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11 Broken plurals

11.1 Introduction

In the previous chapter we introduced sound plurals, which are formed by appending suffixes to the singular noun. The singular noun in these plurals remains, more or less, intact when forming these plurals. The sound plurals correspond to English regular plurals which are formed by appending “s” to the singular noun. However, English has some plurals that are not formed by adding the plural ending “s”. Here are some examples,

Singular	Plural
man	men
woman	women
child	children
mouse	mice

In these plurals, the singular noun is altered to form the plural.

Arabic also forms such plurals. They are called broken plurals because the singular noun is not kept intact but its structure is, in most cases, altered, or “broken-up” when forming the plural.

While English only forms such plurals for a handful of nouns, Arabic forms broken plurals for many nouns.

11.2 Review of word patterns and semi-flexible nouns

Before we begin our discussion about broken plurals, we will do a quick review of word patterns and semi-flexible nouns. This will, if Allāh wills, facilitate the explanation of broken plurals.

Most words in Arabic are formed from three letter roots. We use the paradigm root «فعل» to show word patterns. For example, the noun رَجُل rajul “a man” is formed from the root «رجل» on the pattern فَعُل faɛul.

Most nouns in Arabic are fully-flexible. This means that, when indefinite, they are nūnated and the indefinite i-state is shown by a nūnated i-mark ◌ٍ at the end of the noun. For example, رَجُل rajul “a man” and بَيْت bayt “a house” are fully-flexible nouns. So, you can see, below, that they are nūnated, and the indefinite i-state is indicated by a nūnated i-mark ◌ٍ:

ذَهَبَ رَجُلٌ إِلَىٰ بَيْتٍ.
d͡hahaba rajulun ʾilā bayt.
“A man went to a house.”

Some nouns are semi-flexible. This means that they are not nūnated, and also, the indefinite i-state is indicated by an a mark ◌َ. Examples of such nouns are:

²غَضْبَىٰ g͡haḍbā² adj. (fem.) “a very angry one_f” from the root «غضب»
²صَحْرَاء ṣaḥrāʾ² (fem.) “a desert_f” from the root «صحر»

ذَهَبَتْ جَارِيَةٌ غَضْبَىٰ إِلَىٰ صَحْرَاءَ.
d͡hahabat jāriyatun g͡haḍbā ʾilā ṣaḥrāʾ.
“A very angry girl went to a desert.”

When definite, semi-flexible nouns are identical to fully-flexible nouns:

ذَهَبَتِ ٱلْجَارِيَةُ ٱلْغَضْبَىٰ إِلَى ٱلصَّحْرَاءِ.
d͡hahabati -ljāriyatu -lg͡haḍbā ʾila -ṣṣaḥrāʾ.
“The very angry girl went to the desert.”

All nouns that have the endings اء and ىٰ, that are extrinsic to the word’s root, are semi-flexible. اء and ىٰ are also feminine markers for singular nouns, just like ة. (Except that ة does not, in general, make a noun semi-flexible.)

It is important to note that ة, اء, and ىٰ are only feminine markers for singular nouns. We will see that they are also endings for broken plural nouns and, in that case, they are not feminine markers. However, اء and ىٰ, when endings for broken plural nouns, will make the broken plural nouns semi-flexible, just as they do for singular nouns.

Nouns that are of the patterns فَفَافِف and فَفَافِيف are also semi-flexible nouns. Here each letter ف could be any letter of the alphabet. These are patterns for broken plurals, as we will see very soon. We had mentioned this in section 8.3.5.

This concludes our short review of word patterns and semi-flexible nouns. We will use these concepts in our discussion of broken plurals.

11.3 Patterns of the broken plural

Broken plurals occur in specific patterns, which we will show using the paradigm «فعل» for three-letter roots. Ararbic also has (comparatively fewer) four-letter roots and we will show patterns for broken plurals of four-letter roots using the paradigm root فعلل. We will also use the letter ف, when needed, to indicate any letter of the alphabet.

We now give all but the rarest broken plural patterns below. The singular and plural and given together separated by a colon character “:”, the singular on the right, and its plural on the left.

فُعَل fuɛal. Examples:

صُورَة: صُوَر a picture دَوْلَة: دُوَل a dynasty/state

أُمَّة: أُمَم a nation رُکْبَة: رُکَب a knee

فُعْل fuɛl. Examples:

أَحْمَر²، حَمْرَاء²: حُمْر	red	أَعْمَىٰ²، عَمْيَاء²: عُمْي	blind
أَحْوَر²، حَوْرَاء²: حُور	a beautiful eyed one	أَصَمّ²، صَمّاء²: صُمّ	deaf
أَسْوَد²، سَوْدَاء²: سُود	black	أَبْکَم²، بَکْمَاء²: بُکْم	mute
أَبْيَض²، بَيْضَاء²: بِيض	white	نَاقَة: نُوق	a camel_f

فُعُل fuɛul. Examples:

کِتَاب: کُتُب a book رَسُول: رُسُل a messenger

جِدَار: جُدُر a wall سَفِينَة: سُفُن a ship
فِعَل fiɛal. Examples:

قِطْعَة: قِطَع a piece سِيرَة: سِيَر a course of life

هِرَّة: هِرَر a cat_f

فِعَال fiɛāl. Examples:

رَجُل: رِجَال	a man	حَسَن: حِسَان	adj. a good one_m
ٱِمْرَأَة: نِسَاء	a woman	حَسَنَة: حِسَان	adj. a good one_f
أُنْثَىٰ²: إِنَاث	a female	صَعْب: صِعَاب	adj. a difficult one_m
عَبْد: عِبَاد	a slave_m	صَعْبَة: صِعَاب	adj. a difficult one_f
أَمَة: إِمَاء	a slave_f	صَغِير: صِغَار	adj. a small one_m
جَبَل: جِبَال	a mountain	صَغِيرَة: صِغَار	adj. a small one_f
ثَوب: ثِيَاب	a garment	کَبِير: کِبَار	adj. a big one_m
رِيح: رِيَاح	a wind	کَبِيرَة: کِبَار	adj. a big one_f
مَرَّة: مِرَار	an occasion	ضَعِيف: ضِعَاف	adj. a weak one_m
بَحْر: بِحَار	a sea	ضَعِيفَة: ضِعَاف	adj. a weak one_f
عَمُود: عِمَاد	a pillar	کِرَام: کَرِيم	adj. a generous one_m
رَوْضَة: رِيَاض	a garden	غَضْبَان²: غِضَاب	adj. a very angry_m
رُمْح: رِمَاح	a spear	غَضْبَىٰ²: غِضَاب	adj. a very angry_f

فُعُول fuɛūl. Examples:

أَمْر: أُمُور	a matter	جَيْش: جُيُوش	an army
بَيْت: بُيُوت	a house	قَلْب: قُلُوب	a heart
حَقّ: حُقُوق	a truth, a right	رَأْس: رُؤُوس	a head
مَلِک: مُلُوک	a king	شَهْر: شُهُور	a month
سَيْف: سُيُوف	a sword	نَفْس: نُفُوس	a self
شَيْخ: شُيُوخ	an old man	عَيْن: عُيُون	a (water) spring
شَاهِد: شُهُود	a witness

فُعَّل fuɛɛal. Examples:

رَاکِع: رُکَّع one who bowes_m غَائِب: غُيَّب absent

راکعَة: رُکَّع one who bowes_f

فُعَّال fuɛɛāl. Examples:

قَارِئ: قُرَّاء	a reader_m	کَافِر: کُفَّار	a disbeliever_m
تَاجِر: تُجَّار	a trader_m	جَاهِل: جُهَّال	an ignorant one_m
عَامِل: عُمَّال	a worker_m

فَعَلَة faɛalah. Examples:

سَاحِر: سَحَرَة a magician_m قَاتِل: قَتَلَة a killer_m

عَامِل: عَمَلَة a labourer_m سَيِّد: سَادَة a chief_m
فُعَلَة fuɛalah. Examples:

قَاضٍ: قُضَاة a judge_m رَاوٍ: رُوَاة a narrator_m
فِعَلَة fiɛalah. Examples:

دُبّ: دِبَبَة a bear قِرْد: قِرَدَة a monkey

هِرّ: هِرَرَة a cat_m
فِعْلَة fiɛlah. Examples:

أَخ: إِخْوَة a brother فَتًى: فِتْيَة a young man
أَفْعُل ʾafɛul. Examples:

رِجْل: أَرْجُل a leg شَهْر: أَشْهُر a month

نَفْس: أَنْفُس a self عَيْن: أَعْيُن an eye

أَفْعَال ʾafɛāl. Examples:

بَاب: أَبْوَاب	a door	مَيِّت: أَمْوَات	dead
قَلَم: أَقْلَام	a pen	²شَيْء: أَشْيَاء	a thing
قَدَم: أَقْدَام	a foot	ٱِسْم: أَسْمَاء	a name
صَاحِب: أَصْحَاب	a companion_m	يَوْم: أَيَّام	a day
شَرِيف: أَشْرَاف	a noble one_m	عَدُوّ: أَعْدَاء	an enemy
طِفْل: أَطْفَال	a child	عَيْن: أَعْيَان	an eminent person
بِئْر: آبَار	a (water) well

أَفْعِلَة ʾafɛilah. Examples:

لِسَان: أَلْسِنَة a tongue طَعَام: أَطْعِمَة a food

إِمَام: أَئِمَّة a leader_m إِلَـٰه: آلِهَة a god

²فَوَاعِل fawāɛil². (Semi-flexible because of ²فَفَافِف pattern.) Examples:

²صَاحِبَة: صَوَاحِب	a companion_f	²عَامِل: عَوَامِل	a factor
²جَارِيَة: جَوَارٍ	a girl	²شَاهِد: شَوَاهِد	a corroborating evidence
²أَمْر: أَوَامِر	a command	²خَاتَم: خَوَاتِم	a ring (jewelry)
²نَادِرَة: نَوَادِر	a joke, a witticism	²فَارِس: فَوَارِس	a horseman

²فَعَائِل faɛāʾil². (Semi-flexible because of ²فَفَافِف pattern.) Examples:

²حُرَة: حَرَائِر	a free woman	²جَزِيرَة: جَزَائِر	an island
²ضَرّة: ضَرَائِر	a co-wife	²رِسَالَة: رَسَائل	a message
²حَدِيقَة: حَدَائِق	a garden	²حَاجَة: حَوَائِج	a need
²حَقِيبَة: حَقَائِب	a bag	²دَلِيل: دَلَائِل	an evidence
²کَبِيرَة: کَبَائِر	a major sin	²خَلِيفَة: خَلَائِف	a successor
²کَرِيمَة: کَرَائِم	a generous one_f

فِعْلَان fiɛlān. Examples:

غُلَام: غِلْمَان	a boy	ثَوْر: ثِيرَان	a bull
جَار: جِيرَان	a neighbor	غُرَاب: غِرْبَان	a crow
أَخ: إِخْوَان	a brother	فَأْر: فِئْرَان	a mouse

فُعْلَان fuɛlān. Examples:

بَلَد: بُلْدَان a country شُجَاع: شُجْعَان a brave one

جِدَار: جُدْرَان a wall شَابّ: شُبَّان a young man

²فُعَلَاء fuɛalāʾ². Examples:

²أَمِير: أُمَرَاء	a commander_m	²خَلِيفَة: خُلَفَاء	a caliph
²فَقِير: فُقَرَاء	a poor one_m	²عَالِم: عُلَمَاء	a scholar_m
²بَخِيل: بُخَلَاء	a miser_m	²شَاعِر: شُعَرَاء	a poet_m
²ضَعِيف: ضُعَفَاء	a weak one_m

²أَفْعِلَاء ʾafɛilāʾ². Examples:

²نَبِيّ: أَنْبِيَاء	a prophet_m	²شَدِيد: أَشِدَّاء	a forceful one_m
²صَدِيق: أَصْدِقَاء	a friend_m	²قَوِيّ: أَقْوِيَاء	a strong one_m
²غَنِيّ: أُغْنِيَاء	a rich one_m	²شَقِيّ: أَشْقِيَاء	a wretched one_m

²فَعْلَىٰ faɛlā². Examples:

²مَرِيض: مَرْضَىٰ a sick one_m ²جَرِيح: جَرْحَىٰ a wounded person

²أَسِير: أَسْرَىٰ a captive
²فَعَالِي faɛālī². (Semi-flexible because of ²فَفَافِف pattern.) Examples:

²لَيْلَة: لَيَالٍ a night ²أَرْض: أَرَاضٍ a land, an earth

²أَهْل: أَهَالٍ a family

²فَعَالَىٰ faɛālā². Examples:

صَحْرَاء²: صَحَارَىٰ²	a desert	فَتْوَىٰ²: فَتَاوَىٰ²	a formal legal opinion
²يَتِيم: يَتَامَىٰ	an orphan	²هَدِيَّة: هَدَايَا	a gift

فَعِيل faɛīl (rare). Examples:

عَبْد: عَبِيد a slave_m حِمَار: حَمِير a donkey_m
فُعُولَة fuɛūlah (rare). Examples:

بَعْل: بُعُولَة a husband
فِعَالَة fiɛālah (rare). Examples:

حَجَر: حِجَارَة a stone
فَعَل faɛal (rare). Examples:

حَلْقَة: حَلَق a circular ring
فَعْل faɛl (very rare). Examples:

صَاحِب: صَحْب a companion

²فَفَافِف fafāfif². Includes the sub-patterns:

²فَعَالِل faɛālil²
²أَفَاعِل ʾafāɛil²
²تَفَاعِل tafāɛil²
²مَفَاعِل mafāɛil²

Examples:

²ثَعْلَب: ثَعَالِب	a fox	²تَجْرِبَة: تَجَارِب	an experience
²عَنْکَبُوت: عَنَاکِب	a spider	²مَسْجِد: مَسَاجِد	a mosque
²دِرْهَم: دَرَاهِم	a dirham	²مَعَانٍ: مَعْنًى	a meaning
²جَوْهَر: جَوَاهِر	a gem	²مَحَالّ: مَحَلَّة	a locality
²إِصْبَع: أَصَابِع	a finger	²مَعِيشَة: مَعَاىِش	a means of subsistence
²أَنْمُلَة: أَنَامِل	a finger tip

²فَفَافِيف fafāfīf². Includes the sub-patterns:

²فَعَالِيل faɛālīl²
²أَفَاعِيل ʾafāɛīl²
²تَفَاعِيل tafāɛīl²
²مَفَاعِيل mafāɛīl²
²يَفَاعِيل yafāɛīl²
²فَوَاعِيل fawāɛīl²

Examples:

²سُلْطَان: سَلَاطِين	a sultan	²إِعْصَار: أَعَاصِير	a whirlwind
²شَيْطَان: شَيَاطِين	a devil	²تَأْرِيخ: تَوَارِيخ	a history
²سِکِّين: سَکَاکِين	a knife	²تَصْوِير: تَصَاوِير	a picture
²دِينَار: دَنَانِير	a dīnār	²مِفْتَاح: مَفَاتِيح	a key
²مِسْکِين: مَسَاکِين	a needy person	²مَلْعُون: مَلَاعِين	an accursed one_m
²کُرْسِيّ: کَرَاسِيّ	a chair	²يُنْبُوع: يَنَابِيع	a (water) spring
²أُمْنِيَّة: أَمَانِيّ	a wish	²جَامُوس: جَوَامِيس	a buffalo

فَعَالِلَة faɛālilah. Examples:

أُسْتَاذ: أَسَاتِذَة	a professor	مَلَک: مَلَائِکَة	an angel
فَيْلَسُوف: فَلَاسِفَة	a philosopher	جَبَّار: جَبَابِرَة	a tyrant

Note the following from the above broken plural patterns and examples:

Both common nouns and adjectival nouns form broken plurals.
There are comparatively fewer broken plurals for female intelligent beings than for male intelligent beings. We will expand on this in a subsequent section.
Some patterns of the broken plural are also patterns singular nouns. For example, the pattern فِعَال fiɛāl has both singular nouns, like کِتَاب kitāb “a book” and broken plurals, like رِجَال rijāl “men”
The broken plural patterns فِعْلَان fiɛlān and فُعْلَان fuɛlān are fully-flexible nouns. Although they end with the ان ending which is extrinsic to the root, they are not semi-flexible nouns. Only singular adjectival nouns that end with an extrinsic ان on the pattern فَعْلَان, and that also fulfil the other conitions listed in section 8.3.4, are semi-flexible.
There is often a correlation between the pattern of a singular noun and the pattern of its plural.

Sometimes this correlation is very strong:
- All singular nouns of the patterns ²أَفْل ʾafɛal² and ²فَعْلَاء faɛlāʾ that denote colors and physical characteristics, have broken plurals on the pattern فُعْل fuɛl. Example:
  
  Singular Plural
  
  أَحْمَر²، حَمْرَاء² “red” حُمْر
  
  أَبْکَم²، بَکْمَاء² “mute” بُکْم
- Singular nouns that have four or more consonant letters (excluding ة) regularly form their broken plurals on the patterns ²فَفَافِف and ²فَفَافِيف. The pattern ²فَفَافِيف is used when there is an intermendiate long vowel between the consonants. Examples:
  
  Singular Plural
  
  إِصْبَع “a finger” ²أَصَابِع
  
  مِفْتَاح “a key” ²مَفَاتِيح
- Singular nouns of the patterns فِعْلَة fiɛlah and فُعْلَة fuɛlah regularly form their broken plurals on the pattern فِعَل fiɛal and فُعَل fuɛal respectively. Examples:
  
  Singular Plural
  
  قِطْعَة “a piece” قِطَع
  
  رُکْبَة “a knee” رُکَب
Other times, this correlation is more like a tendency:
- Singular nouns on the pattern فَعِيلَة faɛīlah tend to form broken plurals on the pattern ²فَعَائِل faɛāʾil². Examples:
  
  Singular Plural
  
  حَدِيقَة “a garden” ²حَدَائِق
  
  حَقِيبَة “a bag” ²حَقَائِب
- Singular nouns on the pattern فَاعِل fāɛil, that denote male intelligent beings, tend to form broken plurals on the pattern فُعَّل fuɛɛal, فُعَّال fuɛɛāl, and فَعَلَة faɛalah. Examples:
  
  Singular Plural
  
  غَائِب “absent” غُيَّب
  
  قَارِئ “a reader_m” قُرَّاء
  
  قَاتِل “a killer_m” قَتَلَة
- Singular nouns on the pattern فَاعِل fāɛil and فَاعِلَة fāɛilah, that don’t denote male intelligent beings, tend to form broken plurals on the pattern فَوَاعِل fawāɛil. Examples:
  
  Singular Plural
  
  صَاحِبَة “a companion_f” ²صَوَاحِب
  
  عَامِل “a factor” ²عَوَامِل
  
  فَارِس fāris “a horseman” with the plural ²فَوَارِس is one of a number of exceptions.

Singular	Plural
أَحْمَر²، حَمْرَاء² “red”	حُمْر
أَبْکَم²، بَکْمَاء² “mute”	بُکْم

Singular	Plural
إِصْبَع “a finger”	²أَصَابِع
مِفْتَاح “a key”	²مَفَاتِيح

Singular	Plural
قِطْعَة “a piece”	قِطَع
رُکْبَة “a knee”	رُکَب

Singular	Plural
حَدِيقَة “a garden”	²حَدَائِق
حَقِيبَة “a bag”	²حَقَائِب

Singular	Plural
غَائِب “absent”	غُيَّب
قَارِئ “a reader_m”	قُرَّاء
قَاتِل “a killer_m”	قَتَلَة

Singular	Plural
صَاحِبَة “a companion_f”	²صَوَاحِب
عَامِل “a factor”	²عَوَامِل

Some words have roots that have the same letter repeated in the root. These are called doubled roots.

For example:

Root	Word	Pattern
«دبّ»	دُبّ “a bear”	فُعْل
«حلّ»	مَحَلَّة “a locality”	مَفْعَلَة
«أمّ»	إِمَام “a leader”	فِعَال
«حقّ»	حَقّ “a truth, a right”	فَعْل
«هرّ»	هِرّ “a cat_m”	فِعْل

We will discuss doubled roots in detail in chapter ??. For now we will mention the following:

The repeated letter in the word root may get doubled or separated in the word’s pattern. Frequently, the repeated letter may be doubled in the singular, and separated in the plural. Examples:

Singular Plural

حَقّ “a truth, a right” حُقُوق

دُبّ “a bear” دِبَبَة

هِرّ “a cat_m” هِرَرَة

The reverse also occurs, where the repeated letter may be separated in the singular, and doubled in the plural. Examples:

Singular Plural

إِمَام “a leader_m” أَئِمَّة

Singular	Plural
حَقّ “a truth, a right”	حُقُوق
دُبّ “a bear”	دِبَبَة
هِرّ “a cat_m”	هِرَرَة

Singular	Plural
إِمَام “a leader_m”	أَئِمَّة

The doubled letter may modify the basic word pattern somewhat. For example:

Root	Word pattern	Expected word	Actual word
«شدّ»	²أَفْعِلَاء	\(\times\) ²أَشْدِدَاء	²أَشِدَّاء
«حلّ»	²مَفَاعِل	\(\times\) ²مَحَالِل	²مَحَالّ
«صمّ»	²أَفْعَل	\(\times\) ²أَصْمَم	²أَصَمّ

We have previously learned that the endings ة, اء, and ىٰ that are extrinsic to the word’s root are feminine markers for singular nouns. These extrinsic endings also occur for broken plurals but there, they are not feminine markers.

In fact, in a sort of role reversal, the endings ة in a broken plural tends to indicate that the singular is a masculine noun. And the اء ending is only for broken plurals of male intelligent beings. Examples:

Singular	Plural
لِسَان “a tongue”	أَلْسِنَة
هِرّ “a cat_m”	هِرَرَة
أَمِير “a commander_m”	أُمَرَاء
صَدِيق “a friend_m”	أَصْدِقَاء

There often exist multiple broken plurals for the same singular noun. Many times, in fact, a singular noun may have a sound plural in addition to one or more broken plurals. Examples:

Singular	Plural
شَهْر	أَشْهُر، شُهُور
عَيْن	أَعْيُن، عُيُون، أَعْيَان
عَامِل	عَامِلُونَ، عَوَامِل²، عَمَلَة، عُمَّال

We will discuss how to manage these multiple plurals in a subsequent section.

Occasionally, multiple singular nouns will share the same broken plural. Examples:

Singular Plural

مَکْتَب “an office” ²مَکَاتِب

مَکْتَبَة “a library” ²مَکَاتِب

Context will then tell us which of two meanings is intended.

Singular	Plural
مَکْتَب “an office”	²مَکَاتِب
مَکْتَبَة “a library”	²مَکَاتِب

The letters ء, ا, و, and ي are considered weak letters. Words that one or more these weak letters in their roots are called defective words. We will discuss defective words more completely in later chapters, if Allāh wills. For now, we will note the following:

Weak letters often get interchanged with one another when going from a singular to a plural. Examples:

Root Singular Plural

«أرخ» تَأْرِيخ ²تَوَارِيخ

«نوق» نَاقَة نُوق

«ثور» ثَوْر ثِيرَان
Weak letters can affect surrounding vowels. For example:

Root Word pattern Expected word Actual word

«بيض» فُعْل \(\times\) بُيْض بِيض
The weak letter ي, when followed by the ىٰ ending, usually modifies (in writing) it to an ِʾalif instead. The pronunciation is the same. For example:

Root Word pattern Expected word Actual word

«هدي» ²فَعَالَىٰ \(\times\) ²هَدَايَىٰ ²هَدَايَا

Root	Singular	Plural
«أرخ»	تَأْرِيخ	²تَوَارِيخ
«نوق»	نَاقَة	نُوق
«ثور»	ثَوْر	ثِيرَان

Root	Word pattern	Expected word	Actual word
«بيض»	فُعْل	\(\times\) بُيْض	بِيض

Root	Word pattern	Expected word	Actual word
«هدي»	²فَعَالَىٰ	\(\times\) ²هَدَايَىٰ	²هَدَايَا

A ي at the end of a word, in some states, gets omitted and replaced by a nūnated i-mark ◌ٍ on the preceding letter. This happens even when the ي is extrinsic to the root, and even if the word is semi-flexible (and thus would not normally be nūnated). Examples:

Root	Word pattern	Expected word	Actual word
«قضي»	فَاعِل	\(\times\) قَاضِي	قَاضٍ
«جري»	²فَوَاعِل	\(\times\) ²جَوَارِي	²جَوَارٍ
«ليل»	²فَعَالِي	\(\times\) ²لَيَالِي	²لَيَالٍ

Weak letters can also get omitted in the singular and resurface in the plural. Examples:

Root Singular Plural

«أخو» أَخ إِخْوَان، إِخْوَة

«أمو» أَمَة إِمَاء

If there are more than four consonant letters in a word, then only four of them are selected to form the broken plural. For example:

Singular Plural

عَنْکَبُوت “a spider” ²عَنَاکِب
Some words have individual irrgularities as well and we will discuss them below:
- The word ٱِمْرَأَة and its plural نِسَاء are both irregular and we will discuss them separately in chapter 13.
- The broken plural ²أَشْيَاء ʾas͡hyāʾ (of the singular noun شَيْء s͡hayʾ “a thing”) is irregular in that it is semi-flexible. Otherwise its pattern أَفْعَال ʾafɛāl is regularly fully-flexible.
- The broken plural of the singular noun مَلَک malak “an angel” is مَلَائِکَة malāʾikah. It is on the pattern فَعَالِلَة faɛālilah. But it is unusual in that the plural has an extra letter ء that is missing in the singular. This is because the singular has a lesser-used variant: مَلْأَک malʾak that is used to form the plural.
- The broken plural of the singular noun دِينَار “a dīnār” is ²دَنَانِير. It is on the pattern ²فَعَالِيل. It is irregular in that there are two ن’s in the plural whereas the singular only has one.
- The root of بِئْر biʾr “a (water) well” is «بأر». The pattern of its broken plural is أَفْعَال. Based on its root letters, its plural on this pattern ought regularly to have been أَبْآر ʾabʾār. And this plural exists but is not very commonly used. Instead, in forming the plural, the root letters ب and أ get swapped irregularly, and the more commonly used plural is actually آبَار ’ʾābār.
There are other words as well with similar irregularities.

11.4 Co-existence of multiple broken plurals

We noted that there are often multiple broken plurals for the same singular noun. Many singular nouns even have a sound plural in addition to one or more broken plurals. Here are some examples.

Singular	Meanings	Plural
جِدَار	a wall	جُدُر، جُدْرَان
شَهْر	a month	أَشْهُر، شُهُور
ضَعِيف	a weak one_m	²ضِعَاف، ضُعَفَاء
أَمْر	a matter; a command	²أُمُور، أَوَامِر
عَيْن	an eye; a (water) spring; an eminent person	أَعْيُن، عُيُون، أَعْيَان
عَامِل	a worker; a labourer; a factor	عَامِلُونَ، عَوَامِل²، عَمَلَة، عُمَّال

We will deal with the co-existence of sound and broken plurals in the next section. In this section, we will explain the existence of multiple broken plurals, and when one of them is preferred or required to be used over the other. Basically, there could be a few things going on:

Sometimes it is more or less optional which of the multiple broken plurals to use. For example, the singular noun جِدَار has two broken plurals: جُدُر، جُدْرَان Either could be used, more or less, interchangeably.
Sometimes, the usage of one of the plurals may be restricted. For example, ضِعَاف and ضُعَفَاء are both broken plurals of the masculine adjectival noun ضَعِيف “a weak one_m”. For male intelligent beings, like “weak men”, either of the two plurals could be used. But remember that broken plurals that end with an extrinsic اء ending may only be used for male intelligent beings. So the plural ضُعَفَاء may only be used for male intelligent beings like “men” or “boys”, and not for masculine nouns that denote non-intelligent beings like “lions” or “pens”, etc.

Interestingly, ضِعَاف is also shared as the broken plural for the feminine adjectival noun ضَعِيفَة “a weak one_f”. So it can be used for plurals of feminine nouns, both for female intelligent beings like “women” and “girls”, and for feminie nouns that denote non-intelligent beings like “trees”.
Other times, the singular has multiple distinct meanings, and each of these distinct meanings is associated with its own broken plural(s). Here are some examples:
- The word أَمْر ʾamr has two distinct meanings, each with it’s own plural:
  1. “a matter”. This has the broken plural أُمُور ʾumūr.
  2. “a command”. This has the broken plural ²أَوَامِر ʾawāmir².
- The word عَيْن ʾayn has multiple distinct meanings. There are three main meanings, and they share the broken plural with each other in the following way:
  1. “an eye”. This meaning primarily uses the plural أَعْيُن ʾaɛyun but it may also use the plural عُيُون ɛuyūn, and rarely also the plural أَعْيَان ʾaɛyān.
  2. “a (water) spring”. This meaning primarily uses the plural عُيُون ɛuyūn but it may also use the plural أَعْيُن ʾaɛyun, and rarely also the plural أَعْيَان ʾaɛyān.
  3. “an eminent person”. This meaning only uses the plural أَعْيَان ʾaɛyān.
- The word عَامِل ɛāmil has the following meanings and plurals:
  1. “a worker_m”. Generally, this has the plural عُمَّال ɛummāl.
  2. “a labourer_m”. This uses the plural عَمَلَة ɛamalah.
  3. “a factor”. This uses the plural ²عَوَامِل ɛawāmil².
Arabic has what are known as plurals of fewness. These are specific patterns that may (sometimes, but not always) be used when the persons or things denoted by the plural are only a few (ten or less) and not many. These patterns are:
1. فِعْلَة fiɛlah
2. أَفْعُل ʾafɛul
3. أَفْعَال ʾafɛāl
4. أَفْعِلَة ʾafɛilah
For example:
1. شَهْر s͡hahr “a month”, plurals: أَشْهُر، شُهُور. The plural أَشْهُر could be used when the number of months are only a few (ten or less), and the plural شُهُور could be used when the number of months are large.
2. The plurals أَعْيُن and عُيُون of the word عَيْن could also possibly be used similarly in this manner for both meanings: “an eye” and “a (water) spring”. (But not for the meaning “an eminent person” which only uses the plural أَعْيَان).
Of course, this distinction only applies when the singular noun has additional plurals, not just one from the above four patterns. If a noun has only one of the about four plural patterns then it may be used indiscriminately and will not indicate any limitation in number.

11.5 Co-existence of sound and broken plurals

Some nouns have both sound and broken plurals for more or less the same meaning. Here are some examples:

Singular	Meaning	Sound plural	Broken plural
قَاتِل	a killer	قَاتِلُونَ	قَتَلَة
کَافِر	a disbeliever	کَافِرُونَ	کُفَّار
کَبِير	a big one_m	کَبِيرُونَ	کِبَار
کَبِيرَة	a big one_f	کَبِيرَات	کِبَار
صَغِير	a small one_m	صَغِيرُونَ	صِغَار
صَغِيرَة	a small one_f	صَغِيرَات	صِغَار
رَاکِع	one who bows_m	رَاکِعُونَ	رُکَّع
رَاکِعَة	one who bows_f	رَاکِعَات	رُکَّع
صَاحِبَة	a companion_f	صَاحِبَات	²صَوَاحِب
جَارِيَة	a girl	جَارِيَات	²جَوَارٍ
حَدِيقَة	a garden	جَدِيقَات	²حَدَائِق

We will treat the ūn and āt sound plurals separately.

11.5.1 ūn plurals and broken plurals

Remember from chapter 10 that ūn plurals are, with very few exceptions, only used for male intelligent beings.

If a singular noun has both an ūn sound plural and one or more broken plurals, then the use of the broken plural is generally preferred. The sound plural is then, generally, reserved for certain verbal usages. (We will study these in later chapters, if Allāh wills.)

So, for example, قَتَلَة is preferred over قَاتِلُونَ generally for the meaning: “killers”.

11.5.2 āt plurals and broken plurals

āt plurals are used for both female intelligent beings and non-intelligent beings. We will discuss each of these separately.

11.5.2.1 Female intelligent beings

Remember from section 10.4.2 that, generally, all nouns that end with feminine markers (ة, اء, and ىٰ) can form the āt sound plural.

There are some nouns that are excepted from this statement. These nouns only have broken plurals and don’t form sound plurals. For female intelligent beings, these nouns are:

Adjectival nouns of the pattern ²فَعْلَاء which is the feminine of the masculine adjectival noun pattern ²أَفْعَل. For example, «حور» حَوْرَاء ḥawrāʾ “a beautiful eyed one_f” uses the broken plural حُور ḥūr
Adjectival nouns of the pattern ²فَعْلَىٰ which is the feminine of the masculine adjectival noun pattern ²فَعْلَان. For example, «غضب» غَضْبَىٰ g͡haḍbā “very angry_f” uses the broken plural غِضَاب g͡hiḍāb.
The following exceptional nouns:
- ٱِمْرَأَة “a woman”, broken plural: نِسَاء
- أَمَة “a slave_f”, broken plural: إِمَاء

In the case of these nouns we have no choice but to use the broken plural.

For other nouns that denote female intelligent beings, the use of the āt sound plural is preferred over any broken plurals that the noun may have.

So, for example, the use of the āt sound plural صَغِيرَات is preferred over the broken plural صِغَار for the adjectival noun صَغِيرَة “a small one_f”

The following are excepted from this general statement:

أُنْثَىٰ “a female”, plural: إِنَاث. The āt sound plural is almost unused for this word.
Broken plurals of the patterns:
- ²فَوَاعِل fawāɛil²
- ²فَعَائِل faɛāʾil²
These broken plural patterns are, in fact, predominantly used for female intelligent beings and non-intelligent beings, and only rarely for male intelligent beings. So the broken plural ²جَوَارٍ “girls” may be used freely as the plural of جَارِيَة “a girl” and is not preferred over by جَارِيَات. Similarly, ²صَوَاحِب may freely be used as the plural of صَاحِبَة.

Only a few nouns denoting male intelligent beings have broken plurals on these patterns, like:
- فَارِس “a horseman”, plural: ²فَوَارِس
- خَلِيفَة “a successor”, plural: ²خَلَائِف

In conclusion, with the general preference of using the āt sound plural over the broken plural for female intelligent beings, you will find that نِسَاء nisāʾ “women” is the only widely found broken plural for female intelligent beings in normal usage.

11.5.2.2 Non-intelligent beings

For non-intelligent beings, the broken plural is preferred for use over āt sound plurals.

So, for example, ²حَدَائِق ḥadāʾiq² is preferred over حَدِيقَات ḥadīqāt as the plural of حَدِيقَة, though both are correct.

11.6 Usage of plurals of intelligent beings

We will now discuss how plurals are used in Arabic. Using plurals is more complicated than using duals.

In order to explain their usage systematically, we will treat plurals of intelligent beings separately from the plurals of non-intelligent beings.

The usage of plurals of intelligent beings is more straightforward and in line with what we have studied for duals. We will discuss descriptive noun-phrases, subject-information sentences, and verbal sentences.

11.6.1 Plurals in descriptive noun-phrases

Consistent with what we have learned so far, when the describee in a noun-phrase is plural, then the describer comes after it, and matches it in state, definiteness, gender, and number.

Either or both of the describer and the describee may be sound plurals or broken plurals.

Here are some examples:

لَعِبَ ٱلطِّفْلُ ٱلصَّغِيرُ مَعَ ٱلْغِلْمَانِ ٱلْکِبَارِ.
laɛiba -ṭṭiflu -ṣṣag͡hīru maɛa -lg͡hilmāni -lkibār.
“The small child played with the big boys.”

أَخَذَ ٱلتِّلْمِيذُ ٱلْعِلْمَ عَنِ ٱلْمُعَلِّمِينَ ٱلْکِرَامِ.
ʾak͡had͡ha -ttilmīd͡hu -lɛilma ɛani -lmuɛallimīna -lkirām.
“The pupil took knowledge from the noble teachers.”

لِلْجَارِيَةِ صَوَاحِبُ طَيِّبَاتٌ.
liljāriyati ṣawāhibu ṭayyibāt.
“The girl has good companions_f.”

فِي ٱلسُّوقِ تُجَّارٌ صَادِقُونَ.
fi -ssūqi tujjārun ṣadiqūn.
“In the market are honest traders.”

خَدَمَ ٱلرَّجُلُ ٱلصَّالِحُ ٱلْغَنِيُّ ٱلْفُقَرَاءَ ٱلضِّعَافَ مِنَ ٱلْيَتَامَىٰ ٱلصِّغَارِ.
k͡hadama -rrajulu -ṣṣāliḥu -lg͡haniyyu -lfuqarāʾa -ḍḍiɛāfa mina -lyatāmā -ṣṣig͡hār.
“The rich righteous man served the weak poor ones from the little orphans.”

11.6.2 Plurals in subject-information sentences

If the subject of a sentence is a plural denoting intelligent beings then the information typically matches it in being a plural. This is especially the case if the information is an adjectival noun. For example:

ٱلْغِلْمَانُ أَطْفَالٌ طَيِّبُونَ.
ʾalg͡hilmānu ʾaṭfālun ṭayyibūn.
“The boys are good children.”

ٱَلرِّجَالُ أَغْنِيَاءُ.
ʾarrijālu ʾag͡hniyāʾ.
“The men are rich.”

ٱَلْمُعَلِّمَاتُ عَالِمَاتٌ.
ʾalmuɛallimātu ɛālimāt,
“The teachers_f are scholars_f.”

Sometimes the information may not match the subject in plurality because of the meaning of the sentence. For example:

ٱَلْمُسْلِمُونَ أَمَّةٌ.
ʾalmuslimūna ʾummah.
“The Muslims are a nation.”

ٱَلْجِيرَانُ ٱلطَّيِّبُونَ نِعْمَةٌ مِنَ ٱللَّـٰهِ.
ʾaljīrānu -ṭṭayyibūna niɛmatun mina -llāh.
“Good neighbors are a blessing from Allah.”

With regards to detached pronouns, the same detached pronouns are used with detached plurals that we learned for in section 10.5 for sound plurals. Examples:

أَنْتُنَّ نِسَاءٌ کَرِيمَاتٌ.
ʾantunna nisāʾun karīmāt.
“You_3,f are generous women.”

أَنْتُمْ شُبَّانٌ شُجْعَانٌ.
ʾantum s͡hubbānun s͡hujɛānun
“You_m,3 are courageous young men.”

ٱَلشَّيَاطِينُ هُمُ ٱلْمَلَاعِنُ.
ʾas͡hs͡hayāṭīnu humu -lmalāɛīn.
“The devils are the accursed ones.”

هُنَّ نِسَاءٌ غَنِيَّاتٌ.
hunna nisāʾun g͡haniyyāt.
“They_3,f are rich women.”

نَحْنُ غِلْمَانٌ أَصْدِقَاءُ.
naḥnu g͡hilmānun ʾaṣdiqāʾ.
“We are boys who are friends.”

11.6.3 Plurals with verbs

We have already studied verbs with sound plurals in section 10.7. The same discussion applies to broken plurals as well. The doer and doee pronouns are the same. Here are a couple of examples:

قَرَأَتِ ٱلنِّسَاءُ وَکَتَبْنَ.
qaraʾati -nnisāʾu wakatabn.
“The women read and wrote.”

ٱَلْغِلْمَانُ لَعِبُوا بِکُرَةٍ حَمْرَاءَ.
ʾalg͡hilmānu laɛibū bikuratin ḥamrāʾ.
“The boys, they played with a red ball.”

طَبَخَتِ ٱلنِّسَاءُ طَعَامًا لِلرِّجَال فَأَکَلُوهُ وَشَکَرُوهُنَّ.
ṭabak͡hati -nnisāʾu ṭaɛāman lirrijāli faʾakalūhu was͡hakarūhunn.
“The women prepared some food for the men, so they_3,m ate it and they_3,m thanked them_3,f.

ظَلَمَ ٱلْجَبَابِرَةُ ٱلْمَسَاکِينَ وَقَتَلُوهُمْ.
ḍ͡halama -ljabābiratu -lmasākīna waqatalūhum.
“The tyrants wronged the needy ones_3,m and killed them_3,m.”

11.7 Usage of plurals of non-intelligent beings

We now turn our attention to plurals of non-intelligent beings. They treatment of plurals of non-intelligent beings is very different from everything we have learned so far. Regardless of the grammatical or physical gender of the singular noun, plurals of non-intelligent beings are treated, for the purposes of matching adjectival nouns and pronouns, as:

grammatically feminine singular
grammatically feminine plural

It is optional which of the above two treatments one uses. However, the former option (feminine singular) is more common and is generally preferred.

For the second option (feminine plural), in addition to the sound feminine plural of adjectival nouns, broken plurals are allowed to be used as well, as long as their meaning allows them to be used for non-intelligent beings.

So, for example, the noun بَيت bayt denotes the inanimate object “a house”. It’s plural is بُيُوت. This plural is treated as either feminine singular or feminine plural. This is despite the fact that the singular noun بَيْت bayt “a house” is grammatically masculine. See how the بُيُوت buyūt is used in the examples below:

ٱَلْبُيُوتُ کَبِيرَةٌ.
ٱَلْبُيُوتُ کَبِيرَاتٌ.
ٱَلْبُيُوتُ کِبَارٌ.
“The houses are big.”

سَکَنُوا فِي بُيُوتٍ صَغِيرَةٍ.
سَکَنُوا فِي بُيُوتٍ صَغِيرَاتٍ.
سَکَنُوا فِي بُيُوتٍ صِغَارٍ.
“They_3,m lived in ssmall houses.”

سَقَطَتِ ٱلْبُيُوتُ.
“The houses fell.”

ٱَلْبُيُوتُ سَقَطَتْ.
ٱَلْبُيُوتُ سَقَطْنَ.
“The houses, they fell.”

هِيَ بُيُوتٌ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ.
هُنَّ بُيُوتٌ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ.
“They are houses for the poor.”

Plurals of inanimate objects and animals (both male and female) are treated the same way. It doesn’t matter what the grammatical or physical gender of the singular is or whether it has a sound or broken plural. Examples:

هِيَ ثِيرَانٌ وَحْشَةٌ.
هِيَ ثِيرَانٌ وُحُوشٌ.
هُنَّ ثِيرَانٌ وَحْشَاتٌ.
“They are wild bulls.”

ٱَلْهِرَرَةُ شَرِبَتِ ٱلْحَلِيبَ.
ٱَلْهِرَرَةُ شَرِبْنَ ٱلْحَلِيبَ.
“The cats_m, they drank the milk.”

ٱَلْهِرَرُ شَرِبَتِ ٱلْحَلِيبَ.
ٱَلْهِرَرُ شَرِبْنَ ٱلْحَلِيبَ.
“The cats_f, they drank the milk.”

ٱَلسُّفُنُ طَوِيلَة.
ٱَلسُّفُنُ طِوَالٌ.
ٱَلسُّفُنُ طَوِيلَاتٌ.
“The ships are tall.”

فِي ٱلصُّنْدُوقُ أَشْيَاءُ عَجِيبَةٌ.
فِي ٱلصُّنْدُوقُ أَشْيَاءُ عَجِيبَاتٌ.
“In the box are wonderful things.”
(Note how ²أَشْيَاء is indefinite but is not nūnated. This is because it is irregularly semi-flexible.)

By the way, this rule only applies to adjectival nouns in the describee or the information. A common noun in the describer or information will continue match the describee or subject in gender and number.

For example, if you say:

ٱَلْأَفْعَالُ ٱلصَّالِحَةُ هِيَ ٱلْحَسَنَةُ.
“The righteous acts are the good ones.”

then حَسَنَة may only be the feminine adjectival noun “a good one”.

If instead you want to use حَسَنَة with its common noun meaning of “a good deed”, then you have the use the plural:

ٱَلْأَفْعَالُ ٱلصَّالِحَةُ هِيَ ٱلْحَسَنَاتُ.
“The acts are the good deeds.”

The plural هِي may continue to be used instead of هُنَّ, although the latter is also valid:

ٱَلْأَفْعَالُ ٱلصَّالِحَةُ هُنَّ ٱلْحَسَنَاتُ.
“The acts are the good deeds.”

Similarly, if an adjectival noun connoting a non-intelligent being is used not as a describer or an information in a sentence, then it should be pluralized to indicate plurality.

ٱَلْحَيَوَانَاتُ صَغِيرَةٌ وَکَبِيرَةٌ. ٱَلْکَبِيرَاتُ وَحْشَةٌ.
“The animals are big and small. The big ones are wild.”

In the second sentence above, we could not have said (for the same meaning):

\(\times\) ٱَلْحَيَوَانَاتُ صَغِيرَةٌ وَکَبِيرَةٌ. ٱَلْكَبِيرَةُ وَحْشَةٌ.

It is important to note that treating non-intelligent beings as grammatically feminine is only for the plural. Singular and dual nouns for non-intelligent beings are treated according to the gender of singular noun, as we have learned in previous chapters. So, for example,

ٱَلْبَيْتُ کَبِيرٌ.
“The house is big.”
not
\(\times\) ٱَلْبَيْتُ کَبِيرَة.

أَکَلَ ٱلْأَسَدَانِ ٱلظَّبْيَ.
“The lions₂ ate the gazelle.”
not
\(\times\) أَکَلَتِ ٱلْأَسَدَانِ ٱلظَّبْيَ.

11.7.1 Preferring the feminine plural instead of the feminine singular

In most cases we will prefer to use the feminine singular over the feminine plural for plurals of non-intelligent beings. So,

ٱلْأُسُودُ أَکَلَتِ ٱلظَّبْيَ.
“The lions, they ate the gazelle.”

is generally preferred over

ٱلْأُسُودُ أَکَلْنَ ٱلظَّبْيَ.
“The lions, they ate the gazelle.”

However, there may be a couple of reasons to prefer the feminine plural instead of the feminine singular. We will explain them below.

11.7.1.1 Using the feminine plural to indicate fewness

In some circumstances the feminine plural may be used to indicate fewness whereas the feminine singular will be used to indicate a multitude.

So if we say,

ٱلْأُسُودُ أَکَلْنَ ٱلظَّبْيَ.
“The lions, they ate the gazelle.”

then this would indicate that there were only a few lions (say ten or less).

And if, instead, we said:

ٱلْأُسُودُ أَکَلَتِ ٱلظَّبْيَ.
“The lions, they ate the gazelle.”

then this would indicate that there were many lions.

This may seem counter-intuitive at first but you may understand it this way:

If there are many lions then we treat them as one group.

And if there are only a few lions, then we treat them one-by-one.

11.7.1.2 Using the feminine plural to avoid confusion

Sometimes, if the plural noun is not immediately mentioned, then using the feminine singular may be misinterpreted to only mean one instead of the plural. For example, consider the following example:

شَرِبَتِ ٱلْهِرَرُ ٱلْحَلِيبَ وَمَا شَرِبَتْهُ هِرَّةٌ.
“The cats_f drank the milk and one cat_f didn’t drink it.”

If we want to follow this sentence with another sentence: “Then they went.”, if we use the feminine singular:

ثُمَّ ذَهَبَتْ.

then this might be misinterpreted to mean that only one cat (the one that didn’t drink the milk) went.

So we might prefer to say, instead:

ثُمَّ ذَهَبْنَ.

صُورَة: صُوَر	a picture	دَوْلَة: دُوَل	a dynasty/state
أُمَّة: أُمَم	a nation	رُکْبَة: رُکَب	a knee

کِتَاب: کُتُب	a book	رَسُول: رُسُل	a messenger
جِدَار: جُدُر	a wall	سَفِينَة: سُفُن	a ship

قِطْعَة: قِطَع	a piece	سِيرَة: سِيَر	a course of life
هِرَّة: هِرَر	a cat_f

رَاکِع: رُکَّع	one who bowes_m	غَائِب: غُيَّب	absent
راکعَة: رُکَّع	one who bowes_f

سَاحِر: سَحَرَة	a magician_m	قَاتِل: قَتَلَة	a killer_m
عَامِل: عَمَلَة	a labourer_m	سَيِّد: سَادَة	a chief_m

دُبّ: دِبَبَة	a bear	قِرْد: قِرَدَة	a monkey
هِرّ: هِرَرَة	a cat_m

رِجْل: أَرْجُل	a leg	شَهْر: أَشْهُر	a month
نَفْس: أَنْفُس	a self	عَيْن: أَعْيُن	an eye

لِسَان: أَلْسِنَة	a tongue	طَعَام: أَطْعِمَة	a food
إِمَام: أَئِمَّة	a leader_m	إِلَـٰه: آلِهَة	a god

بَلَد: بُلْدَان	a country	شُجَاع: شُجْعَان	a brave one
جِدَار: جُدْرَان	a wall	شَابّ: شُبَّان	a young man

²مَرِيض: مَرْضَىٰ	a sick one_m	²جَرِيح: جَرْحَىٰ	a wounded person
²أَسِير: أَسْرَىٰ	a captive

²لَيْلَة: لَيَالٍ	a night	²أَرْض: أَرَاضٍ	a land, an earth
²أَهْل: أَهَالٍ	a family

Root	Singular	Plural
«أخو»	أَخ	إِخْوَان، إِخْوَة
«أمو»	أَمَة	إِمَاء