Language/Standard-arabic/Grammar/Plurals

Standard Arabic Grammar - Plurals

Hi Standard Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to form plurals in Standard Arabic, including irregular plurals, and the different types of plural forms.

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Future Tense, Standard Arabic Grammar → Verbs and conjugation in Arabic ..., Be Polite & Accents.

Basic Rules

In Standard Arabic, plurals are formed by adding specific markers to singular nouns. Here are the basic rules for forming plurals:

• If a noun is feminine, its plural form is created by adding -āt (-ات) to the singular noun.
• If a noun is masculine and ends with a short vowel (a, i, u), the plural form is created by adding -ūn (-ون), -īn (-ين), or -ān (-ان) to the singular noun.
• If a noun is masculine and ends with a long vowel or consonant, the plural form is created by adding -āt (-ات), or -īn (-ين) to the singular noun.

For example, let's consider the following examples:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
كِتَاب‎ (kitaab)	/ki.taːb/	book
كِتَابَات‎ (kitaabaat)	/ki.taː.baːt/	books (feminine)
شَجَرَة‎ (shajara)	/ʃa.d͡ʒa.ra/	tree
شَجَرَات‎ (shajaraat)	/ʃa.d͡ʒa.raːt/	trees (feminine)
قَلَم‎ (qalam)	/ʔa.lam/	pen
أَقْلَام‎ (aqlaam)	/ʔak.laːm/	pens (masculine, ends with a consonant)
كِرْسِيّ‎ (kirsiyy)	/kir.si:j/	chair
كُرَاسِي‎ (kuraasi)	/ku.ra.siː/	chairs (masculine, ends with a long vowel)

Note that the form -īn (-ين) is the most common plural marker for masculine nouns ending in a short vowel. However, some plural forms are irregular, and do not follow these basic rules.

Irregular Plurals

Some nouns have irregular plural forms that must be memorized. Here are some examples:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
كِتَاب‎ (kitaab)	/ki.taːb/	book
كُتُب‎ (kutub)	/ku.tub/	books (masculine)
أُسْتَاذ‎ (ustadh)	/ʔus.tædʰ/	teacher (male)
أَسَاتِذَة‎ (asaati.dhah)	/ʔæ.sa:.ta.i.dʰa/	teachers (male)
تِمْسَاح‎ (timsaah)	/tim.sa:.ħ/	crocodile
تَمْسَاح‎ (tamsaah)	/tæm.sa:.ħ/	crocodiles

In some cases, the plural form changes the meaning of the word from singular. For example:

• قَلْب (qalb) means heart, but قُلُوْب (quloob) means hearts (as in the organ).
• يَد (yad) means hand, but أَيْدِي (aydi) means hands (as in a helper).

Types of Plural Forms

In Standard Arabic, there are two types of plural forms: sound (regular) and broken (irregular).

Sound Plural Form

Sound plural forms follow the basic rules outlined above, and they are formed using the plural markers without modifying any letters or vowels.

Examples:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
مِعْلَم‎ (mi'lam)	/miʕ.lam/	teacher (female)
مَعَلِمَات‎ (ma'li.ma.at)	/ma.ʕa.li.mej.jaːt/	teachers (female)
وَلَد‎ (walad)	/wa.lad/	boy
أَوْلَاد‎ (awlād)	/ʔaw.laːd/	boys
سُوَل‎ (suwal)	/su.wal/	question
أَسْئِلَة‎ (as'ila)	/ʔas.ʔi.la.ha/	questions (feminine)

Broken Plural Form

Broken plural forms are formed by modifying the letters or vowels of the singular noun. The most common broken plural forms are those that contain the letters -āt (-ات), -īn (-ين), and -uwn (-ون) in the plural form.

Examples:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
دَرَسَ‎ (darasa)	/da.ra.sa/	he studied
دُرُوس‎ (duroos)	/du.ruːs/	lessons
كَاتِب‎ (kaatib)	/ka:.tib/	writer
كُتَّاب‎ (kuttaab)	/kut.taːb/	writers
كَلْب‎ (kalb)	/kalb/	dog
كِلَاب‎ (kilaab)	/ki.laːb/	dogs

Not all broken plural forms use the same pattern, and some can be quite tricky. The best way to learn them is to practice using them in context.

Dialogue

Here's a dialogue to practice the plural forms we've learned:

• Person 1: كِتَابٌ جَدِيْدٌ (kitaabun jadeedun) (A new book.)
• Person 2: كُتُبٌ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ (kutubun mukhtalifatun) (Different books.)
• Person 1: شَجَرَةٌ خَلَفَ الْبَيْتِ (shajara tun khalaf al-bait) (A tree behind the house.)
• Person 2: شَجَرَاتٌ مَلْئِيَّةٌ بِالْأُزُرُقِ (shajaraatun mal'iyyatun bil-'uzuruk) (Trees full of blueberries.)

Practice

Try to form the plural form for the following nouns:

• desk (maseera)
• word (kalima)
• women (imra'at)
• planet (kawkeh)

Conclusion

In this lesson, we've covered the basic rules for forming plurals in Standard Arabic. We've also learned about irregular plurals, and the different types of plural forms. Make sure to practice using plurals in context to solidify your knowledge. To improve your Standard Arabic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Arabic nouns and adjectives
• Arabic grammar

Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Standard Arabic Grammar → Adjectives in Arabic → Comparative ..., Standard Arabic Grammar, Basic Arabic phrases & Possessive pronouns.

Other Lessons

• Subject pronouns
• Types of Sentences
• Future Tense
• Plural
• Prepositions
• Al ham'za الهمزة
• Accents
• Adjectives
• Coordination words
• Conjugation of the verb to write in the imperfect