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 *ʾanāku, from Proto-Afroasiatic *ˀanāku, hence also Proto-Berber *ənakkʷ (Kabyle nekk) and Egyptian *ˀanāku (Coptic ⲁⲛⲟⲕ (anok)).

Pronoun

أَنَا • (ʔanā) 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 (ʔanā) 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 (ʕan)), and the sisters of إِنَّ (ʔinna) except لَعَلَّ (laʕalla). 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 ― sāʕidnī ― help me
2. كِتَابِي ― kitābī ― my book
3. عَلَيَّ ― ʕalayya ― on me

See also

Arabic personal pronouns
Isolated nominative pronouns
		singular	dual	plural
1st person		أَنَا (ʔanā)	نَحْنُ (naḥnu)
2nd person	m	أَنْتَ (ʔanta)	أَنْتُمَا (ʔantumā)	أَنْتُمْ (ʔantum)
	f	أَنْتِ (ʔanti)		أَنْتُنَّ (ʔantunna)
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 (ʔiyyāya)	إِيَّانَا (ʔiyyānā)
2nd person	m	إِيَّاكَ (ʔiyyāka)	إِيَّاكُمَا (ʔiyyākumā)	إِيَّاكُم (ʔiyyākum)
	f	إِيَّاكِ (ʔiyyāki)		إِيَّاكُنَّ (ʔiyyākunna)
3rd person	m	إِيَّاهُ (ʔiyyāhu)	إِيَّاهُمَا (ʔiyyāhumā)	إِيَّاهُمْ (ʔiyyāhum)
	f	إِيَّاهَا (ʔiyyāhā)		إِيَّاهُنَّ (ʔiyyāhunna)
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 (ʔinnanī) or إِنِّي (ʔinnī)). 3. ـهِـ (-hi-) occurs after -i, -ī, or -ay, and ـهُـ (-hu-) elsewhere (after -a, -ā, -u, -ū, -aw).

Etymology 2

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

Noun

أَنَا • (ʔanā) f or m

1. (psychology) ego

Declension

Declension of noun أَنَا (ʔanā)

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

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈänä/

Pronoun

أنا • ('ána) m or f

1. I

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Moroccan Arabic

Etymology 1

From Arabic أَنَا (ʔanā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔa.na/

Pronoun

أنا • (ʔana) m or f

1. I (first person singular subject pronoun)

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔa.na/

Pronoun

أنا • (ʔana)

1. (interrogative) which?