Language/Standard-arabic/Grammar/Plural

Greetings everyone,

In today's lesson, we will be discussing Arabic plurals.

General overview

In Arabic, any noun that refers to more than three things or persons is considered plural, or Jam'a. The plural form of a noun can be created by adding certain letters or by changing the letters of the word itself.

For instance, let's consider the noun "world" (A'lam) (عالم). To make it plural, we can add either (ون) or (ين) to the end of the word. Thus, the plural forms of "world" would be (عالمون) and (عالمين), both meaning "worlds." However, each form is used in different contexts.

Similarly, we can change the letters of a word itself to form its plural form. For example, the word "man" (رجل) becomes "men" (رجال) when we change its letters.

Another example is the noun "pencil" (قلم), which becomes "pencils" (أقلام) in its plural form.

In Arabic, there are three types of plurals: Jam'a Mozakkar Salim (for male nouns), Jam'a Takseer (formed by changing the letters of the word), and Jam'a MoAnnas Salim (for female nouns).

To form Jam'a Mozakkar Salim, we add (ون) or (ين) to the end of a noun. However, there are specific rules to follow, and we need to ensure that the noun is not a verb.

Furthermore, we add (ين) when the noun is in a Maftooh or Maksoor form, and we use (ون) when the noun is in a Madmoom form. We will cover these terms in detail in another lesson.

Finally, we can create Jam'a MoAnnas Salim (for female nouns) by adding (ات) to the end of the noun.

Types of Plurals in Arabic:

In Arabic, there are three types of plurals:

1. Jam'a Mozakkar Salim (Regular Masculine Plural)
2. Jam'a Moannas Salim (Regular Feminine Plural)
3. Jam'a Takseer (Broken Plural)
4. Jam'a Mozakkar Salim: This is the most common type of plural in Arabic, and it is used for masculine nouns. It is formed by adding either (ون) or (ين) to the singular noun.

For example:

• Kitab (book) becomes Kutub (books) when we add (ون) at the end.
• Kursi (chair) becomes Kursiyun (chairs) when we add (ون) at the end.
• Qalam (pen) becomes Qalamayn (pens) when we add (ين) at the end.

Note: The rule of adding (ون) or (ين) applies to nouns that have three or more letters.

Jam'a Moannas Salim

This type of plural is used for feminine nouns. It is formed by adding (ات) to the singular noun.

For example:

• Maw’idah (table) becomes Mawā’id (tables) when we add (ات) at the end.
• Qurratu Al-'Ayn (apple of the eye) becomes Qurrat 'Uyūn (apples of the eyes) when we add (ات) at the end.
• Sahibah (friend - female) becomes Sahibāt (friends - female) when we add (ات) at the end.

Note: Some feminine nouns may have irregular plural forms.

Jam'a Takseer

This type of plural is used for both masculine and feminine nouns. It is formed by changing the vowels or consonants in the singular noun.

For example:

• Rajul (man) becomes Rijāl (men) when we change the vowel of the last syllable.
• Kalb (dog) becomes Kilaab (dogs) when we add (aa) to the last syllable.
• Qarya (village) becomes Qura (villages) when we remove the last vowel.

Note: Some nouns may have more than one broken plural form.

Rules to Remember:

1. If a noun has two letters, we cannot add (ون) or (ين) to form the plural.
2. Some feminine nouns may have irregular plural forms.
3. Some masculine nouns may have both regular and irregular plural forms.
4. The vowel marks on the letters of the noun may change when forming the plural.

Conclusion

Forming plurals in Arabic is an essential skill that all Arabic learners must master. We use plurals to describe larger numbers of objects or persons. In Arabic, we can form plurals using three different methods - Jam'a Mozakkar Salim, Jam'a Moannas Salim, and Jam'a Takseer. Each method has its own rules and exceptions. By practicing and mastering these rules, learners can form plurals with ease and communicate effectively in Arabic.

Other Lessons

• Coordination words
• Gender
• Sentense Structure
• Conjugation of the verb to write in the perfect
• Accents
• Negations
• Prepositions
• Plurals
• THE IMPERATIVE
• Future Tense