Arabic: An Essential Grammar

21.3 Agreement of adjectives with plural nouns

(a) Broken plurals referring to masculine or feminine human beings

may take the adjective both in the broken plural and sound plural,

e.g.

(b) Even sound plurals referring to masculine human beings may take

the adjective in both broken plural and sound plural, e.g.

(c) Broken plurals or sound plurals referring to non-human beings

take the adjective in the feminine singular, e.g.

(i)َعا ِم ٌل



a ̄milun ما ٌلَُّعـ



umma ̄lun (j)يٌّ َن ِب nabiyyun َأ ْن ِب َيا ُء

anbiya ̄

u

worker prophet (dipt.)

(k)ِر َساَلـ ٌة risa ̄latun َر َسا ِئ ُل rasa ̄

ilu (l)صـ ٌةَّ ِق qis

̇

s

̇

atun صٌُ ِقـ َص qis

̇

as

̇

un

letter story

Note: It is recommended that the plural form be learnt along with the singular.

Masc. sing. Adjective broken plur. Adjective sound plur.

َوَل ٌد َس ِعي ٌد ُسـ َعـ َدا ُء َأ ْو َلا ٌد َس ِعـي ُدو َنَأ ْو َلا ٌد

waladun sa



ı

• dun

awla ̄dun su



ada ̄

u

awla ̄dun sa



ı

• du ̄na

a happy boy happy boys

Fem. sing.

ُس َع َدا ُء َع ُرو ٌس َس ِعي َد ٌةَع َرا ِئـ ُس َس ِعي َدا ٌتَع َرا ِئـ ُس



aru ̄sun sa



ı

• datun



ara ̄

isu su



ada ̄

u



ara ̄

isu sa



ı

• da ̄tun

a happy bride happy brides

Masc. sing. Adjective broken plur. Adjective sound plur.

ل ٌم َس ِعي ٌدَُّم َع ُس َعـ َدا ُء ل ُمو َن َُّم َع َس ِعـي ُدو َن ل ُمو َن َُّم َع

mu



allimun sa



ı-dun mu



allimu ̄na su



ada ̄

umu



allimu ̄na sa



ı-du ̄na

a happy teacher happy teachers

Masc. sing. Sound plur.

َب ْي ٌت َص ِغي ٌر ُبـ ُيو ٌت َص ِغـي َر ٌة

baytun s

̇

ag ̇ı

• run, a small house buyu ̄tun s
  ̇

ag ̇ı

• ratun

145

Broken

plurals and

collective

nouns