A Conversational Course in Qur'ānic Arabic

لُغَةُ القُرْآنِ

Phase 4 · Chapter Twenty-Three

الْجُمْلَةُ الْمَوْصُولَةُ

Relative Clauses — “Who,” “Which,” and “That”

الَّذِي — “who” or “that” — is one of the most frequent words in the Qur'ān, and you've seen it several times already. Now that you have full command of verbs, you can use it properly: it links a description, containing a verb, back to a definite noun — “the man who wrote the book.”

Every Arabic passage has a small circle button — click it to hear it read aloud using your browser's own Arabic voice.

BY THE END OF THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

Use الَّذِي / الَّتِي to describe a definite noun with a full verbal clause
Recognise مَنْ and مَا used as relative pronouns (‘the one who,’ ‘that which’) needing no antecedent
Build sentences like ‘the book that I read’
Read a phrase from Ayat al-Kursī, built on relative clauses

TEACHER NOTES

Pacing: 50 min

Prerequisite check: Relative pronouns need a solid noun-adjective foundation (Ch.5).

Watch out for: الَّذِي/الَّتِي agreement with the antecedent's gender is the error to watch for.

01 — LISTEN & REPEAT

حِوَارٌDialogue

Yūsuf and Maryam describe people and things using ‘who’ and ‘that.’ Listen twice, then read aloud.

YŪSUF

مَنِ الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَكِ التَّجْوِيدَ؟

mani-r-rajulu-lladhī ‘allamaki-t-tajwīd?

Who is the man who taught you tajwīd?

MARYAM

هُوَ الْأُسْتَاذُ الَّذِي يَعْمَلُ فِي مَسْجِدِنَا.

huwa-l-ustādhu-lladhī ya‘malu fī masjidinā.

He's the teacher who works at our mosque.

YŪSUF

وَمَا الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي تَحْمِلِينَهُ؟

wa mā-l-kitābu-lladhī taḥmilīnah?

And what is the book that you're carrying?

MARYAM

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي قَرَأْتُهُ الْأُسْبُوعَ الْمَاضِيَ.

hādhā-l-kitābu-lladhī qara’tuhu-l-usbū‘a-l-māḍī.

This is the book that I read last week.

YŪSUF

مَنْ يَقْرَأُ كَثِيرًا يَفْهَمُ كَثِيرًا.

man yaqra’u kathīran yafhamu kathīran.

Whoever reads a lot understands a lot.

02 — CORE WORDS

الْمُفْرَدَاتُVocabulary

الَّذِي and الَّتِي only appear after a definite noun; مَنْ and مَا can stand alone.

Arabic	Says	Meaning	Note
NEWالَّذِي	alladhī	who, that (m.)	Follows a definite masculine noun.
NEWالَّتِي	allatī	who, that (f.)	Follows a definite feminine noun.
NEWمَنْ (رَبِط)	man	whoever, the one who	Stands alone — no antecedent needed.
REVIEWمَا (رَبِط)	mā	that which, whatever	Stands alone, for things not people.
NEWعَمِلَ / يَعْمَلُ	‘amila / ya‘malu	he worked / he works	From Chapter Eighteen.
NEWحَمَلَ / يَحْمِلُ	ḥamala / yaḥmilu	he carried / he carries	—
NEWتَجْوِيدٌ	tajwīd	the science of Qur'ānic recitation	—
NEWفَهِمَ / يَفْهَمُ	fahima / yafhamu	he understood / he understands	—

Also in this chapter's dialogue and reading.

Arabic	Says	Meaning	Note
EARLYبِإِخْلَاصٍ	bi-ikhlāṣ	sincerely, with sincerity	—
EARLYبِشَكْلٍ	bi-shakl	in a ... manner, way	بِشَكْلٍ عَامٍّ, "generally."
EARLYيَنْسَى	yansā	forgets	The natural opposite of يَحْفَظُ, "memorises," from Chapter Twenty.

03 — HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS

رُكْنُ الْقَوَاعِدِGrammar Corner

الَّذِي links back to a definite noun. It agrees in gender with the noun it describes, and the clause following it usually contains a verb plus a pronoun referring back to that noun.

الْأُسْتَاذُ الَّذِي يَعْمَلُ هُنَا

al-ustādhu-lladhī ya‘malu huna
the teacher who works here

الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي قَرَأْتُهُ

al-kitābu-lladhī qara’tuhu
the book that I read it

مَنْ and مَا need no antecedent. They mean “whoever/the one who” and “whatever/that which” all by themselves.

مَنْ يَقْرَأُ يَفْهَمُ

man yaqra’u yafhamu
whoever reads, understands

Quick check: would you use الَّذِي or الَّتِي after السُّورَةُ (feminine)? (الَّتِي.)

04 — READING THE SOURCE

وَقْفَةٌ قُرْآنِيَّةٌQur'ān Connection

Part of Ayat al-Kursī, one of the most memorised verses in the Qur'ān, built almost entirely on this chapter's grammar.

SŪRAT AL-BAQARAH — 2:255 (EXCERPT, AYAT AL-KURSĮ)

مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ

Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?

مَن ذَا الَّذِي

man dhā-lladhī

who is the one who

يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ

yashfa‘u ‘indahu

intercedes with Him

إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ

illā bi-idhnih

except by His permission

مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي combines both relative words you learned — مَنْ (who) and الَّذِي (that) — into one emphatic rhetorical question, essentially “who is that one who...?” This is one of the most memorable lines from Ayat al-Kursī.

05 — SAY IT LIKE A NATIVE

عِبَارَاتٌ يَوْمِيَّةٌEveryday Phrases

Everyday phrases built with relative words.

الَّذِي يَعْنِينِي

alladhī ya‘nīnī — what concerns me, that which matters to me

كُلُّ مَا أَحْتَاجُهُ

kullu mā aḥtājuh — all that I need

هَذَا مَا حَدَثَ

hādhā mā ḥadath — this is what happened

مَنْ يَعْمَلْ يَنَلْ

man ya‘mal yanal — whoever works, attains (proverb)

الشَّيْءُ الَّذِي أُحِبُّهُ

the thing that I love

لِمَنْ هَذَا؟

liman hādhā? — to whom does this belong?

مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ

mā shā’a-llāh — as Allah willed

مَنْ سَبَقَ نَجَحَ

man sabaqa najaḥa — whoever goes first succeeds (proverb)

SKILLS PRACTICE

الِاسْتِمَاعُListening

Audio track 21.1

Aḥmad describes his favourite teacher. Listen first, script second.

AḨMAD

الْأُسْتَاذُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَنِي فِي الصَّفِّ الْأَوَّلِ لَا أَزَالُ أَذْكُرُهُ.

SALMĀ

مَاذَا عَلَّمَكَ؟

AḨMAD

عَلَّمَنِي كُلَّ مَا أَعْرِفُهُ عَنِ التَّجْوِيدِ.

SALMĀ

مَنْ يُعَلِّمُكَ بِإِخْلَاصٍ لَا يُنْسَى.

Who does Aḥmad still remember?
What did that teacher teach him?
What does Salmā say about a sincere teacher?

Reveal answers

1. The teacher who taught him in first grade. 2. Everything he knows about tajwīd. 3. That whoever teaches you sincerely is never forgotten.

SKILLS PRACTICE

التَّحَدُّثُSpeaking

Pair work

Partner drill. Describe a person or object using الَّذِي / الَّتِي — “هَذَا هُوَ الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي ...”.

Recycling round. Describe something using الَّذِي and a verb from Chapters Fifteen through Twenty — "هَذَا هُوَ الدَّرْسُ الَّذِي ذَاكَرْتُهُ أَمْسِ."

SKILLS PRACTICE

الْقِرَاءَةُReading

Read silently, then aloud

Read once for meaning, then aloud.

أَحَبُّ الْكُتُبِ الَّتِي أَقْرَؤُهَا هُوَ الْقُرْآنُ. الْأُسْتَاذُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَنِي التَّجْوِيدَ كَانَ صَبُورًا جِدًّا. مَنْ يَتَعَلَّمُ التَّجْوِيدَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ بِشَكْلٍ صَحِيحٍ. كُلُّ مَا تَعَلَّمْتُهُ مِنْهُ أَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ.

1) مَا أَحَبُّ الْكُتُبِ إِلَى الْكَاتِبِ؟

أ) قِصَصُ الْأَطْفَالِب) الْقُرْآنُج) كُتُبُ التَّارِيخِد) الرِّوَايَاتُ

2) كَيْفَ كَانَ الْأُسْتَاذُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَهُ التَّجْوِيدَ؟

أ) عَصَبِيًّاب) صَبُورًا جِدًّاج) مُسْتَعْجِلًاد) قَاسِيًا

3) مَاذَا يَحْدُثُ لِمَنْ يَتَعَلَّمُ التَّجْوِيدَ؟

أ) يَنْسَى الْقُرْآنَب) يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ بِشَكْلٍ صَحِيحٍج) لَا شَيْءَد) يَتْرُكُ الدِّرَاسَةَ

Reveal answers

1. ب — الْقُرْآنُ 2. ب — صَبُورًا جِدًّا 3. ب — يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ بِشَكْلٍ صَحِيحٍ

SKILLS PRACTICE

الْكِتَابَةُWriting

On paper or in your notebook

Sentence building. Put these words in the correct order, then translate.

أَقْرَؤُهَا الَّتِي الْكُتُبِ
عَلَّمَنِي الَّذِي الْأُسْتَاذُ
يَفْهَمُ يَقْرَأُ مَنْ

Guided writing. Write three sentences using الَّذِي, الَّتِي, and مَنْ to describe people or things in your own life.

06 — CHAPTER EXERCISES

التَّدْرِيبَاتُExercises

1اخْتَرِ الْإِجَابَةَ الصَّحِيحَةَChoose the correct answer

1. الَّذِي is used after:

a) any nounb) a definite masculine nounc) an indefinite nound) a verb only

2. الَّتِي agrees with:

a) masculine nounsb) feminine nounsc) plural nouns onlyd) numbers

3. مَنْ used as a relative pronoun means:

a) whatb) whoever, the one whoc) whend) where

4. مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي combines:

a) two negationsb) مَنْ and الَّذِيc) two prepositionsd) a number and a noun

Reveal answers

1. b 2. b 3. b 4. b

2صِلْ كُلَّ كَلِمَةٍ بِمَعْنَاهَاMatch each item to its meaning

الَّذِي
الَّتِي
مَنْ
مَا
عَمِلَ

he worked
that which
who, that (f.)
whoever
who, that (m.)

Reveal answers

1–e, 2–c, 3–d, 4–b, 5–a

3تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْإِنْجِلِيزِيَّةِTranslate into English

Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.

هَذَا هُوَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَنِي.
الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي قَرَأْتُهُ جَمِيلٌ.
مَنْ يَقْرَأُ يَفْهَمُ.
هَذَا مَا حَدَثَ.

Reveal answers

1. This is the man who taught me.
2. The book that I read is beautiful.
3. Whoever reads, understands.
4. This is what happened.

4تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْعَرَبِيَّةِTranslate into Arabic

Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.

This is the teacher who taught me tajwīd.
The book that I read was beautiful.
Whoever studies hard, succeeds.

Reveal answers

١) هَذَا هُوَ الْأُسْتَاذُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَنِي التَّجْوِيدَ.
٢) الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي قَرَأْتُهُ كَانَ جَمِيلًا.
٣) مَنْ يَجْتَهِدْ يَنْجَحْ.

5أَكْمِلِ الْحِوَارَComplete the dialogue

Word bank: الَّذِي — الَّتِي — مَنْ — مَا

يوسف: مَنِ الرَّجُلُ عَلَّمَكِ؟
مريم: هُوَ الْأُسْتَاذُ يَعْمَلُ فِي مَسْجِدِنَا.
يوسف: وَ الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي تَحْمِلِينَهُ؟
مريم: يَقْرَأُ كَثِيرًا يَفْهَمُ كَثِيرًا.

Reveal answers

الَّذِي — الَّذِي — مَا — مَنْ

6صَحِيحٌ أَمْ خَطَأٌ؟True or false? (based on the reading passage)

الْأُسْتَاذُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَ مَرْيَمَ يَعْمَلُ فِي مَدْرَسَةٍ بَعِيدَةٍ.true / false

مَرْيَمُ قَرَأَتِ الْكِتَابَ الْأُسْبُوعَ الْمَاضِيَ.true / false

يُوسُفُ يَقُولُ إِنَّ مَنْ يَقْرَأُ كَثِيرًا يَفْهَمُ كَثِيرًا.true / false

Reveal answers

1. False — he works at their mosque. 2. True. 3. True.

SKILLS PRACTICE

قِرَاءَةٌ حُرَّةٌFree Reading

Hover to check — no test, just read

A short passage using only words you've met so far. Just read for meaning — hover any word if you get stuck. Flip the switch to check whole sentences instead of single words.

Word Sentence

الطَّالِبُ الَّذِي حَفِظَ الْقُرْآنَ سَعِيدٌ. وَالْأُخْتُ الَّتِي عَمِلَتْ كَثِيرًا نَجَحَتْ. مَنْ يَعْمَلُ بِإِخْلَاصٍ يَنْجَحُ. مَا تَحْمِلُهُ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ نِعْمَةٌ. الَّذِي يَفْهَمُ التَّجْوِيدَ يَقْرَأُ بِشَكْلٍ جَمِيلٍ. لَا تَنْسَ الدَّرْسَ الَّذِي عَلَّمَنَا أُسْتَاذُنَا.

SKILLS PRACTICE — NEW

مُحَادَثَةٌ حُرَّةٌConversation Practice

Chat with Yūsuf or Maryam using only what you've learned so far — type it or say it out loud, your choice.

تَمَّ الدَّرْسُ الثَّالِثُ وَالْعِشْرُونَ بِحَمْدِ اللَّهِ

Chapter Twenty-Three complete — next chapter: The Imperative (الأمر)

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