Language/Saidi-arabic/Grammar/Plurals

Saidi Arabic Grammar - Plurals

Hi Saidi Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about plurals in Saidi Arabic. A plural is a grammatical number typically referring to more than one of the referent in the real world. In Saidi Arabic, there are different forms of plurals, and we will explore them in this lesson. For more information about Grammar in Saidi Arabic, please visit Grammar.

Regular Plurals

The regular plural is formed by adding the diacritical mark ـَة (-at) after the last consonant letter of the singular word. The pronunciation of the plural mark is [a] or [at]. For example, the plural of كِتاب [kitāb] (book) in Saidi Arabic is ٱلْكُتُب [alkutub] (books).

Here are more examples of regular plurals in Saidi Arabic:

Saidi Arabic	Pronunciation	English
كِتَابَة	kataba-t	writings
كِرْسِيَة	kursi-ya	chairs
قَلَمُونَة	qalamūna	pens
مَدَرَسَة	madrasa-t	schools

Broken Plurals

Broken plurals are derived from ثُلَاثِيَّة‎ (thulāthīyah) or triliteral root verbs. They change a vowel or a consonant in the singular word to form the plural. Broken plurals are the most common type of plurals in Saidi Arabic.

Here are some examples of broken plurals in Saidi Arabic:

Saidi Arabic	Pronunciation	English
كَتِيبَة	katība	notebooks
كُتُلَة	kutula	blocks
قِئْرَة	qi'ra	cars
مَلِكَة‎	malikat	queens

Sound Plurals

Sound plurals are made by adding a sound or a vowel to the singular word. They are less common than broken plurals.

Here are some examples of Sound plurals in Saidi Arabic:

Saidi Arabic	Pronunciation	English
بَطْرِيقْ	baṭrīq	penguins
جَرَادَة	jarāda	locusts
رَوَادِد	rawadid	pioneers

Dual Plurals

Dual Plurals are nouns that describe a pair of an object, human or not. They indicate two of anything; it can be people or things.

Here are some examples of dual plurals in Saidi Arabic:

Saidi Arabic	Pronunciation	English
قُبَّعَتَان	qubba'atān	two hats
حِذَاءَان	ḥiḏā'ān	two shoes
نَظَّارَتَان	naẓẓāratān	two glasses

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

In Saidi Arabic, there are countable and uncountable nouns. Countable nouns refer to items that can be counted or quantified; they have plurals. Uncountable nouns refer to substances, concepts, and ideas that cannot be counted numerically:

Here are some examples of countable and uncountable nouns in Saidi Arabic:

Saidi Arabic	Pronunciation	English
جِبَال	jibāl	mountains (countable)
رَمَال	ramal	sands (countable)
هَوَاء	hawa'	air (uncountable)
مَاء	mā'	water (uncountable)

Dialogue

Ahmed: يا مَحَمَّد، كَمْ مَلِيون بَطْرِيقْ فِي الْكُوكَبَةُ؟ (Ya Mohammad, kam malyun baṭriq filkoka'bah?) (Hey, Mohammad, how many millions of penguins are there in Antarctica?) Mohammad: لا أَعْرِف، وَ لَكِنِّي أُحِبُّ جَمْعَ كُلَّ الْبَطْرَيْقِ الصَّغِيرَةِ. (La 'araafu, wa lakinni 'uhibbu jam' kulla albatrayg al saghira.) (I don't know, but I love collecting all the small penguins.)

Practice Exercise

What is the plural of the following words in Saidi Arabic? ٱلْجَمُل || كَرْسِيْ || بَنَدُوْرَة || دُبَّابَة

(Answers: ٱلْجُمَلَاء || كُرَاسِيْ || بَنَادِرْ || دَبَابِيَّات )

To improve your Saidi Arabic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Plural
• Singular

Other Lessons

• Questions
• Negation
• Adjectives
• How to Use Be
• How to Use Have
• Pronouns
• Give your Opinion
• Conditional Mood
• Gender

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