أنا

أنا

See also: آنا‎ and انا‎

Arabic

Alternative forms

• انا‎

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔa.na/
• IPA^(key): /ʔa.naː/ (in pausa)

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *ʔanāku, from Proto-Afroasiatic *ˀanāku, hence also Proto-Berber *ənăkkʷ (Kabyle nekk) and Egyptian jnk (Coptic ⲁⲛⲟⲕ (anok)).

Cognate with Hebrew אני‎ (aní).

Pronoun

أَنَا • (ʾana, ʾanā) m or f (enclitic form ـِيَ‎ (-iya) or ـِي‎ (-ī) or ـنِي‎ (-nī) or ـنِيَ‎ (-niya))

1. I (first person singular subject pronoun)

Usage notes

أَنَا‎ (ʾanā) has four enclitic forms which are employed in different contexts and are generally not interchangeable. The enclitic forms ـنِي‎ (-nī) and ـنِيَ‎ (-niya) are attached to verbs, prepositions ending in نْ‎ (n) with no final vowel (e.g., مِنْ‎ (min) and عَنْ‎ (ʿan)), and the sisters of إِنَّ‎ (ʾinna) except لَعَلَّ‎ (laʿalla). The forms ـِي‎ (-ī) and ـيَ‎ (-ya) are used elsewhere, but in cases where ـِي‎ (-ī) would be preceded by a long vowel, only ـيَ‎ (-ya) is used.

1. ‏سَاعِدْنِي‎ ― sāʿidnī ― help me
2. ‏كِتَابِي‎ ― kitābī ― my book
3. ‏عَلَيَّ‎ ― ʿalayya ― on me

Descendants

• Egyptian Arabic: أنا‎ (ʔana)
• Gulf Arabic: آنا‎ (āna)
• Maltese: jien, jiena
• Moroccan Arabic: آنا‎ (ʔāna), أنا‎ (ʔana)
• South Levantine Arabic: أنا‎ (ʔana)
• Tunisian Arabic: آنا‎ (ʔāna)

See also

Arabic personal pronouns

Isolated nominative pronouns
		singular	dual	plural
1st person		أَنَا‎ (ʾanā)	نَحْنُ‎ (naḥnu)
2nd person	m	أَنْتَ‎ (ʾanta)	أَنْتُمَا‎ (ʾantumā)	أَنْتُمْ‎ (ʾantum)
	f	أَنْتِ‎ (ʾanti)		أَنْتُنَّ‎ (ʾantunna)
3rd person	m	هُوَ‎ (huwa)	هُمَا‎ (humā)	هُمْ‎ (hum), هُمُ‎ (humu)1
	f	هِيَ‎ (hiya)		هُنَّ‎ (hunna)
Isolated accusative pronouns
		singular	dual	plural
1st person		إِيَّايَ‎ (ʾiyyāya)	إِيَّانَا‎ (ʾiyyānā)
2nd person	m	إِيَّاكَ‎ (ʾiyyāka)	إِيَّاكُمَا‎ (ʾiyyākumā)	إِيَّاكُم‎ (ʾiyyākum)
	f	إِيَّاكِ‎ (ʾiyyāki)		إِيَّاكُنَّ‎ (ʾiyyākunna)
3rd person	m	إِيَّاهُ‎ (ʾiyyāhu)	إِيَّاهُمَا‎ (ʾiyyāhumā)	إِيَّاهُمْ‎ (ʾiyyāhum)
	f	إِيَّاهَا‎ (ʾiyyāhā)		إِيَّاهُنَّ‎ (ʾiyyāhunna)
Enclitic accusative and genitive pronouns
		singular	dual	plural
1st person		ـنِي‎ (-nī), ـنِيَ‎ (-niya), ـي‎ (-y), ـيَ‎ (-ya)2	ـنَا‎ (-nā)
2nd person	m	ـكَ‎ (-ka)	ـكُمَا‎ (-kumā)	ـكُم‎ (-kum)
	f	ـكِ‎ (-ki)		ـكُنَّ‎ (-kunna)
3rd person	m	ـهُ‎ (-hu), ـهِ‎ (-hi)3	ـهُمَا‎ (-humā), ـهِمَا‎ (-himā)3	ـهُم‎ (-hum), ـهِم‎ (-him)3
	f	ـهَا‎ (-hā)		ـهُنَّ‎ (-hunna), ـهِنَّ‎ (-hinna)3
1. هُمْ‎ (hum) becomes هُمُ‎ (humu) before the definite article الـ‎ (al--). 2. Specifically, ـنِي‎ (-nī, “me”) is attached to verbs, but ـِي‎ (-ī) or ـيَ‎ (-ya, “my”) is attached to nouns. In the latter case, ـيَ‎ (-ya) is attached to nouns whose construct state ends in a long vowel or diphthong (e.g. in the sound masculine plural and the dual), while ـِي‎ (-ī) is attached to nouns whose construct state ends in a short vowel, in which case that vowel is elided (e.g. in the sound feminine plural, as well as the singular and broken plural of most nouns). Furthermore, -ū of the masculine sound plural is assimilated to -ī before ـيَ‎ (-ya) (presumably, -aw of masculine defective -an plurals is similarly assimilated to -ay). Prepositions use ـِي‎ (-ī) or ـيَ‎ (-ya), even though in this case it has the meaning of “me” rather than “my”. The sisters of inna can use either form (e.g. إِنَّنِي‎ (ʾinnanī) or إِنِّي‎ (ʾinnī)). 3. ـهِـ‎ (-hi-) occurs after -i, -ī, or -ay, and ـهُـ‎ (-hu-) elsewhere (after -a, -ā, -u, -ū, -aw).

Etymology 2

From أَنَا‎ (ʾanā, “I”), calque of German Ich, possibly through ego.

Noun

أَنَا • (ʾanā) f or m

1. (psychology) ego

Declension

Declension of noun أَنَا (ʾanā)

Singular	singular invariable
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَنَا ʾanā	الْأَنَا‎ al-ʾanā	أَنَا ʾanā
Nominative	أَنَا ʾanā	الْأَنَا‎ al-ʾanā	أَنَا ʾanā
Accusative	أَنَا ʾanā	الْأَنَا‎ al-ʾanā	أَنَا ʾanā
Genitive	أَنَا ʾanā	الْأَنَا‎ al-ʾanā	أَنَا ʾanā

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979), “أنا”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

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Egyptian Arabic

Alternative forms

• انا‎ (ana)

Etymology

From Arabic أَنَا‎ (ʾanā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈänä/

Pronoun

أنا‎ • (ʾana) m or f

1. I

See also

Egyptian Arabic personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		انا‎ (ʾana)	احنا‎ (ʾiḥna)
2nd person	m	انت‎ (ʾinta)	انتوا‎ (ʾintu)
	f	انتي‎ (ʾinti)
3rd person	m	هو‎ (huwwa)	هم‎ (humma, hum)
	f	هي‎ (hiyya)

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Moroccan Arabic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔa.na/

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Arabic أَنَا‎ (ʾanā).

Pronoun

أنا • (ʔana) m or f

1. Alternative form of آنا‎ (ʔāna): I (first person singular subject pronoun)

See also

Moroccan Arabic personal pronouns
		Singular	Plural
1st person		أنا (ʔana), آنا‎ (ʔāna)	حنا‎ (ḥna)
2nd person	m	انت‎ (nta), انتينا‎ (ntīna), انتين‎ (ntīn)	انتوما‎ (ntūma), انتوم‎ (ntūm)
	f	انت‎ (nti), انتينا‎ (ntīna), انتين‎ (ntīn)
3rd person	m	هو‎ (huwwa)	هوما‎ (hūma), هوم‎ (hūm)
	f	هي‎ (hiyya)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adverb

أنا • (ʔana)

1. (interrogative) which?

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North Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَنَا‎ (ʾanā).

Pronoun

أنا • (ʾana) m or f

1. I (first person singular subject pronoun)

   Enclitic forms: ـي‎‎ (-i/-y), ـني‎‎ (-ni)

See also

North Levantine Arabic personal pronouns
		Singular	Plural
1st person		أنا (ʔana)	نحنا‎ (niḥna)
2nd person	m	انت‎ (ʔinta, ʔinte)	انتو‎ (ʔintu)
	f	انتي‎ (ʔinti)
3rd person	m	هو‎ (huwwe)	هن‎ (hinne) / هنن‎ (hinnen)
	f	هي‎ (hiyye)

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South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَنَا‎ (ʾanā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔa.na/, [ˈʔa.na]

• Audio (Jerusalem)

  (file)

Pronoun

أنا • (ʔana) m or f (enclitic form ـي‎‎ (-i) or ـني‎‎ (-ni))

1. I (first-person singular subject pronoun)

See also

South Levantine Arabic personal pronouns
		Singular	Plural
1st person		أنا (ʔana)	احنا‎ (ʔiḥna)
2nd person	m	انت‎ (ʔinta)	انتو‎ (ʔintu)
	f	انتي‎ (ʔinti)
3rd person	m	هو‎ (huwwe)	هم‎ (homme)
	f	هي‎ (hiyye)