Lesson 72 · بُنَيَّ
Little words: the diminutive فُعَيْلٌ
Arabic makes something small, or dear, by changing its vowels to فُعَيْلٌ: جَبَلٌ (mountain) → جُبَيْلٌ (hill), نَهْرٌ (river) → نُهَيْرٌ (stream), وَلَدٌ (boy) → وُلَيْدٌ (little boy). This is called التَّصْغِيرُ.
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Examples
اِشْتَرَيْتُ كُتَيِّبًا صَغِيرًاishtaraytu kutayyiban ṣaghiiranI bought a small booklet.
صَعِدْنَا الْجُبَيْلَṣaʿidna l-jubaylaWe climbed the hill.
يَا بُنَيَّ، اِسْمَعْ كَلَامِيyaa bunayya, ismaʿ kalaamiiMy dear son, listen to what I say.
وَصَلْنَا قُبَيْلَ الْمَغْرِبِwaṣalnaa qubayla l-maghribiWe arrived just before Maghrib.
يَجْرِي نُهَيْرٌ فِي الْوَادِيyajrii nuhayrun fil-waadiiA stream runs through the valley.
عِنْدِي دُرَيْهِمَاتٌʿindii durayhimaatunI have a few small coins.
Key points
- Longer words follow فُعَيْعِلٌ: دِرْهَمٌ → دُرَيْهِمٌ (a small coin). A long vowel before the last letter turns into يّ: كِتَابٌ → كُتَيِّبٌ (booklet, a word you will see in every bookshop).
- قَبْلَ and بَعْدَ have diminutives too: قُبَيْلَ الْمَغْرِبِ (just before Maghrib) · بُعَيْدَ الْعَصْرِ (just after Asr).
- It also shows affection: يَا بُنَيَّ (my dear son), from ابْنٌ, as Luqman says to his son in the Quran: يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللّٰهِ. Many names are diminutives: حُسَيْنٌ from حَسَنٌ, عُبَيْدٌ from عَبْدٌ.
Practice
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Make the diminutive of نَهْرٌ (river).
نُهَيْرٌ nuhayrun
a stream
Make the diminutive of وَلَدٌ (boy).
وُلَيْدٌ wulaydun
a little boy
Say “just after Asr”.
بُعَيْدَ الْعَصْرِ buʿayda l-ʿaṣri