Tag: AL

Al- (Arabic: الـ‎, also transliterated as el-) is the definite article in the Arabic language; a particle (ḥarf) whose function is to render the noun on which it is prefixed definite. For example, the word كتاب kitāb ‘book’ can be made definite by prefixing it with al-, resulting in الكتاب al-kitāb ‘the book’. Consequently, al- is typically translated as the in English.
Unlike most other particles in Arabic, al- is always prefixed to another word and it never stands alone. Consequently, most dictionaries will not list it as a separate word, and it is almost invariably ignored in collation. By the same token, al- is not a permanent component of the word to which it is prefixed. It is added and removed to toggle between the definiteness and indefiniteness of the word.
As a particle, al- does not inflect at all–not for gender, plurality, grammatical case, etc.
To put al- into perspective, there are many ways in which Arabic words can be made definite. These include the use of personal…