Arabic: An Essential Grammar

Note: Some collective nouns may also take the predicate verb in the feminine

singular, e.g.

Exercises

Practise your reading:

1

( ٌذيِمْلِت ).s ِذيِمَلا َّ تل ( ٌبَأ ).s ُءاـَب ƒا

2

ْمُهُتاـَهـ َّ مُأَو

3

يِف َنوـُلوـُغـْشـَم

4

ِريِضْحَت

5

(. ٌلْفِط ).s ْمـِهـِلاـَفـْطَِلأ ٍةَلْفَح

(1)

a ̄ba ̄

u t-tala ̄mı

• d
  ̄

i wa-

ummaha ̄tu-hum masˇg ̇u ̄lu ̄na fı

• tah
  ̇

d

̇

ı

• ri h
  ̇

aflatin

li-

at

̇

fa ̄li-him

The pupils’

1

fathers

2

and mothers

3

are busy (with)

4

preparing

5

a party

for their children.

ْنِم ٌريِثَك

1

( ٌنِكاَس ).s ِنا َّكُس

2

( ىَنْبَم ).s يِناَبَم

3

ٍلاَجِر ْنِم َ ّيَحـْل

4

ٍءاَسِنَو

ْمُه ( ٌةَأَرْمِإ ).s

5

( ٌزوُجَع ).s ُزِئاَجَع

6

ْمُهَدْنِع ْتَسْيَلَو ( ٌفيِعَض ).s ُءاَفـَعُضَو

7

(. ٌدَعْصِم ).s ُدِعاَصَم

(2) kat

̄

ı

• run min sukka ̄ni maba ̄nı
  
  
  • l-h
    ̇
  
  
  
  

ayyi min rig ̆a ̄lin wa-nisa ̄

in hum



ag ̆a ̄

izu

wa-d

̇

u



afa ̄

u wa-laysat



inda-hum mas

̇

a ̄



idu.

Many of

1

the inhabitants of

2

the buildings in

3

the area, men

4

and women,

are

5

old

6

and weak and have no

7

lifts (elevators).

Collective noun Broken plural

(Treated as masc. sing.) (Treated as fem. sing.)

َذ َه َب َش ْع ٌب َع ِظي ٌم َذ َه َب ْت ُش ُعو ٌب َع ِظي َم ٌة

d

̄

ahaba sˇa



bun



ad

̄ ̇

ı

• mun. d
  ̄

ahabat sˇu



u ̄bun



ad

̇ ̄

ı

• matun.

A great nation (lit. people) Great nations (lit. peoples)

has vanished (gone). have vanished (gone).

ِإ ْح َت َر َق َش َج ٌر َك ِثي ٌر ِإ ْح َت َر َق ْت َأ ْش َجا ٌر َك ِثي َر ٌة




ih

̇

taraqa sˇag ̆arun kat

̄

ı

• run.

ih

̇

taraqat

asˇg ̆a ̄run kat

̄

ı

• ratun.

Many trees burned. Many (individual) trees burned.

With masc. verb With fem. verb

َن َشـ َر ْل َع َر ُب ْلـ َحـ َضا َر َة َن َشـ َر ِت ْل َع َر ُب ْلـ َحـ َضا َر َة

nasˇara l-



arabu l-h

̇

ad

̇

a ̄rata. nasˇarati l-



arabu l-h

̇

ad

̇

a ̄rata.

The Arabs spread civilization.

147

Broken

plurals and

collective

nouns