Lesson 73 · أَقْلَامٌ
Broken plurals: the common patterns
Most Arabic nouns make their plural by changing their inside vowels (lesson 10). There are many patterns, but a handful cover most everyday words. Learn them as shapes: قَلَمٌ → أَقْلَامٌ follows أَفْعَالٌ; بَيْتٌ → بُيُوتٌ follows فُعُولٌ.
Learn with pictures
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Examples
هٰذِهِ أَقْلَامٌ جَدِيدَةٌhaadhihi aqlaamun jadiidatunThese are new pens.
الْبُيُوتُ قَرِيبَةٌ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِal-buyuutu qariibatun mina l-masjidiThe houses are near the mosque.
فِي الْمَسْجِدِ رِجَالٌ كَثِيرُونَfil-masjidi rijaalun kathiiruunaThere are many men in the mosque.
اِجْتَمَعَ الْوُزَرَاءُijtamaʿa l-wuzaraa’uThe ministers met.
زُمَلَائِي فِي الْعَمَلِ لُطَفَاءُzumalaa’ii fil-ʿamali luṭafaa’uMy colleagues at work are kind.
أَيْنَ الْمَفَاتِيحُ؟ayna l-mafaatiiḥu?Where are the keys?
Key points
- أَفْعَالٌ: قَلَمٌ → أَقْلَامٌ · وَلَدٌ → أَوْلَادٌ · سُوقٌ → أَسْوَاقٌ · يَوْمٌ → أَيَّامٌ. فُعُولٌ: بَيْتٌ → بُيُوتٌ · دَرْسٌ → دُرُوسٌ · قَلْبٌ → قُلُوبٌ.
- فِعَالٌ: رَجُلٌ → رِجَالٌ · جَبَلٌ → جِبَالٌ · كَبِيرٌ → كِبَارٌ. فُعَلَاءُ for people: وَزِيرٌ → وُزَرَاءُ (ministers) · زَمِيلٌ → زُمَلَاءُ (colleagues) · عَالِمٌ → عُلَمَاءُ (scholars).
- Longer words use مَفَاعِلُ or مَفَاعِيلُ, with no tanween (lesson 54): مَكْتَبٌ → مَكَاتِبُ · مِفْتَاحٌ → مَفَاتِيحُ. Plurals of things are treated as feminine singular: الْبُيُوتُ كَبِيرَةٌ (the houses are big).
Practice
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Give the plural of بَابٌ (door) on the pattern أَفْعَالٌ.
أَبْوَابٌ abwaabun
Give the plural of مَلِكٌ (king) on the pattern فُعُولٌ.
مُلُوكٌ muluukun
Give the plural of مَسْجِدٌ.
مَسَاجِدُ masaajidu