Arabic vocabulary
هوhe
How to say “he” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
فَمَتَى أَعَانَهَا فَهُوَ شَرِيكُهَا فِي فَسَادِهَا
Whenever he aids it, he becomes a partner in its corruption.
فَهُوَ — so he. 'fa-' = 'so, then'; 'huwa' = 'he'.
From: Taming the Lower Self →هذه الزيادات الصغيرة هي السلّم الخفي الذي يصعد بك حين لا يراك أحد، حتى تصير النفس مطمئنة، والعمل سهلًا، والطريق مضيئًا من الداخل
These small increments are the hidden ladder that lifts you when no one sees, until the soul becomes content, the work easy, and the path illuminated from within.
هِيَ — are. 'hiya' = 'they, it' (feminine), here a linking 'are'.
From: On Sincerity →وَهُوَ مَا يَزِيدُ عَلَى جَلْبِ الْمَصَالِحِ وَدَفْعِ الْمَضَارِّ
And that is what exceeds bringing benefits and repelling harms.
وَهُوَ — and it. 'wa-' = 'and'; 'huwa' = 'he/it', the pronoun.
From: When Desire Exceeds Its Bounds →فَلَمَّا كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْغَالِبُ ذَكَرْتُ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ ذَمَّ الْهَوَى وَالشَّهَوَاتِ مُطْلَقًا
Therefore, since this is prevalent, I mentioned in this chapter the condemnation of desires and lusts in general.
هُوَ — is. 'huwa' = 'he/it', here pinning the predicate.
From: When Desire Exceeds Its Bounds →لَكِن خَاصَّة الثَّالِث أَنه حرف جَاءَ لِمَعْنى لَيْسَ باسم
But specifically the third, it is a letter that comes for meaning, not as a noun.
أَنَّهُ — that it is. 'that it [is]' — 'anna' (emphatic that) with 'it' attached as its subject. It opens the predicate explaining the trait; the 'it' points to the third class.
From: The Declaration of Faith →فلم يبق لِلِّصِّ إلا البيت الثالث، فهو الذي يَشُنُّ عليه الغارة
So the thief is left with only the third house, which he launches an attack on.
فَهُوَ — so it. 'Fa-' (so) plus the pronoun 'it', opening the next statement about the third house. The pronoun fronts the house as topic before its description.
From: Repelling the Devil →وهو قلب الكافر والمنافق،
which is the heart of the disbeliever and the hypocrite,
وَهُوَ — and he/it. 'And' plus the pronoun 'it', subject of a naming sentence pointing back to that empty heart. It sets up the identification that follows.
From: Repelling the Devil →إذْ هو بشر،
Since he is human,
هُوَ — he. The standalone pronoun 'he', subject of the little naming sentence 'he is human'. It carries the unstated 'is' before its predicate.
From: Repelling the Devil →يَا من هُوَ من أَرْبَاب الْخِبْرَة
O one who is among the masters of expertise
هُوَ — he/is. The standalone pronoun 'he', opening the defining clause — 'who is…'. With no present 'to be', the bare pronoun carries the 'is'.
From: Remembering and Loving God →ثمَّ الرِّضَا بهَا وَهُوَ أَعلَى مِنْهُ
Then acceptance of them, which is higher than that.
وَهُوَ — which is. The 'it' here reopens to comment on 'contentment', equating it with something higher in a fresh verbless clause. This resumptive pronoun lets Arabic add 'and it is...' without a relative 'which'.
From: Accepting God's Decree →ثمَّ الشُّكْر عَلَيْهَا وَهُوَ أَعلَى من الرِّضَا
Then gratitude for them, which is higher than acceptance.
وَهُوَ — which is. The resumptive 'it' reopening to describe 'gratitude' as higher, in a fresh verbless clause. It carries 'and it is...' with no relative word.
From: Accepting God's Decree →وقيل هو على النسب لا على الفعل أي ذي دفق أو ذات
And it is said that it is a relational adjective, not an active one, meaning possessing "dafq."
هُوَ — it is. A standalone 'it/he' pronoun, the subject of the reported opinion: 'it is...'. The separate pronoun supplies the subject since no verb links it to the predicate that follows.
From: Creating Life from Nothing →وقيل وهو الصواب إنه اسم فاعل على بابه
And it is said, and this is correct, that it is an active participle in its original sense.
وَهُوَ — and this. wa- (and) on a standalone 'it/he' pronoun, 'and it / and this', the subject of the aside that follows. The separate pronoun supplies the subject for 'and this is the correct view'.
From: Creating Life from Nothing →ولا يلزم من ذلك أن يكون هو فاعل الدفق
And it is not required that he be the performer of the pouring.
هُوَ — he. A standalone 'he' pronoun, the subject of the subjunctive 'to be' verb, fronted to stress the identity: 'that he himself be...'. Arabic adds this separate pronoun for emphasis.
From: Creating Life from Nothing →فإن اسم الفاعل هو من قام به الفعل سواء فعله هو أو غيره
For an active participle is one by whom the action is carried out, whether he performed it himself or someone else did.
هُوَ — he. A standalone 'he/it' pronoun acting as a linking pivot between the defined term and its definition, lending emphasis: 'the active participle, it is the one by whom...'. Arabic inserts this separating pronoun to mark where the predicate begins.
From: Creating Life from Nothing →فإن اسم الفاعل هو من قام به الفعل سواء فعله هو أو غيره
For an active participle is one by whom the action is carried out, whether he performed it himself or someone else did.
هُوَ — himself. A standalone 'he' pronoun, fronted for emphasis right after the verb: 'whether he himself did it'. Arabic supplies this separate pronoun to stress that it was he, not another.
From: Creating Life from Nothing →ثم ذكر محله الذي يخرج منه وهو بين الصلب والترائب
Then He mentioned its place from which it emerges, which is between the backbone and the ribs.
وَهُوَ — which is. wa- (and) on a standalone 'it/he' pronoun, 'and it is', opening a clarifying clause about the place. The separate pronoun supplies the subject since no verb links it to the location phrase that follows.
From: Creating Life from Nothing →صلب الرجل وترائب المرأة وهو موضع القلادة من صدرها
The backbone of the man and the ribs of the woman, which is the place of the necklace on her chest.
وَهُوَ — which is. wa- (and) on a standalone 'it/he' pronoun, 'and it is', opening a clarifying clause about that place. The separate pronoun supplies the subject for the description that follows.
From: Creating Life from Nothing →أي على رجعه إليه يوم القيامة كما هو قادر على خلقه من ماء هذا شأنه
That is, He is able to return him to Himself on the Day of Resurrection, just as He is able to create him from a fluid of this nature.
هُوَ — He is. A standalone 'He' subject pronoun, used here because the predicate is a participle rather than a verb that would carry its own subject. Arabic supplies a separate pronoun when there is no verb to fold the doer into.
From: Creating Life from Nothing →هذا هو الصحيح في معنى الآية
This is the correct interpretation of the verse.
هُوَ — is. A standalone 'he/it' pronoun acting as a connector between subject and predicate, the way English needs 'is'. Arabic has no verb 'to be' in the present, so this pronoun does the linking work in an equational sentence.
From: Creating Life from Nothing →فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ لَا نَقُولُ إِنَّهُ مَلِكٌ ظَالِمٌ، بَلْ نَبِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ مَنْ اتَّبَعَهُ فَهُوَ مِنَ السُّعَدَاءِ، وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ اتَّبَعَ مُوسَى فَهُوَ كَمَنْ اتَّبَعَ مُحَمَّدًا
When he heard this, he said: 'God forbid! We do not say he is a tyrant king, but a noble prophet. Whoever follows him is among the blessed, and likewise, whoever follows Moses is like one who follows Muhammad.'
فَهُوَ — he is. This fuses the result connector fa- to the standalone subject pronoun 'he', meaning 'then he'. The fa- introduces the outcome of the 'whoever follows' condition, and the explicit pronoun heads the result clause.
From: Signs of the Messenger in Medina →فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ لَا نَقُولُ إِنَّهُ مَلِكٌ ظَالِمٌ، بَلْ نَبِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ مَنْ اتَّبَعَهُ فَهُوَ مِنَ السُّعَدَاءِ، وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ اتَّبَعَ مُوسَى فَهُوَ كَمَنْ اتَّبَعَ مُحَمَّدًا
When he heard this, he said: 'God forbid! We do not say he is a tyrant king, but a noble prophet. Whoever follows him is among the blessed, and likewise, whoever follows Moses is like one who follows Muhammad.'
فَهُوَ — he is. This fuses the result connector fa- to the standalone subject pronoun 'he', meaning 'then he'. The fa- introduces the outcome of the second condition, and the explicit pronoun heads the result clause.
From: Signs of the Messenger in Medina →﴿وَقُلْ لِعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ﴾،
'Say to My servants to speak that which is best',
هِيَ — is. A standalone 'it/she' pronoun acting as the subject of a sentence that has no verb. Arabic can state 'X is Y' with no word for 'is'; the bare pronoun simply sits before the description and the 'is' is understood from the structure.
From: The Messenger as Conveyor of Revelation →فإن كانت تؤول إلى النار، فهي مرارة في الحقيقة وإن كانت حلوة في المذاق
If it leads to the Fire, then it is bitterness in reality, even if it is sweet in taste.
فَهِيَ — then it is. The joined 'so' plus a standalone 'it' pronoun, feminine to agree with the pleasure: then it is. The 'so' opens the result-half of the condition; the free pronoun makes the pleasure the topic of the verdict.
From: Paradise Over Pleasure →
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