Preposition ل with Pronoun Suffixes

01

The Vowel Shift: From 'Li-' to 'La-'

For most pronouns, the vowel on the preposition changes from the "i" sound ⁧⁧كَسْرَة⁩⁩ (kasrah) to the "a" sound ⁧⁧فَتْحَة⁩⁩ (fatḥah). Instead of ⁧⁧لِـ⁩⁩ (li-), it becomes ⁧⁧لَـ⁩⁩ (la-). This applies to the suffixes for "you", "him", "her", "us", and "them".

• ⁧هَذِهِ الهَدِيَّةُ لَكَ.⁩

  hādhihi al-hadiyyah laka.hādhihi al-hadiyyah laka.hādhihi ʾal-hadiyyah laka.hadhihi al-hadiyah laka.

  This gift is for you (masculine).

• ⁧الكِتَابُ لَهَا.⁩

  al-kitāb lahā.al-kitāb lahā.ʾal-kitāb lahā.al-kitab laha.

  The book is for her.

02

The Exception: First Person Singular ("Me")

There is one important exception to the vowel shift rule. When the preposition is attached to the suffix for "me" (⁧⁧ـي⁩⁩ (-ī-ī-iy-y)), it retains its original "i" sound ⁧⁧كَسْرَة⁩⁩ (kasrah). The combination is pronounced ⁧⁧لِي⁩⁩ (līlīliyly).

• ⁧هَذَا لِي.⁩

  hādhā lī.hādhā lī.hādhā liy.hadha ly.

  This is for me.

• ⁧هَلْ هَذَا لِي أَمْ لَكَ؟⁩

  hal hādhā lī am laka?hal hādhā lī am laka?hal hādhā liy ʾam laka?hal hadha ly am laka?

  Is this for me or for you?

03

Expressing Possession ("To Have")

Arabic does not use a single verb equivalent to the English "to have". Instead, possession is often expressed using a prepositional phrase. Using ⁧⁧لِـ⁩⁩ (li-) with a pronoun suffix literally means "to [someone] is..." or "for [someone] is...", which functions as "I have", "you have", etc.

This structure is particularly common when talking about family members or abstract concepts.

• ⁧لِي أُخْتٌ وَاحِدَةٌ.⁩

  lī ukht wāḥidah.lī ukht wāḥidah.liy ukht wāḥidah.ly ukht waḥidah.

  I have one sister.

• ⁧هَلْ لَكَ سُؤَالٌ؟⁩

  hal laka suʾāl?hal laka suʾāl?hal laka suʾāl?hal laka suʾal?

  Do you have a question?

• ⁧لَنَا بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ.⁩

  lanā bayt kabīr.lanā bayt kabīr.lanā bayt kabiyr.lana bayt kabyr.

  We have a big house.

04

Summary of Common Forms

Here are the most common combinations of the preposition ⁧⁧لِـ⁩⁩ (li-) with pronoun suffixes:

• ⁧⁧لِي⁩⁩ (līlīliyly) - for me / I have
• ⁧⁧لَكَ⁩⁩ (laka) - for you (male) / you have
• ⁧⁧لَكِ⁩⁩ (laki) - for you (female) / you have
• ⁧⁧لَهُ⁩⁩ (lahu) - for him / he has
• ⁧⁧لَهَا⁩⁩ (lahālahālahālaha) - for her / she has
• ⁧⁧لَنَا⁩⁩ (lanālanālanālana) - for us / we have
• ⁧⁧لَهُمْ⁩⁩ (lahum) - for them / they have