The Plural of Arabic Nouns75

The plural of Arabic nouns is formed by adding a suffix to the singular form. The most common plural suffix is "-ūn" for masculine nouns and "-āt" for feminine nouns. However, there are a number of irregular plural forms, and some nouns have more than one plural form.

Masculine Nouns

The most common plural suffix for masculine nouns is "-ūn". This suffix is added to the singular form of the noun, with the following changes:
If the singular form ends in a consonant, the "-ūn" suffix is added directly.
If the singular form ends in a vowel, the vowel is dropped before adding the "-ūn" suffix.

For example:
كتاب (kitāb, "book") → كتب (kutub, "books")
طالب (tālib, "student") → طلاب (ṭullāb, "students")

There are a number of irregular plural forms for masculine nouns. Some of the most common irregular plural forms include:
فعل (fiʿl, "verb") → أفعال (ʾafʿāl, "verbs")
اسم (ism, "noun") → أسماء (ʾasmāʾ, "nouns")
رجل (rajul, "man") → رجال (rijāl, "men")

Feminine Nouns

The most common plural suffix for feminine nouns is "-āt". This suffix is added to the singular form of the noun, with the following changes:
If the singular form ends in a consonant, the "-āt" suffix is added directly.
If the singular form ends in a vowel, the vowel is dropped before adding the "-āt" suffix.

For example:
فتاة (fatāh, "girl") → فتيات (fatayāt, "girls")
مدرسة (madrasah, "school") → مدارس (madāris, "schools")

There are a number of irregular plural forms for feminine nouns. Some of the most common irregular plural forms include:
امرأة (imraʾah, "woman") → نساء (nisāʾ, "women")
بنت (bint, "daughter") → بنات (banāt, "daughters")
أخت (ukht, "sister") → أخوات (ʾakhāwāt, "sisters")

Dual Forms

In addition to the singular and plural forms, Arabic nouns also have a dual form. The dual form is used to refer to two of something. The dual form is formed by adding the suffix "-ān" to the singular form of the noun, with the following changes:
If the singular form ends in a consonant, the "-ān" suffix is added directly.
If the singular form ends in a vowel, the vowel is dropped before adding the "-ān" suffix.

For example:
كتاب (kitāb, "book") → كتابان (kitābān, "two books")
طالب (tālib, "student") → طالبان (tālibān, "two students")

The dual form is relatively rare in Modern Standard Arabic, but it is still used in some dialects.

Broken Plurals

A few Arabic nouns have what is known as a "broken plural". This means that the plural form of the noun is completely different from the singular form. Some of the most common nouns with broken plurals include:
رجل (rajul, "man") → رجال (rijāl, "men")
امرأة (imraʾah, "woman") → نساء (nisāʾ, "women")
ابن (ibn, "son") → بنون (banūn, "sons")

Broken plurals can be difficult to remember, but they are important to know if you want to speak Arabic fluently.

2025-02-25

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