Arabic vocabulary
نَحْنُwe
How to say “we” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
إن قالت الملائكة نحن أهل التسبيح والتقديس،
If the angels said, "We are the people of glorification and sanctification."
نَحْنُ — we. This is the standalone 'we', used as the subject of the quoted statement rather than being fused to a verb. Arabic uses such a free pronoun to put weight on the speakers, here the angels asserting emphatically who they are.
From: Adam and the Rebel →فَفَرِّجْ عَنَّا مَا نَحْنُ فِيهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ الصَّخْرَةِ،
So relieve us from what we are in from this rock.
نَحْنُ — we. A standalone plural 'we' pronoun, the subject inside the relative clause. With no verb 'are' present, it sits beside the following 'in it' phrase so their pairing builds the 'we are in...' that describes the plight.
From: Trapped and Delivered →فَأَفْرِجْ عَنَّا مَا نَحْنُ فِيهِ
So relieve us of what we are in.
نَحْنُ — we. A standalone first-person plural pronoun, used here as the explicit subject of the small clause that follows. Arabic usually leaves the subject inside the verb, so spelling out 'we' as its own word adds a touch of focus on who is in the predicament.
From: Trapped and Delivered →فَافْرُجْ عَنَّا مَا نَحْنُ فِيهِ
So relieve us from what we are in it.
نَحْنُ — we. A standalone first-person plural pronoun used as the explicit subject of the little clause that follows. Since Arabic usually keeps the subject inside the verb, spelling out 'we' as its own word puts mild focus on who is trapped.
From: Trapped and Delivered →فَبَيْنَا نَحْنُ يَوْمًا جُلُوسٌ فِي بَيْتِنَا
One day, while we were sitting in our house.
نَحْنُ — we. A free-standing 'we' acting as the subject of a verbless backdrop clause; Arabic does not need a 'to be' to say 'while WE (were) sitting'. The bare pronoun sets the scene's actors, with the state 'sitting' supplied by the predicate further on.
From: The Secret Migration →نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَاءُكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ
We are your protectors in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.
نَحْنُ — we. This is the standalone 'we' pronoun serving as the subject of an equational sentence. Arabic has no 'are' to link subject and description, so this pronoun stands alone as the topic, with the predicate that follows saying what 'we' are.
From: Three States of the Heart →فَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ وَنَحْنُ نَشْكُو إِلَى اللَّهِ
So Hudhayfah said, while we were complaining to God.
وَنَحْنُ — and we. The linking 'wa-' (here 'while') fused with the standalone pronoun 'we'. The 'wa-' opens a background side-clause describing what 'we' were doing, and the written-out 'we' supplies its subject. Arabic uses this 'wa-' plus a freestanding pronoun to set a circumstantial 'while we...' scene.
From: A Spy in the Enemy Camp →فَقَالَتْ نَحْنُ بَشَرٌ فِي ضَيْقٍ وَشِدَّةٍ
She said, "We are human beings in distress and hardship."
نَحن — we. This is the stand-alone pronoun 'we', opening the quoted reply as an explicit subject. Arabic often drops subject pronouns, so stating 'we' here gives it a little weight. It sets up a noun-style sentence, 'we are...', with the predicate following.
From: Stories of Prophetic Judgments →ألا تشفع لنا إلى ربك؟ ألا ترى ما نحن فيه، وما بلغنا؟
Will you not intercede for us with your Lord? Do you not see the state we are in and what has befallen us?
نَحْنُ — we are. A standalone 'we' pronoun, the subject inside the relative clause. Spelling it out as a separate word frames the bare 'we are' statement that the following 'in it' locates, since Arabic needs no verb 'to be' here.
From: The Prophet's Intercession →ألا ترى ما نحن فيه، ألا ترى ما بلغنا ألا تشفع لنا إلى ربك؟
Do you not see the state we are in, do you not see what has befallen us? Will you not intercede for us with your Lord?
نَحْنُ — we are. A standalone 'we' pronoun, the subject inside the relative clause. Spelling it out frames the bare 'we are' statement that the next word locates, since Arabic needs no verb 'to be' in the present.
From: The Prophet's Intercession →اذهبوا إلى إبراهيم فيأتون إبراهيم فيقولون يا إبراهيم أنت نبي الله وخليله من أهل الأرض اشفع لنا إلى ربك، ألا ترى ما نحن فيه؟
Go to Abraham, so they go to him and say: "O Abraham, you are the Prophet of Allah and His intimate friend from the people of the earth. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see the state we are in?"
نَحْنُ — we are. A standalone 'we' used as the subject of a verbless relative clause: Arabic states the bare pronoun and lets the following preposition complete the sense, so 'we (are) in it' needs no word for 'are'.
From: The Prophet's Intercession →اذهبوا إلى موسى، فيأتون موسى، فيقولون يا موسى أنت رسول الله فضلك الله برسالاته وبكلامه على الناس، اشفع لنا إلى ربك ألا ترى ما نحن فيه؟
Go to Moses, so they go to him and say: "O Moses, you are the Messenger of Allah. Allah favored you with His messages and His words over the people. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see the state we are in?"
نَحْنُ — we are. A standalone 'we' subject of a verbless relative clause: Arabic states the bare pronoun and lets the following preposition finish the sense, so 'we (are) in it' needs no 'are'.
From: The Prophet's Intercession →وكلمت الناس في المهد ، اشفع لنا إلى ربك، ألا ترى ما نحن فيه؟
And you spoke to the people in the cradle, "Intercede with your Lord for us; do you not see what we are in?"
نَحْنُ — we. A standalone 'we' subject of a verbless relative clause: the bare pronoun plus the following preposition finishes the sense, so 'we (are) in it' needs no 'are'.
From: The Prophet's Intercession →اشفع لنا إلى ربك، ألا ترى ما نحن فيه؟
Intercede with your Lord for us; do you not see what we are in?
نَحْنُ — we. A standalone 'we' subject of a verbless relative clause: the bare pronoun plus the following preposition finishes the sense, so 'we (are) in it' needs no 'are'.
From: The Prophet's Intercession →بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ، إذْ طَلَعَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَيَاضِ الثِّيَابِ،
While we were sitting in the presence of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, one day a man with very white clothes appeared to us.
نَحْنُ — we. A standalone subject pronoun, 'we', opening the background clause as its subject. With no verb 'are/were', it pairs directly with the next word to mean 'we were sitting'.
From: When Gabriel Came to Teach →اللهم إن كنت فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك ففرج عنا ما نحن فيه من هذه الصخرة،
O Allah, if I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us from the situation we are in with this rock.
نَحْنُ — we are. This is the separate pronoun 'we', the subject of the relative clause 'which we are in'. Arabic uses a standalone pronoun here because the clause has no verb of its own, leaning on 'in it' to complete the sense.
From: Three Men Saved by Sincerity →اللهم إن كنت فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك فافرج عنا ما نحن فيه، فانفرجت الصخرة غير أنهم لا يستطيعون الخروج منها
O Allah, if I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us from this situation we are trapped in. The rock moved slightly, but they still could not exit.
نَحْنُ — we are. This is the standalone pronoun 'we', the subject of the verbless relative clause 'which we are in'. Arabic uses a separate pronoun here because the clause leans on 'in it' rather than a verb to carry its sense.
From: Three Men Saved by Sincerity →اللهم إن كنتُ فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك فافرج عنا ما نحن فيه، فانفرجت الصخرة فخرجوا يمشون
O Allah, if I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us from this situation we are in. The rock moved, and they exited, walking.
نَحْنُ — we are. This is the standalone pronoun 'we', the subject of the verbless relative clause 'which we are in'. Arabic uses a separate pronoun here because the clause leans on 'in it' rather than a verb to carry its sense.
From: Three Men Saved by Sincerity →
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