Arabic: An Essential Grammar

21.4 Collective nouns, ِإ ْس ُم ْلـ َج ْم ِع, indicate a gathering in one unit

or group, and they can refer to both humans and non-humans. They

may form either the sound or the broken plural or sometimes both.

Some collective nouns do not have a corresponding singular:

21.5 Agreement of verbs and adjectives with collective nouns

Collective nouns, ِإ ْس ُم ْلـ َج ْم ِع , referring either to humans or non-

human beings, are treated mostly as masculine singular. They thus

take the preceding verb or the following adjective in the masculine

singular.

Fem. sing.

َطا ِوَل ٌة َص ِغـي َر ٌة َطا ِو َلا ٌت َص ِغـي َر ٌة

t

̇

a ̄wilatun s

̇

ag ̇ı

• ratun, a small table t
  ̇

a ̄wila ̄tun s

̇

ag ̇ı

• ratun

Collective noun Broken plur. Singular Sound plur.

Masc. Fem. Fem. Fem.

َش َجـ ٌر sˇag ̆arun َأ ْش َجا ٌر^

asˇg ̆a ̄run َش َجـ َر ٌة sˇag ̆aratun َش َجـ َرا ٌت sˇag ̆ara ̄tun

trees (some) trees a tree trees (specified)

َل ْي ٌل laylun َل َيا ٍل laya ̄lin َل ْيَل ٌة laylatun َل ْي َلا ٌت layla ̄tun

night, night-time (some) nights a night nights (specified)

َسم ٌك samakun َأ ْس َما ٌك^

asma ̄kun َس َم َك ٌة samakatun َس َم َكا ٌت samaka ̄tun

fish (some) fish a fish fish (specified)

Collective noun Broken plur. Singular Sound plur.

Masc. Fem. Fem. Fem.

َج ْي ٌش g ̆aysˇun ُج ُيو ٌش g ̆uyu ̄sˇun __ __

army armies

َشـ ْعـ ٌب sˇa



bun ُشـ ُعـو ٌب sˇu



u ̄bun ______ ______

people, folk peoples, folk

َخـ ْيـ ٌل h

̆

aylun ُخـ ُيـو ٌل h

̆

uyu ̄lun ______ ______

horses horses

146

Broken

plurals and

collective

nouns