Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| هُمَا | humā | dual | |
| هُم | hum | plural | |
| هُنَّ | hunna | feminine, plural | |
| هِيَ | hiya | non human | |
| هما | humma | /hu.maː/ | Egyptian Arabic |
| هم | humm | /hum/ | Egyptian Arabic, masculine, plural |
| اهم | uhum, uhmə | Gulf Arabic | |
| هُمَّ | humma | Hijazi Arabic | |
| هن | hinne | /hun.na/ | North Levantine Arabic, plural |
The word 'they' in Arabic is highly specific, requiring you to choose a form based on whether you are referring to exactly two people, a group of three or more or a specific gender. While English uses 'they' for almost any group, Arabic distinguishes between dual and plural counts, as well as between masculine and feminine groups.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on number and gender. Use هُمَا when referring to exactly two people. Use هُم to refer to a group of males or a mixed-gender group. Use هُنَّ exclusively for a group consisting only of females. The form هِيَ is used when referring to non-human entities.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the dual form 'they (two people)' is often pronounced as هما (humma) instead of the classical هُمَا. In North Levantine Arabic, the feminine plural pronoun 'they (feminine)' is often pronounced as هن (hinne). Other regional variations include the Gulf Arabic form اهم and the Hijazi Arabic form هُمَّ.
How does it change in a sentence?
Arabic uses a specific dual form, هُمَا, for exactly two people, whereas English uses the same word for two or more.
How do you pronounce it?
humā
Did you know?
- Because non-human plurals are treated as singular feminine, a speaker referring to a group of 'they' (like books or cars) must use a verb form that would normally describe a single woman.
- In some dialects, using the masculine هم for a group of women can be interpreted as a way to intentionally dehumanize them or treat them as an undifferentiated mass.
- Arabic belongs to a family of languages that use a 'dual' number, a rarity among world languages which typically only distinguish between singular and plural.
Examples in context
- هم في نفس السن.They are the same age.This sentence is useful for describing the age of a group using هم.Tatoeba #383364 by saeb, translation #307243 by CK
- هم من بدؤا هذا.They started that.This sentence is useful for identifying who performed an action using هم.Tatoeba #11623086 by dididodo, translation #2855675 by Amastan
- أنت تعلم من هم.You know who they are.This sentence is useful for identifying a group of people using هم.Tatoeba #11985967 by dididodo, translation #1828694 by Amastan
- يلعبون في الحديقة. هم أصدقاء مقربون.They play in the park. They are close friends.
- يدرسون معًا في المكتبة. هم يساعدون بعضهم البعض.They study together in the library. They help each other.
- يشكلون فريقًا متميزًا. هؤلاء يفوزون دائمًا.They form an outstanding team. They always win.
- 196 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A woman asks a man about the location of two colleagues.
- أحمد Ahmedأينَ زِيادٌ وَعَليٌّ؟ayna ziyād wa ‘ali?Where are Ziad and Ali?
- سارة Saraهُمَا في القاعَةِ.humā fī al-qā‘ati.They are in the hall.
- أحمد Ahmedهَلْ هُمَا مُتَأَخِّرانِ؟hal humā muta’akhkhirāni?Are they two late?
- سارة Saraلا، هُمَا لَيْسا مُتَأَخِّرَيْنِ.lā, humā laysā muta’akhkhirayni.No, they are not late.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “they” translations and entries هما, هم, هن, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
