This and that
دَه (da) means «this» for a masculine thing and دِي (di) for a feminine thing. دُول (dōl) means «these». Egyptians use the same words for «this» and «that»; add هِنَا (here) or هُنَاك (there) if you need to show the distance. These words are Egyptian only; the standard language says something else. دَه كِتَاب means «this is a book». Put دَه after the noun and you get «this book»: الكِتَاب دَه. «The» is اَل (il-). Before letters like ش the ل is not said and the letter is doubled: الشَّنْطَة (ish-shanṭa).
| Meaning | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| this is a … | دَه كِتَاب | دِي شَنْطَة |
| this … | الكِتَاب دَه | الشَّنْطَة دِي |
| these are … | دُول وِلَاد | دُول بَنَات |
دَه كِتَاب.
وِدِي شَنْطَة.
وِدُول؟
دُول بَنَات.
Walk around your home and point at ten things. For each one say دَه or دِي and the name in Arabic if you know it, or in your language if you do not. Say الكِتَاب دَه and الشَّنْطَة دِي aloud five times. Notice the doubled sh in ish-shanṭa.