Not ready for study.
9 Duals
9.1 Introduction
For any number greater than one, English uses the plural. For example, the plural of “house” is “houses”. So in English we will say:
“two houses”
Arabic, on the other hand, uses the plural only for nouns in number three and higher. For nouns that are two in number Arabic uses the dual.
Since English does not have a dual, we will sometimes indicate it using the the subscript 2, thus: “houses2”, to mean “two houses”.
9.2 Forming the dual
The dual is formed by appending the dual suffix ◌َانِ -āni when the noun is in the u-state and ◌َيْنِ -ayni when the noun is in the a-state or i-state. Definite nouns, which have ٱَلْ in their beginning are dualized the same way.
For example, when we dualize بَيْت bayt “a house” in order to say “houses2”, we get:
| States | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| u-state | بَيْتَانِ baytāni | ٱَلْبَيْتَانِ ʾalbaytāni |
| a- and i-states | بَيْتَيْنِ baytayni | ٱَلْبَيْتَيْنِ ʾalbaytayni |
Note that indefinite duals are not nūnated. The only difference between definite and indefinite duals is the definite article ٱَلْ “the”.
Here are examples of duals in sentences:
u-state:
ٱَلْکِتَابَانِ فِي ٱلْحَقِيبَةِ.
ʾalkitābāni fi -lḥaqībah.
“The books2 are in the bag.”a-state:
قَرَأَ ٱلْغُلَامُ کِتَابَيْنِ.
qaraʾa -lg͡hulāmu kitābayn.
“The boy read two books.”i-state:
غَضِبَتِ ٱلْأُمُّ عَلَى ٱلْجَارِيَتَيْنِ.
g͡haḍibati -lʾummu ɛala -ljāriyatayn.
“The mother became angry at the girls2.” ### Nouns ending in ة
If a noun ends with a ة, then it is converted to a ت before appending the dual suffix. For example, dualizing شَجَرَة s͡hajarah “a tree”, we get “trees2”:
| States | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| u-state | شَجَرَتَانِ s͡hajaratāni | ٱَلشَّجَرَتَانِ ʾas͡hs͡hajaratāni |
| a- and i-states | شَجَرَتَيْنِ s͡hajaratayni | ٱَلشَّجَرَتَيْنِ ʾas͡hs͡hajaratayni |
Example:
ٱَلشَّجَرَتَانِ فِي ٱلْحَدِيقَةِ.
ʾas͡hs͡haratāni fi -lḥadīqah.
“The trees2 are in the garden.”
If a feminine noun does end with a ة then it will simply be appended with ◌َانِ -āni and ◌َيْنِ -ayni. For example, dualizing أُمّ ʾumm “a mother” in order to get “mothers2”, we get:
- u-state: أُمَّانِ ʾummāni
- a-state and i-state: أُمَّيْنِ ʾummayni
There are some nouns that end with an أَلِف before the ة, like فَتَاة fatāh “a young woman”. We will learn how to dualize these nouns later, if Allāh wills.
9.2.1 Nouns ending with اء
If a noun ends with the feminine marker اء which is extrinsic to the word’s root then the ء shall be replaced with a و when forming the dual. Examples:
| Root | Singular | Dual (u-state) | Dual (a- and i-states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| «صحر» | صَحْرَاء ṣaḥrāʾ “a desert” | صَحْرَاوَانِ ṣaḥrāwāni | صَحْرَاوَيْنِ ṣaḥrāwayni |
| «حمر» | حَمْرَاء ḥamrāʾ “redf” | حَمْرَاوَانِ ḥamrāwāni | حَمْرَاوَيْنِ ḥamrāwayni |
There are other words where the ء in the اء ending originates from the word’s root. Example:
- «خبء» خِبَاء (masc.) “a tent”, pattern: فِعَال
We will learn how to form duals of these words in later chapters, if Allāh wills.
9.2.2 Nouns ending with ىٰ
If a noun ends with ىٰ which is extrinsic to the word’s root then the ىٰ shall be changed to a يَ when adding the dual suffixes. Examples:
| Root | Singular | Dual (u-state) | Dual (a- and i-states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| «غضب» | غَضْبَىٰ g͡haḍbā “very angryf” | غَضْبَيَانِ g͡haḍbayāni | غَضْبَيَيْنِ g͡haḍbayayni |
| «ذکر» | ذِکْرَىٰ d͡hikrā “a remembrance” | ذِکْرَيَانِ d͡hikrayāni | ذِکْرَيَيْنِ d͡hikrayayni |
Just like in the case of اء, there are some words where ىٰ is not extrinsic to the word’s root. Example:
- «هدي» ٱلْهُدَىٰ (masc.) “the guidance”, pattern: ٱَلْفُعَل
We will learn how to form duals of these words in later chapters, if Allāh wills.
9.3 Dual describers and describees in descriptive noun-phrases
We learned that when an adjectival noun is a describer in an descriptive noun-phrase, then it matches the describee in definiteness, state, and gender. For example:
ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ ٱلْقَدِيمَةِ.
d͡hahabtu ʾila -lmadīnati -lqadīmah.
“I went to the old city.”
To this we add that the describer shall also match the describee in number. So if the describee is a dual then the adjectival-noun describer shall be dualzed to match it. Examples:
ٱَلْأُمَّانِ ٱلطَّيِّبَتَانِ فِي ٱلْبَيْتِ.
ʾalʾummāni -ṭṭayyibatāni fi -lbayt.
“The good mothers2 are in the house.”
قَرَأَ ٱلْغُلَامُ کِتَابَيْنِ ثَقِيلَيْنِ قَدِيمَيْنِ.
qaraʾa -lg͡hulāmu kitābayni t͡haqīlatayni qadīmatayn.
“The boy read two old heavy books.”
9.4 Duals in subject-information sentences
In subject-information sentences, if the subject is a dual, and the information is a adjectival noun, then the information will typically match the subject in being a dual. For example:
ٱَلْأُمَّانِ کَرِيمَتَانِ.
ʾalʾummāni karīmatān.
“The mothers2 are generous.”
ٱَلْکِتَابَانِ ٱلْکَبِيرَانِ ثَقِيلَانِ.
ʾalkitābāni -lkabīrāni t͡haqīlān.
“The big books2 are heavy.”
Such is usually also the case even when the information is a common noun, not an adjectival noun. For example,
ٱَلرَّجُلَانِ مُعَلِّمَانِ.
ʾarrujulāni muɛallimān.
“The men2 are teachersm,2.”
Sometimes, however, the subject and information may not match in number because of the meaning of the sentence. For example,
ٱَلْوِسَادَتَانِ سَرِيرٌ.
ʾalwisādatāni sarīr.
“The two cushions are a bed.”
In the above example, the information does not match the subject in both number, and, as it happens, in gender.
9.5 Detached dual pronouns
We have already learned the detached pronouns that are used in place of singular nouns. They are repeated here:
| Singular participant | Detached pronoun |
|---|---|
| Masc. absentee | هُوَ huwa “he” |
| Fem. absentee | هِيَ hiya “she” |
| Masc. addressee | أَنْتَ ʾanta “youm,1” |
| Fem. addressee | أَنْتِ ʾanti “youf,1” |
| Speaker | أَنَا ʾana “I” |
Now we will learn the detached pronouns for the dual participants:
| Dual participant | Detached pronoun |
|---|---|
| Absentee | هُمَا humā “they2” |
| Addressee | أَنْتُمَا ʾantumā “you2” |
| Speaker | – |
Note that the dual detached pronouns are the same for both genders. Also, there is no detached pronoun for the dual speaker-participant. If the speaker-pariticipant consists of two individuals then we will use the plural pronoun, which we will learn in the next chapter, if Allāh wills.
Here are some examples of their use:
هُمَا ٱلرَّجُلَانِ.
huma -rrajulān.
“They2 are the men2.”
هُمَا مُعَلِّمَتَانِ کَرِيمَتَانِ.
humā muɛallimatāni karīmatāni.
“They2 are noble teachersf.”
قَالَتِ ٱلأُمُّ لِلْجَارِيَتَيْنِ أَنْتُمَا قَرِيبَتَانِ مِنِّي.
qālati -lʾummu liljāriyatayni ʾantumā qarībatāni minnī.
“The mother said to the girls2, ‘You2 are near me.’”
In the last example, the feminine adjectival-noun قَرِبَتَانِ qarībatāni is used because it is referring to the feminine noun ٱَلْجَارِيَتَيْنِ ʾaljāriyatayni “the girls2”.
9.6 Attached dual pronouns
We have also already learned the attached pronouns for the singular participant. They too are repeated here:
| Singular participant | Attached pronoun |
|---|---|
| Masc. absentee | هُ -hu “him” |
| Fem. absentee | هَا -hā “her” |
| Masc. addressee | کَ -ka “youm,1” |
| Fem. addressee | کِ -ki “youf,1” |
| Speaker | ي “me” |
Now we will learn the attached pronouns for the dual participant:
| Dual participant | Attached pronoun |
|---|---|
| Absentee | هُمَا -humā “them2” |
| Addressee | کُمَا -kumā “you2” |
| Speaker | – |
Note the following points about them:
Like the dual detached pronouns, the dual attached pronouns are the same for both genders. Also, there is no attached pronoun for the dual speaker-participant. Again, the plural pronoun will be used in this case.
The dual absentee-participant detached and attached pronouns (“they2”/“them2”) are the same هُمَا -humā.
Just like the absentee-participant singular masculine attached pronoun هُ hu “him”, the dual absentee-participant attached pronoun “them2” هُمَا -humā becomes هِمَا -himā when preceded by the vowels ◌ِ -i, ◌ِي -ī, or the semi-vowel ◌َيْ -ay. Examples:
- بِهِمَا bihimā “with them2”
- فِيهِمَا fīhimā “in them2”
- إِلَيْهِمَا ʾilayhimā “to them2”
The preposition لِ li “for” becomes لَ la when followed by the dual attached pronouns:
- لَهُمَا lahumā “for them2”
- لَکُمَا lakumā “for you2”
As expected, the long ā vowel at the ends of the dual attached pronouns becomes a short a vowel when followed by a connecting hamzah ٱ. Example:
- ذَهَبَ إِلَيْکُمَا ٱلرَّجُلُ.
d͡hahaba ʾilaykuma -rrajulu.
“The man went toward you2.”
- ذَهَبَ إِلَيْکُمَا ٱلرَّجُلُ.
9.7 Verbs with dual doers
9.7.1 Dual nouns for the doer
We learned that the completed-action verb for a masculine doer is on the pattern فَعَلَ. And when the doer is feminine, the ت of femininity is attached to the verb thus: فَعَلَتْ. We have used these verbs with singular doer nouns. The doer noun always comes after the verb and shall be in the u-state. Examples:
ذَهَبَ ٱلْغُلَامُ.
d͡hahaba -lg͡hulāmu.
“The boy went.”
ذَهَبَتْ جَارِيَةٌ.
d͡hahabat jāriyatun
“A girl went.”
These same verbs are used when the doer noun is a dual. Examples:
ذَهَبَ ٱلْغُلَامَانِ.
d͡hahaba -lg͡hulāmāni.
“The boys2 went.”
ذَهَبَتْ جَارِيَتَانِ.
d͡hahabat jāriyatāni.
“Two girls went.”
9.7.2 Dual pronouns for the doer
We have already learned the singular doer pronouns:
| Singular participant | Doer pronoun | Meaning | Doer pronoun with verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masc. absentee | invisible | “he” | فَعَلَ faɛala |
| Fem. absentee | invisible | “she” | فَعَلَتْ faɛalat |
| Masc. addressee | تَ -ta | “youm,2” | فَعَلْتَ faɛalta |
| Fem. addressee | تِ -ti | “youf,2” | فَعَلْتِ faɛalti |
| Speaker | تُ -tu | “I” | فَعَلْتُ faɛaltu |
Now we will learn the dual doer pronouns:
| Dual participant | Doer pronoun | Meaning | Doer pronoun with verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absentee | ◌َا -ā | “them2” | masc.: فَعَلَا faɛalā, fem: فَعَلَتَا faɛalatā |
| Addressee | تُمَا -tumā | “you2” | فَعَلْتُمَا faɛaltumā |
| Speaker | – | “us2” | – |
Note the following regarding the dual doer pronouns:
The dual doer pronouns are the same for both genders.
However, when the absentee-participant doer pronoun (◌َا -ā) is used for a feminine doer, it is attached to the verb with an intervening ت of femininity thus: فَعَلَتَا faɛalatā “theyf,2 did” Here are some examples of the dual doer pronouns:
سَأَلْتُمَانَا
saʾaltumānā
“You2 asked us”
سَأَلَتَاکُمَا
saʾalatākumā
“Theyf,2 asked you2”
سَأَلَاهُمَا
saʾalāhumā
“Theym,2 asked them2”
9.7.3 Sentence word order with dual doers
As we’ve mentioned, the doer, whether a noun or a pronoun, always comes after the verb. Here are a couple of examples of verbal sentences with dual doers:
ذَهَبَا إِلَىٰ بَيْتٍ.
d͡hahabā ʾilā baytin.
“They2 went to a house.”
ذَهَبَ ٱلرَّجُلَانِ إِلَىٰ بَيْتٍ.
d͡hahabā -rrujalāni ʾilā baytin.
“The men2 went to a house.”
The above verbal sentence can be rearranged to be a subject-information sentence. This gives more emphasis to the subject. In this case, the verb shall follow the subject and will need a doer pronoun after it.
ٱَلرَّجُلَانِ ذَهَبَا إِلَىٰ بَيْتٍ.
ʾarrujalāni d͡hahabā ʾilā baytin.
“The men2, they2 went to a house.”
= “The men2 went to a house.”
If there are multiple verbs associated with the same doer in a verbal sentence, the doer noun will follow the first verb and the rest of the verbs will have doer pronouns. For example:
أَکَلَ ٱلرَّجُلَانِ وَشَرِبَا وَذَهَبَا.
ʾakala -rrajulāni was͡haribā wad͡hahabā.
“The men2 ate and they2 drank and they2 went.”
= “The men2 ate and drank and went.”
The above verbal sentence can be rearranged to be a subject-information sentence. In that case, all the verbs shall have doer pronouns. The sentence will have the same translation as above, except for an emphasis on the subject of the sentence.
ٱَلرَّجُلَانِ أَکَلَا وَشَرِبَا وَذَهَبَا.
ʾarrajulāni ʾakalā was͡haribā wad͡hahabā.
“The men2, they2 ate and they2 drank and they2 went.”
= “The men2 ate and drank and went.”