Unfortunately, the plural is one of the most complicated things to learn in Arabic.
"Numbers" of nouns in English, French, Spanish, and other Indo European languages are divided into two categories- one, and more than one ("plural").
However, in Arabic, numbers of nouns are divided into three categories:
one
two
more than two ("plural")
"Two" of a noun is not considered the plural, but the "dual." This is a pain to learn. There are actually dual pronouns (you two, they two) but they are not used except in religious speech and poetry so we will not learn them now. Apart from learning separate pronouns, the dual is fairly regular and easy to learn.
The dual ending in colloquial speech is -eyn.
beyt a house
beyt-eyn two houses
walad a boy
walad-eyn two boys
musaafir a traveller
musaafir-eyn two travellers
Feminine nouns turn the "ah" at the end into a "t" sound before adding the dual ending.
sayaara a car
sayaart-eyn two cars
marhaba a hello ("a greeting") ("Hello!")
marhabteyn two hellos ("Well, hello hello!" "Hello back to you!")
The Plural
The Plural (more than two) in Arabic is not so easy. We will be learning a simplified version here which is used in Spoken Standard Arabic.
There are 4 different kinds of plural forms in Arabic.
1. Masculine nouns ending in -iin (called Sound Masculine Plurals)
2. Feminine nouns ending in -aat (called Sound Feminine Plurals)
3. Masculine nouns where the consonants are "broken apart" with new vowels, prefixes and suffixes (called Broken Plurals, clearly the most irritating thing about learning Arabic)
kitaab a book
kutub books
baab a door
abwaab doors
ustaað professor
asaatiða professors
4. In many cases, the singular form is used, such as when the word is following words like "some" or certain numbers.
Sound Plurals
With Masculine nouns, it is impossible to know whether a certain noun uses a Broken Form or a Sound Form. Luckily, in Colloquial languages, the broken plurals are seldom used, except for a few words, and substituting the sound plural ending will usually communicate your meaning. However, this shortcut will not enable you to learn how to read or write, since in written Arabic Broken Plural forms are always used when they are called for.
suurii Syrian
suuriiyiin Syrians
urdunii Jordanian
urduniiyiin Jordanians
almaanii German
almaaniiyiin Germans
Feminine plurals are much easier, and usually take the ending -aat.
sayaara a car
sayaaraat cars
mushkila a problem
mushkilaat problems
madrasa a grade-school
madrasaat grade-schools
maktaba a library/bookstore
maktabaat libraries/bookstores
Broken Plurals
Unfortunately for the learner, the majority of Masculine nouns have Broken Plural forms. There are very many different patterns- so many that it is not worth trying to memorize the patterns all.
Some common ones are
aCaaCiCa
CawaaCiCa
CuuCuuC
CuCaaC
You are going to just have to learn masculine plurals with the singular form- otherwise you won't be able to read or write.
beyt a house
buyuut houses
bank a bank
bunuuk banks
raakib a passenger
rukkaab passengers
Even adjectives sometimes have Broken forms which are used with masculine plural forms.
kabiir big
kibaar big (plural masculine form)
3arabii Arabic
3arab Arabs
inkliisii English
inkliiz English (plural)
amrikii/amayrkii American (form used depends on region)
amayrkaan Americans
Singular form
One important use of the singular form for Plurals is when asking "How much?" of something. The word "how much?" is the word kam in Arabic, and is used with the singular form of the noun.
kam kitaab? How many books?
kam waqt? How much time?
kam beyt? How many houses?
"Numbers" of nouns in English, French, Spanish, and other Indo European languages are divided into two categories- one, and more than one ("plural").
However, in Arabic, numbers of nouns are divided into three categories:
one
two
more than two ("plural")
"Two" of a noun is not considered the plural, but the "dual." This is a pain to learn. There are actually dual pronouns (you two, they two) but they are not used except in religious speech and poetry so we will not learn them now. Apart from learning separate pronouns, the dual is fairly regular and easy to learn.
The dual ending in colloquial speech is -eyn.
beyt a house
beyt-eyn two houses
walad a boy
walad-eyn two boys
musaafir a traveller
musaafir-eyn two travellers
Feminine nouns turn the "ah" at the end into a "t" sound before adding the dual ending.
sayaara a car
sayaart-eyn two cars
marhaba a hello ("a greeting") ("Hello!")
marhabteyn two hellos ("Well, hello hello!" "Hello back to you!")
The Plural
The Plural (more than two) in Arabic is not so easy. We will be learning a simplified version here which is used in Spoken Standard Arabic.
There are 4 different kinds of plural forms in Arabic.
1. Masculine nouns ending in -iin (called Sound Masculine Plurals)
2. Feminine nouns ending in -aat (called Sound Feminine Plurals)
3. Masculine nouns where the consonants are "broken apart" with new vowels, prefixes and suffixes (called Broken Plurals, clearly the most irritating thing about learning Arabic)
kitaab a book
kutub books
baab a door
abwaab doors
ustaað professor
asaatiða professors
4. In many cases, the singular form is used, such as when the word is following words like "some" or certain numbers.
Sound Plurals
With Masculine nouns, it is impossible to know whether a certain noun uses a Broken Form or a Sound Form. Luckily, in Colloquial languages, the broken plurals are seldom used, except for a few words, and substituting the sound plural ending will usually communicate your meaning. However, this shortcut will not enable you to learn how to read or write, since in written Arabic Broken Plural forms are always used when they are called for.
suurii Syrian
suuriiyiin Syrians
urdunii Jordanian
urduniiyiin Jordanians
almaanii German
almaaniiyiin Germans
Feminine plurals are much easier, and usually take the ending -aat.
sayaara a car
sayaaraat cars
mushkila a problem
mushkilaat problems
madrasa a grade-school
madrasaat grade-schools
maktaba a library/bookstore
maktabaat libraries/bookstores
Broken Plurals
Unfortunately for the learner, the majority of Masculine nouns have Broken Plural forms. There are very many different patterns- so many that it is not worth trying to memorize the patterns all.
Some common ones are
aCaaCiCa
CawaaCiCa
CuuCuuC
CuCaaC
You are going to just have to learn masculine plurals with the singular form- otherwise you won't be able to read or write.
beyt a house
buyuut houses
bank a bank
bunuuk banks
raakib a passenger
rukkaab passengers
Even adjectives sometimes have Broken forms which are used with masculine plural forms.
kabiir big
kibaar big (plural masculine form)
3arabii Arabic
3arab Arabs
inkliisii English
inkliiz English (plural)
amrikii/amayrkii American (form used depends on region)
amayrkaan Americans
Singular form
One important use of the singular form for Plurals is when asking "How much?" of something. The word "how much?" is the word kam in Arabic, and is used with the singular form of the noun.
kam kitaab? How many books?
kam waqt? How much time?
kam beyt? How many houses?
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