Lesson 15 · كِتَابَانِ
Two of something: the dual
Arabic has a form just for two things. Add ـَانِ (-aani) to the word: كِتَابٌ (a book) becomes كِتَابَانِ (two books). For words ending in ـة, it turns into an ordinary ت: سَيَّارَةٌ becomes سَيَّارَتَانِ (two cars). You don’t need the word for “two”.
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
كِتَابَانِkitaabaanitwo books
سَيَّارَتَانِsayyaarataanitwo cars
هٰذَانِ قَلَمَانِhaadhaani qalamaaniThese are two pens.
هَاتَانِ طَالِبَتَانِhaataani ṭaalibataaniThese are two (female) students.
عِنْدِي أَخَوَانِʿindii akhawaaniI have two brothers.
الْوَلَدَانِ فِي الْحَدِيقَةِal-waladaani fil-ḥadiiqatiThe two boys are in the garden.
جَلَسْتُ بَيْنَ الطَّالِبَيْنِjalastu bayna ṭ-ṭaalibayniI sat between the two students.
هُمَا مُهَنْدِسَانِhumaa muhandisaaniThey (two) are engineers.
Key points
- Point at two with هٰذَانِ (these two, masculine) and هَاتَانِ (these two, feminine): هٰذَانِ قَلَمَانِ (These are two pens).
- After فِي, عَلَى, مِنْ and other little words, ـَانِ becomes ـَيْنِ (-ayni): فِي الْبَيْتَيْنِ (in the two houses).
- Describing words take the same ending: وَلَدَانِ صَغِيرَانِ (two small boys).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Make “two doors” from بَابٌ.
بَابَانِ baabaani
Make “two schools” from مَدْرَسَةٌ.
مَدْرَسَتَانِ madrasataani
The ة turns into ت before the ending.
Say “in the two cars”.
فِي السَّيَّارَتَيْنِ fis-sayyaaratayni