How to Say "He Is" in Arabic - How To Say Guide

هو

huwa

The phrase "he is" in Arabic is هو (huwa).

هو is a third-person singular pronoun used to refer to a male person or thing.

Which one should you use?

While هو refers to a male, the equivalent pronoun used for a female is هي (hiya).

In Arabic, the verb "to be" (is) is often omitted in the present tense when using this pronoun.

huwa

In Classical Arabic and the Quran, هو is used in a specialized way to emphasize the absolute oneness of God, often appearing as the sole word in a sentence to denote 'He is'.
Arabic treats many inanimate objects as grammatically masculine, meaning هو is used to say 'it is' for a vast number of items that are not male.
In some poetic forms, the pronoun هو is used to personify abstract concepts, treating things like 'fate' or 'time' as male entities.

ها هو. هل رأيته؟
There he is. Do you see him?
This sentence is useful for demonstrating the use of هو in the phrase "There he is".
Tatoeba #6989426 by OsoHombre, translation #5817809 by OsoHombre
هو أكبر مني سنا.
He is older than me.
This sentence is useful for showing how هو is used to compare age.
Tatoeba #11974715 by dididodo, translation #8198175 by Amastan
هو ليس في الداخل.
He is not in.
This sentence is useful for illustrating the use of هو in a negative sentence.
Tatoeba #1580623 by Amastan, translation #294751 by CK
هو طالبٌ.
He is a student.
هو مهندسٌ.
He is an engineer.
هذا أستاذٌ.
He is a professor.
هذا رجلٌ طيبٌ.
He is a nice man.
هذا صاحبي.
He is my friend.
هو ولدي.
He is my son.
هذا خالد.
He is Khalid.
هذا صاحبنا المضحك.
He is our funny friend.
104 more sentences on Tatoeba

Youssef and Sarah are looking at a photo of a man.

يوسف Youssef

هو طبيب مشهور.
Huwa tabib mashhur.
He is a famous doctor.
سارة Sara

هل هو في المدينة الآن؟
Hal huwa fil madina al-an?
Is he in the city now?
يوسف Youssef

نعم، هو هنا.
Na'am, huwa huna.
Yes, he is here.
سارة Sara

هذا رائع!
Hadha ra'i'!
That is wonderful!

Sources

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