First, second and third person
Who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and who or what are they talking about?
المعنى
A language can show who is speaking, who is being addressed, and who or what is being talked about. This keeps track of people's roles in the conversation. Languages use separate words, word endings, or context, and some do not mark these roles on verbs. Participants covers who and what is in the scene; this block shows their relation to the current speaker and listener.
طريقة التعرّف عليه
Identify the current speaker and listener, then look for words or forms that distinguish them from the people or things being discussed.
في اللغة الأم
Arabic identifies the speaker, listener, and other participants through verb prefixes and suffixes, separate pronouns, and attached pronouns. A separate subject pronoun is often unnecessary because the verb already identifies its subject. Many second- and third-person forms also distinguish masculine and feminine.
أَنَا أَعْمَلُ هُنَا، وَهِيَ تَعْمَلُ فِي مَدْرَسَةٍ. (ʾanā ʾaʿmalu hunā, wa-hiya taʿmalu fī madrasatin.)
The verb prefixes distinguish I from she.
هَلْ تُرِيدُ شَايًا؟ (hal turīdu shāyan?)
In this question, turīdu addresses one man.
هَلْ تُرِيدِينَ شَايًا؟ (hal turīdīna shāyan?)
Turīdīna addresses one woman.
في اللغة قيد التعلم
English uses personal pronouns, words such as I, you, and she that stand for people or things. I/we refer to the speaker, you to the listener, and words such as he, she, it, and they to whoever or whatever is being discussed. You is used for one person or several, with no separate formal form, and we does not show whether the listener is included.
We can help.
We includes the speaker; context shows whether it also includes the listener.
You look tired.
You can address one person or several people.
She works here.
She refers to someone being discussed, not to the speaker or listener.
Learners whose language usually shows the speaker or listener through verb endings may leave out I or you. Learners whose language uses one third-person pronoun for people of any gender may mix up he and she.