Lesson 29 · أَبُو
Father of, brother of: أَبُو and أَخُو
A few short nouns, such as أَبٌ (father), أَخٌ (brother) and ذُو (owner of), take a long vowel when another noun or a pronoun follows them: أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ (Muhammad’s father), أَخُوكَ (your brother). The long vowel shows the word’s job in the sentence.
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Examples
هٰذَا أَبُو خَالِدٍhaadhaa abuu khaalidinThis is Khalid’s father.
أَيْنَ أَخُوكَ؟ayna akhuuka?Where is your brother?
رَأَيْتُ أَبَاكَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِra’aytu abaaka fil-masjidiI saw your father in the mosque.
سَلَّمْتُ عَلَى أَخِيكَsallamtu ʿalaa akhiikaI greeted your brother.
أَبُو بَكْرٍ صَدِيقُ النَّبِيِّabuu bakrin ṣadiiqu n-nabiyyiAbu Bakr is the Prophet’s friend.
هُوَ رَجُلٌ ذُو عِلْمٍhuwa rajulun dhuu ʿilminHe is a man of knowledge.
Key points
- As the subject it ends in -uu: هٰذَا أَبُو خَالِدٍ. As the object it ends in -aa: رَأَيْتُ أَبَا خَالِدٍ. After a preposition it ends in -ii: سَلَّمْتُ عَلَى أَبِي خَالِدٍ.
- Many famous names use this pattern: أَبُو بَكْرٍ, أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ. Arabs often call a man “father of” his eldest son.
- ذُو means “having” or “owner of”: رَجُلٌ ذُو عِلْمٍ (a man of knowledge). For a woman use ذَاتُ.
Practice
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Say “This is your brother.”
هٰذَا أَخُوكَ haadhaa akhuuka
Say “I know your father.”
أَعْرِفُ أَبَاكَ aʿrifu abaaka
Say “I went with your brother.”
ذَهَبْتُ مَعَ أَخِيكَ dhahabtu maʿa akhiika