If the noun followingيَا describes a certain person and is singular, sound feminine plural or broken plural, it governs the nominative case in the construct state. If it describes a certain person and is sound dual or sound masculine plural, it governs the nominative case in the indefinite state.
يَا مُحَمَّدُ! ―yā muḥammadu! ―O Muhammad!
يَا طَبِيبُ دَاوِنِي!
yā ṭabību dāwinī!
O doctor, treat me! (addressing a certain doctor)
يَا مُوَظِّفُونَ! ―yā muwaẓẓifūna! ―O employees!
يَا نَاسُ! ―yā nāsu! ―O people!
If the noun followingيَا is meant in general and isn't meant to address a certain person, it governs the accusative case in the indefinite state.
يَا طَبِيبًا دَاوِنِي!
yā ṭabīban dāwinī!
O any doctor, treat me! (calling for a doctor)
يَا فَاهِمًا اِلدَّرْسَ اِشْرَحْهُ لَنَا!
yā fāhiman id-darsa išraḥhu lanā!
O anyone who understands the lesson, explain it to us!
If the noun followingيَا is in a genitive construction, it governs the accusative case in the construct state.
يَا مُدَرِّسَ ٱلْفَصْلِ نَظِّمْ فَصْلَكَ!
yā mudarrisa l-faṣli naẓẓim faṣlaka!
O teacher of the class, organise your class!
يَا مُوَظِّفِي هٰذِهِ ٱلشَّرِكَةِ
yā muwaẓẓifī hāḏihi š-šarikati
O employees of this company!
يَا أَبَانَا! ―yā ʔabānā! ―O our father!
يَا حَبِيبِي! ―yā ḥabībī! ―O my dear!
If we want to use the noun followingيَا in the definite state, we must use another particleأَيُّهَا(ʔayyuhā) (masculine) orأَيَّتُهَا(ʔayyatuhā) (feminine) together withيَا.
يَا أَيُّهَا ٱلطَّبِيبُ دَاوِنِي!
yā ʔayyuhā ṭ-ṭabību dāwinī!
O you doctor, treat me!
يَا أَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ! ―yā ʔayyuhā n-nāsu! ―O you people.
InQur'anic and to some degreeClassical orthography,يَا(yā) was writtenيَٰـ and joined to the following word. Compare the following verse (Surat al-Baqara 55, translation Muhammad Asad).
And [remember] when you said, “O Moses indeed we shall not believe thee unto we see God face to face!” – whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment overtook you before your very eyes.
If we want to make an exclamation, we must use genitive particleلَـ(la-) attached to relevant noun in genitive (or pronoun in genitive followed either by accusative or genitive with genitive particleمِنْ(min)).
يَا لَهُ رَجُلًا! ―yā lahu rajulan! ―What a man he is!
يَا لَهْ مِنْ رَجُلٍ! ―yā lah min rajulin! ―What a man he is!
يَا لَهُمَا مِنْ زَوْجٍ وَزَوْجَةٍ جَيَّدَيْنِ!
yā lahumā min zawjin wazawjatin jayyadayni!
What a good husband and wife they two are!
يَا لَهُمْ رِجَالًا ―yā lahum rijālan ―What men they are!
This is only used in a slightly higher register, otherwise, adjectives are used adverbially with no change in the word's form, and nouns are often times prefixed withبـ(bi-).
This is one of the only morphemes in colloquial Egyptian Arabic that still usesnunation.
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As an accusative particle, it is used with false verbs (example 1) and in double accusative constructions (example 2). Optionally used after verbs that are already suffixed with an indirect-object pronoun (example 3).
More common than subject pronouns afterو(w,“and”) in the sense above. For example,أناوياكي(ʔana w(y)yāki,“I and you”) is more common thanأناوإنتي(ʔana wʔinti, literally“I and you”). This usage in fact developed in other Arabic varieties into a prepositionويا(wiyya, wiya,“with”).
