Ism Mawsool (الذي والتي): Arabic Relative Pronouns Made Simple

How التي Works: Complete Guide

التي follows exactly the same patterns as الذي, but for feminine nouns.

Basic Structure

Pattern: [Definite Feminine Noun] + التي + [Verb or Sentence]

Example:

المدرسة التي تعلمت فيها ممتازة

al-madrasah allatee ta’allamtu feehaa mumtaazah

“The school where I learned is excellent”

Special Note About Non-Human Plurals

Here’s a crucial rule that confuses many learners:

In Arabic, non-human plural nouns are treated as feminine singular!

This means you use التي (not الذين) with plural objects or animals:

✅ Correct:

• الكتب التي قرأتها
• al-kutub allatee qara’tuhaa
• “The books that I read”

❌ Wrong:

• ❌ الكتب الذين قرأتهم (NEVER do this!)

Why? Because “books” (كتب) is a non-human plural, which always takes feminine singular agreement in Arabic.

More examples:

• البيوت التي بنيت (the houses that were built)
• القطط التي رأيتها (the cats that I saw)
• السيارات التي في الشارع (the cars that are in the street)

Dual Forms: اللذان and اللتان

Arabic has a special feature that English lacks: the dual form for exactly two people or things.

اللذان / اللذين (Alladhaani/Alladhayni)

For: Two masculine entities

Case changes:

• Nominative (subject): اللذان (alladhaani)
• Accusative/Genitive (object/after preposition): اللذين (alladhayni)

Examples:

1. Nominative:

   • الطالبان اللذان نجحا مجتهدان
   • at-taalibaan alladhaani najahaا mujtahidaan
   • “The two students who succeeded are diligent”

2. Accusative:

   • رأيت الرجلين اللذين سافرا
   • ra’aytu ar-rajulayn alladhayni saafara
   • “I saw the two men who traveled”

اللتان / اللتين (Allataani/Allatayni)

For: Two feminine entities

Case changes:

• Nominative: اللتان (allataani)
• Accusative/Genitive: اللتين (allatayni)

Examples:

1. Nominative:

   • البنتان اللتان زارتا الحديقة سعيدتان
   • al-bintaan allataani zaarata al-hadeeqah sa’eedataan
   • “The two girls who visited the garden are happy”

2. Accusative:

   • قابلت المرأتين اللتين تعملان هنا
   • qabaltu al-mar’atayn allatayni ta’malaan hunaa
   • “I met the two women who work here”

Practical Tip: In spoken Arabic, dual forms are becoming less common, with plural forms often used instead. However, understanding them is essential for reading classical texts, news, and formal Arabic.

Plural Forms: الذين and اللاتي

الذين (Alladheena) – Masculine Plural

Used for: Three or more masculine people (humans only!)

Important rule: الذين is ONLY for human masculine plurals, NOT for things or animals.

Examples:

1. الطلاب الذين درسوا نجحوا

   • at-tullaab alladheena darasoo najahoo
   • “The students who studied succeeded”

2. الرجال الذين حضروا الاجتماع مهمون

   • ar-rijaal alladheena hadaroo al-ijtimaa’ muhimmoon
   • “The men who attended the meeting are important”

اللاتي / اللواتي (Allaatee/Allawaatee) – Feminine Plural

Used for: Three or more feminine people (humans only!)

Note: Both forms (اللاتي and اللواتي) are correct and interchangeable.

Examples:

1. النساء اللاتي عملن في المشروع ماهرات

   • an-nisaa’ allaatee ‘amilna fi al-mashru’ maahiraat
   • “The women who worked on the project are skilled”

2. الطالبات اللواتي فزن بالمسابقة متفوقات

   • at-taalibaat allawaatee fuzna bil-musaabaqah mutafawwiqaat
   • “The female students who won the competition are excellent”

Critical Rule Reminder:

• ✅ Use الذين/اللاتي for HUMAN plurals
• ✅ Use التي for NON-HUMAN plurals

Common Relative Pronouns: من and ما

These two pronouns are incredibly useful because they don’t change based on gender or number!

مَن (Man) – For People

Meaning: “who,” “whoever,” “he who,” “those who”

Key feature: Works for any gender and any number—incredibly flexible!

Uses:

1. General statements:

• من يعمل بجد ينجح
• man ya’malu bi-jidd yanjah
• “Whoever works hard succeeds”

2. Questions:

• من الذي فعل هذا؟
• man alladhee fa’ala haadha?
• “Who did this?”

3. After certain words:

• كل من حضر الاجتماع
• kullu man hadara al-ijtimaa’
• “Everyone who attended the meeting”

Quranic Example:

مَن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا
Man dha alladhee yuqridu Allaha qardan hasanan
“Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan?” (Al-Baqarah 2:245)

ما (Maa) – For Things

Meaning: “what,” “whatever,” “that which,” “the thing that”

Key feature: Used for non-human things, ideas, or abstract concepts

Uses:

1. General statements:

• ما تزرع تحصد
• maa tazra’ tahsud
• “Whatever you plant, you harvest”

2. Questions:

• ما الذي حدث؟
• maa alladhee hadatha?
• “What happened?”

3. In sentences:

• قرأت ما كتبته
• qara’tu maa katabtahu
• “I read what you wrote”

Quranic Example:

وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللَّهِ
Wa maa tuqaddimoo li-anfusikum min khayrin tajidoohu ‘inda Allaah
“And whatever good you put forward for yourselves, you will find it with Allah” (Al-Baqarah 2:110)

Agreement Rules: The Golden Rules

To use relative pronouns correctly, you MUST follow these agreement rules:

Rule 1: Gender Agreement

The relative pronoun must match the noun’s gender:

• ✅ الرجل الذي… (masculine noun → masculine pronoun)
• ✅ المرأة التي… (feminine noun → feminine pronoun)
• ❌ الرجل التي… (WRONG! Gender mismatch)

Rule 2: Number Agreement

The relative pronoun must match the noun’s number:

• Singular: الذي / التي
• Dual: اللذان / اللتان
• Plural: الذين / اللاتي (for humans)
• Plural: التي (for non-humans)

Rule 3: Definiteness Requirement

Relative pronouns ONLY work with definite nouns (nouns with ال):

• ✅ الطالب الذي… (definite – has ال)
• ❌ طالب الذي… (WRONG! Indefinite – no ال)

Exception: Common pronouns (من، ما) don’t require a definite antecedent.

Rule 4: Non-Human Plural = Feminine Singular

This is THE most important rule for learners:

ALL non-human plurals use feminine singular forms!

• ✅ الكتب التي (books – non-human plural → use التي)
• ✅ الحيوانات التي (animals – non-human plural → use التي)
• ❌ الكتب الذين (NEVER!)

The Relative Clause (صلة الموصول)

Every relative pronoun is followed by a relative clause (silat al-mawsool) that provides the additional information.

Types of Relative Clauses

1. Verbal Relative Clause (most common)

Starts with a verb:

• الطالب الذي يدرس اللغة العربية
• at-taalib alladhee yadrusu al-lughah al-‘arabiyyah
• “The student who studies Arabic”

2. Nominal Relative Clause

Starts with a noun (less common):

• الرجل الذي هو طبيب
• ar-rajul alladhee huwa tabeeb
• “The man who is a doctor”

3. Semi-Clause (شبه جملة)

Starts with a preposition or adverb:

• المريض الذي في المستشفى
• al-mareed alladhee fi al-mustashfaa
• “The patient who is in the hospital”

The Return Pronoun (الضمير العائد)

Critical concept: Most relative clauses contain a pronoun that refers back to the noun. This is called the “return pronoun.”

Example:

• رأيت الكتاب الذي اشتريته
• ra’aytu al-kitaab alladhee ishtaraytuhu
• “I saw the book that I bought it”

The ـه (-hu) at the end of اشتريته refers back to “the book.”

English translation note: In English, we don’t say “the book that I bought it”—we drop the “it.” But in Arabic, this pronoun is often required for grammatical completeness.

Step-by-Step Examples: Building Sentences

Let’s build some sentences together, step by step.

Example 1: Simple Masculine Sentence

Goal: “The teacher who taught me is Egyptian”

Step 1: Identify the main noun

• “The teacher” = المعلم (al-mu’allim) – masculine, singular, definite ✓

Step 2: Choose the correct relative pronoun

• Masculine singular → الذي (alladhee)

Step 3: Add the relative clause

• “taught me” = علمني (‘allamanee)

Step 4: Add the predicate

• “is Egyptian” = مصري (misree)

Final sentence:
المعلم الذي علمني مصري
al-mu’allim alladhee ‘allamanee misree

Example 2: Feminine Sentence

Goal: “The car that my father bought is expensive”

Step 1: Main noun

• “The car” = السيارة (as-sayyaarah) – feminine, singular, definite ✓

Step 2: Relative pronoun

• Feminine singular → التي (allatee)

Step 3: Relative clause

• “my father bought” = اشتراها أبي (ishtaraahaa abee)
• Note the return pronoun: ـها (-haa) = “it” (feminine)

Step 4: Predicate

• “is expensive” = غالية (ghaaliyah)

Final sentence:
السيارة التي اشتراها أبي غالية
as-sayyaarah allatee ishtaraahaa abee ghaaliyah

Example 3: Plural Non-Human

Goal: “The books that are on the shelf are useful”

Step 1: Main noun

• “The books” = الكتب (al-kutub) – NON-HUMAN plural → treat as feminine singular!

Step 2: Relative pronoun

• Non-human plural → التي (allatee) NOT الذين!

Step 3: Relative clause

• “are on the shelf” = على الرف (‘ala ar-raff)

Step 4: Predicate

• “are useful” = مفيدة (mufeedah) – feminine singular form!

Final sentence:
الكتب التي على الرف مفيدة
al-kutub allatee ‘ala ar-raff mufeedah

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Let me share the most frequent mistakes I see from students, and how to fix them:

Mistake #1: Using الذين for Non-Humans

❌ WRONG:

• الحيوانات الذين في الحديقة
• al-hayawaanaat alladheena fi al-hadeeqah

✅ CORRECT:

• الحيوانات التي في الحديقة
• al-hayawaanaat allatee fi al-hadeeqah
• “The animals that are in the garden”

Why? Non-human plurals = feminine singular!

Mistake #2: Forgetting the Definite Article (ال)

❌ WRONG:

• رجل الذي رأيته
• rajul alladhee ra’aytuhu

✅ CORRECT:

• الرجل الذي رأيته
• ar-rajul alladhee ra’aytuhu
• “The man whom I saw”

Why? Relative pronouns require definite nouns!

Mistake #3: Gender Mismatch

❌ WRONG:

• البنت الذي ذهبت
• al-bint alladhee dhahabat

✅ CORRECT:

• البنت التي ذهبت
• al-bint allatee dhahabat
• “The girl who went”

Why? البنت is feminine, so use التي!

Mistake #4: Using الذي/التي Instead of من/ما

❌ AWKWARD:

• الشخص الذي يعمل بجد ينجح
• ash-shakhs alladhee ya’malu bi-jidd yanjah

✅ BETTER:

• من يعمل بجد ينجح
• man ya’malu bi-jidd yanjah
• “Whoever works hard succeeds”

Why? For general statements without a specific noun, من is more natural!

Mistake #5: Missing the Return Pronoun

❌ INCOMPLETE (in formal Arabic):

• الكتاب الذي قرأت جيد
• al-kitaab alladhee qara’tu jayyid

✅ COMPLETE:

• الكتاب الذي قرأته جيد
• al-kitaab alladhee qara’tuhu jayyid
• “The book that I read (it) is good”

Why? The pronoun ـه (-hu) connects back to “the book.”

Practice Exercises

Now it’s your turn! Try these exercises to test your understanding.

Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Pronoun

Fill in the blanks with الذي or التي:

1. الطالب _____ درس بجد نجح (The student who studied hard succeeded)
2. المدرسة _____ زرتها جميلة (The school that I visited is beautiful)
3. الباب _____ فتحته مكسور (The door that I opened is broken)
4. الكتب _____ قرأتها مفيدة (The books that I read are useful)
5. القلم _____ على الطاولة جديد (The pen that is on the table is new)

Answers:

1. الذي (masculine singular)
2. التي (feminine singular)
3. الذي (masculine singular)
4. التي (non-human plural → feminine singular!)
5. الذي (masculine singular)

Exercise 2: Build Complete Sentences

Translate these sentences into Arabic:

1. “The man who works here is my friend”
2. “The woman who teaches Arabic is excellent”
3. “The cats that I saw are beautiful”

Answers:

1. الرجل الذي يعمل هنا صديقي

   • ar-rajul alladhee ya’malu hunaa sadeeqee

2. المرأة التي تعلم العربية ممتازة

   • al-mar’ah allatee tu’allimu al-‘arabiyyah mumtaazah

3. القطط التي رأيتها جميلة

   • al-qitat allatee ra’aytuhaa jameelah
   • (Note: التي because non-human plural!)

Exercise 3: Spot the Mistakes

Identify and correct the errors:

1. البنت الذي ذهبت إلى المدرسة (The girl who went to school)
2. كتب الذين على الطاولة (Books that are on the table)
3. رجل الذي رأيته أمس (Man whom I saw yesterday)

Corrections:

1. البنت التي ذهبت إلى المدرسة (الذي → التي, because البنت is feminine)
2. الكتب التي على الطاولة (needs ال on كتب, and التي not الذين for non-humans)
3. الرجل الذي رأيته أمس (needs ال on رجل)

Real-Life Applications

Understanding relative pronouns opens many doors. Here’s where you’ll encounter them:

1. Reading Arabic News

Headlines and articles constantly use relative pronouns:

• الرئيس الذي زار المدينة (the president who visited the city)
• القضية التي نوقشت (the issue that was discussed)

2. Understanding the Quran

The Quran is full of relative pronouns conveying profound meanings:

• الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (those who believed)
• مَا أَنزَلْنَا (what We revealed)

3. Daily Conversations

Natural Arabic conversations flow with relative pronouns:

• الفيلم الذي شاهدناه (the movie that we watched)
• المطعم الذي أكلنا فيه (the restaurant where we ate)

4. Academic Writing

Formal Arabic writing relies heavily on complex sentences with relative pronouns:

• الدراسة التي أجراها الباحثون (the study that the researchers conducted)

Where This Leaves You

You now know what الذي and التي do, and how to spot them in an ayah. Most learners stop here — and forget it within a month, because they never used it out loud.

The ones who don’t forget are the ones who read to someone who corrects them in the moment. That is the whole difference between knowing a rule and reading the Quran with understanding.

Our teachers work one-to-one with non-native speakers — you read, they correct, in real time.

Book a free trial lesson → — 30 minutes, one-to-one, no card required.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ism mawsool in Arabic?
Ism mawsool (اسم موصول) means “relative pronoun” in Arabic. It is a word that connects a noun to a descriptive clause, similar to “who,” “which,” and “that” in English. The most common ones are الذي (masculine) and التي (feminine).

What is the difference between الذي and التي? الذي is used for masculine singular nouns, while التي is used for feminine singular nouns. For example: الكتابُ الذي قرأته (The book that I read) vs. القصةُ التي قرأتها (The story that I read).

How do you use relative pronouns in Arabic sentences?
Place the relative pronoun directly after the noun it describes. The clause that follows must contain a pronoun that refers back to the original noun. For example: الطالبُ الذي يجلسُ أمامي ذكيٌّ — The student who sits in front of me is smart.

What is the plural of الذي in Arabic?
The plural of الذي is الذين for masculine, and اللواتي or اللاتي for feminine.

Can الذي be used for non-human nouns in Arabic?
Yes. Unlike English where “which” is used for things and “who” for people, Arabic uses الذي and التي for both people and objects, depending only on the grammatical gender of the noun.