# All dialects: هو، هي (hu, hi / huwa, hiyya)



## SofiaB

In Chad and some Arabian dialects  we hear hu and hi. In Egypt and some western dialects we hear huwa and hiyya for he and she. Can you identify which you use and which dialect you speak.


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## elroy

In Palestinian Arabic, both _huu/hii_ and _huwwe/hiyye_ are used, but they are not interchangeable.  You can always say _huwwe/hiyye_, but _huu/hii_ are only used in specific contexts.


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## Ihsiin

Iraqi: huwa, hiyya, always.


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## rayloom

Hijazi: huwwa, hiyya


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## WadiH

_huu _and _hii _(Najdi).



Ihsiin said:


> Iraqi: huwa, hiyya, always.



Don't they also say _ihwa _and _ihyeh _in Iraq?


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## Ihsiin

I've never heard ihwa and ihyeh.
I don't know about in the north, though, which very much has its own dialect.


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## outo_otus

Actually I was watching a Kuwaiti show today, and I noticed that the woman talking used 'ihyeh' for hiya consistently!


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## kifaru

Wadi Hanifa said:


> Don't they also say _ihwa _and _ihyeh _in Iraq?


Can you provide us with an example?


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## Mahaodeh

Wadi Hanifa said:


> Don't they also say _ihwa _and _ihyeh _in Iraq?



Not that I know of, certainly not in the North or central Iraq, and I know a lot of people from Basra who also say hiyya and huwwa. However, if it is used in Iraq then it would probably be in small towns south of Basra such as Safwan, Zubair or Umm Qasr.


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## outo_otus

Since it may be used in South Iraq, does this also hold true for Kuwait? I'm quite sure I've heard something like 'uhu' for 'huwwa' as well.

Kifaru, I don't think an example is necessary (unless you want an actual recording of an Iraqi using them), it's just a simple dialectal variation of the pronouns huwa and hiya -> ihwa and ihyeh.


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## Mahaodeh

Yes, it definitely is used in Kuwait, actually, to me it sounds very Kuwaiti.


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## Xence

In Algerian: _huwa / hiya_ .


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## Noon9

In the UAE it's huwa and hiya also hu and hii.


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## kloie

I think in syria they use hu and hi aswell as huwwa and hiyya.


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## DireStraits1

Moroccan :  We use Huwwa & Hiyya.


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## SofiaB

I have learned from all of your replies. It is curious that Chadi shares this feature with Arabian dialects and not with geographically closer dialects.
I would like to add that Sana'a in Yemen uses huu and hii.



elroy said:


> In Palestinian Arabic, both _huu/hii_ and _huwwe/hiyye_ are used, but they are not interchangeable.  You can always say _huwwe/hiyye_, but _huu/hii_ are only used in specific contexts.


Elroy when do you use huu and hii since you said only specific contexts. What about Syria and other Levantine dialects.



Noon9 said:


> In the UAE it's huwa and hiya also hu and hii.


Noon9 are they interchangeable ,are there specific contexts or are there regional differences?


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## Noon9

Yes they're interchangeable


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## MarcB

elroy said:


> In Palestinian Arabic, both _huu/hii_ and _huwwe/hiyye_ are used, but they are not interchangeable.  You can always say _huwwe/hiyye_, but _huu/hii_ are only used in specific contexts.


Hi elroy. in searching the forums I cam across this. can you clarify when to use huu.hi and huwe hiyye? thanks.


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