |
| مَعَ | مَعَهُ | مَعَهَا | مَعَهُمْ | with / in company |
| لِـ | لَهُ | لَهَا | لَهُمْ | for / to / possession |
| بِـ | بِهِ | بِهَا | بِهِمْ | with / by / using |
Notice the stem: إِلَى and عَلَى become إِلَيْـ and عَلَيْـ before attached pronouns: إِلَيْهِ، عَلَيْهَا.
Pronunciation and writing: Write one word. Do not separate إِلَى هَا or invent عَلَاهُ.
Pronoun Form Check
0/41. Choose “on it / on him”.
على becomes عليـ before the pronoun.
2. Choose “from them”.
من + هم = منهم.
3. Choose “for her”.
The established form is لها.
4. Choose “with them” meaning company.
Company uses مع.
2
Replace the repeated noun
First identify the preposition; then attach a pronoun matching the known noun.
ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبَةِ. ذَهَبْتُ إِلَيْهَا أَمْسِ.
→
I went to the library. I went to it yesterday.
تَحَدَّثْنَا عَنِ الرِّحْلَةِ. تَحَدَّثْنَا عَنْهَا طَوِيلًا.
→
We spoke about the trip. We spoke about it for a long time.
الْكِتَابُ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. هُوَ عَلَيْهَا.
→
The book is on the table. It is on it.
ذَهَبْتُ مَعَ أَصْدِقَائِي. قَضَيْتُ الْيَوْمَ مَعَهُمْ.
→
I went with my friends. I spent the day with them.
Reference check: The pronoun agrees with the noun it replaces, not with the English word “it”. الْمَكْتَبَةُ is feminine, so use إِلَيْهَا.
Reference Check
0/41. Replace الْمَدْرَسَةِ in ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ.
المدرسة is feminine; retain the preposition إلى.
2. Replace الْكِتَابِ in بَحَثْتُ عَنِ الْكِتَابِ.
الكتاب is masculine; retain عن.
3. Replace الصَّدِيقَاتِ in ذَهَبْتُ مَعَ الصَّدِيقَاتِ.
A feminine human plural takes ـهُنَّ.
4. Replace الْمَعْلُومَاتِ after اهتممت بـ.
Non-human plural information is grammatically feminine singular; retain بـ.
3
Verb–preposition collocations
Treat each pair as one vocabulary item.
| Verb + preposition | Meaning | Model |
|---|---|---|
| ذَهَبَ إِلَى | go to | ذَهَبْنَا إِلَى الْمَطَارِ. |
| وَصَلَ إِلَى | arrive at / reach | وَصَلْتُ إِلَى الْفُنْدُقِ. |
| عَادَ مِنْ | return from | عَادُوا مِنَ السَّفَرِ. |
| بَحَثَ عَنْ | look/search for | أَبْحَثُ عَنْ عَمَلٍ. |
| تَحَدَّثَ عَنْ | talk about | تَحَدَّثْنَا عَنِ الْبِيئَةِ. |
| تَحَدَّثَ مَعَ | talk with | تَحَدَّثْتُ مَعَ الْمُعَلِّمَةِ. |
| اِسْتَمَعَ إِلَى | listen to | أَسْتَمِعُ إِلَى الْأَخْبَارِ. |
| فَكَّرَ فِي | think about / consider | أُفَكِّرُ فِي الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ. |
| اِهْتَمَّ بِـ | be interested in / care about | نَهْتَمُّ بِالصِّحَّةِ. |
| شَارَكَ فِي | take part in | شَارَكْتُ فِي الْمُسَابَقَةِ. |
| اِعْتَمَدَ عَلَى | depend/rely on | نَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى التِّقْنِيَّةِ. |
| اِحْتَاجَ إِلَى | need | أَحْتَاجُ إِلَى وَقْتٍ. |
One verb, two meanings: تَحَدَّثَ عَنْ introduces the topic; تَحَدَّثَ مَعَ identifies the person spoken with.
Collocation Check
0/41. Complete: أُفَكِّرُ ___ خُطَطِي.
The collocation is فكر في.
2. Complete: شَارَكْتُ ___ الْمَشْرُوعِ.
The collocation is شارك في.
3. Complete: نَعْتَمِدُ ___ الطَّاقَةِ الشَّمْسِيَّةِ.
The collocation is اعتمد على.
4. Complete: أَحْتَاجُ ___ مُسَاعَدَةٍ.
The collocation is احتاج إلى.
4
Direct object or preposition?
Not every English “to” or “for” becomes an Arabic preposition.
| Correct Arabic | Avoid | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| زُرْتُ صَدِيقِي. | زُرْتُ إِلَى صَدِيقِي. | زار takes a direct object |
| سَأَلْتُ الْمُعَلِّمَ. | سَأَلْتُ إِلَى الْمُعَلِّمِ. | سأل takes a direct object |
| سَاعَدْتُ أُخْتِي. | سَاعَدْتُ لِأُخْتِي. | ساعد takes a direct object |
| اِنْتَظَرْتُ الْحَافِلَةَ. | اِنْتَظَرْتُ لِلْحَافِلَةِ. | انتظر takes a direct object |
| أَجَبْتُ عَنِ السُّؤَالِ. | أَجَبْتُ السُّؤَالَ in this target pattern | أجاب عن is the taught collocation |
Translation trap: English syntax does not decide Arabic syntax. Store the Arabic verb with its complement pattern.
E
Misconception and proofreading clinic
Repair stem, reference and collocation errors.
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى هَا. | ذَهَبْتُ إِلَيْهَا. | attach pronoun and change stem |
| الْمَدْرَسَةُ قَرِيبَةٌ. ذَهَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ. | الْمَدْرَسَةُ قَرِيبَةٌ. ذَهَبْتُ إِلَيْهَا. | pronoun agrees with المدرسة |
| أَبْحَثُ إِلَى عَمَلٍ. | أَبْحَثُ عَنْ عَمَلٍ. | بحث عن |
| زُرْتُ إِلَى الْمُتْحَفِ. | زُرْتُ الْمُتْحَفَ. | زار takes a direct object |
G
Grammar game
Match each verb, meaning or pronoun form with its natural completion.
Collocation Connector
Choose the natural preposition, pronoun form or direct-object pattern.
Press Start.
S
Skills workshop التَّطْبِيقُ الْعَمَلِيُّ
Use compact pronoun forms and collocations in messages, gap fills and spoken answers.
قَرَأْتُ عَنِ الْمَسَابَقَةِ، ثُمَّ شَارَكْتُ فِيهَا.
→
The pronoun retains the preposition and refers to المسابقة.
تَحَدَّثْتُ مَعَ مُعَلِّمِي عَنِ الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ، وَاسْتَمَعْتُ إِلَيْهِ بِعِنَايَةٍ.
→
Person spoken with; topic spoken about; pronoun listened to.
Write a connected account
Write 80–100 Arabic words about a project, club, journey or school event. Refer back to people, places and things with attached pronouns instead of repeating every noun.
Success checklist: Use five verb–preposition collocations; use four attached preposition–pronoun forms; include one direct-object verb correctly without an unnecessary preposition.
Paper route: Underline verb–preposition pairs once and circle attached pronoun forms. Check what each pronoun refers to.
M
Final mastery check
Check pronoun attachment and natural verb–preposition combinations.
🏁 Final Mastery
0/101. Choose “to them”.
إلى + هم = إليهم.
2. Choose “about her”.
عن + ها = عنها.
3. Choose “with her” meaning company.
Company uses مع.
4. Complete: اِعْتَمَدْنَا ___ الْخُطَّةِ.
اعتمد على.
5. Complete: وَصَلْنَا ___ الْمَطَارِ.
وصل إلى.
6. Complete: تَحَدَّثْتُ ___ صَدِيقِي ___ الْمُشْكِلَةِ.
Person with = مع; topic about = عن.
7. Correct direct-object sentence.
ساعد takes a direct object.
8. Replace الْحَدِيقَةِ in ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى الْحَدِيقَةِ.
Feminine noun, same preposition.
9. Replace الْكُتُبِ in بَحَثْتُ عَنِ الْكُتُبِ.
Non-human plural is grammatically feminine singular.
10. Best vocabulary strategy?
The usable unit is the whole collocation.
What you can now do
- Attach pronouns to common prepositions.
- Recognise high-frequency stem changes such as عَلَيْهِ and إِلَيْهَا.
- Learn verbs together with their required prepositions.
- Avoid adding a preposition to verbs that take a direct object.
Spaced revisit: Return in two or three days and complete the final check again without looking at the tables.