In Arabic, there are two types of noun and adjective plural forms: sound (regular) plurals, and broken (irregular) plurals. Masculine sound plural nouns end in ون and feminine sound plural nouns end in ات.
teachers
|
معلمات
|
معلمون
|
beginners
|
مبتدءات
|
مبتدؤون
|
muslims
|
مسلمات
|
مسلمون
|
thinkers
|
مفكّرات
|
مفكّرون
|
translators
|
مترجمات
|
مترجمون
|
Usually feminine inanimate nouns that end in ta marbuta take the feminine sound plural.
words
|
كلمات
|
word
|
كلمة
|
tables
|
طاولات
|
table
|
طاولة
|
There are some important exceptions to this rule though.
cities
|
مدن
|
city
|
مدينة
|
box
|
علب
|
box
|
علبة
|
There are also some masculine nouns, usually borrowed words, that take the feminine sound plural.
televisions
|
تلفزيونات
|
television
|
تلفزيون
|
radios
|
راديوهات
|
radio
|
راديو
|
telephones
|
تلفونات
|
telephone
|
تلفون
|
The masculine sound plural is never used with inanimate nouns.
Adjectives
Adjectives that modify masculine nouns end in ون, and adjectives that modify feminine nouns end in ات.
beautiful
|
جميلات
|
جميلون
|
poor
|
فقيرات
|
فقيرون
|
tired
|
متعبات
|
متعبون
|
bad
|
سيئات
|
سيئون
|
sad
|
حزينات
|
حزينون
|
Irregular Plurals
Lots of irregular adjectives.
big
|
كبيرات
|
كبار
|
hungry
|
جائعات
|
جياع
|
Irregular Plurals
Arabic has lots of irregular plurals- known as broken plurals. The plural form is expressed by changing the stem of the singular form.
men
|
رجال
|
man
|
رَجُلٌ
|
women
|
نِسوة
|
woman
|
امرأة
|
For people nouns that have both masculine and feminine forms, often the feminine plural is regular and the masculine plural irregular.
students (f.)
|
طالبات
|
students (m.)
|
طلاب
|
professors / teachers (f.)
|
أستاذات
|
professors / teachers (m.)
|
أساتذة
|
experts (f.)
|
خبيرات
|
experts (m.)
|
خبراء
|
friends (f.)
|
صديقـات
|
friends (m.)
|
أصدقاء
|
colleagues (f.)
|
زميلات
|
colleagues (m.)
|
زملاء
|
Following are the plural subject pronouns.
we
|
نحنُ
|
you (plural m.)
|
أنتُم
|
you (plural f.)
|
أنتُنَّ
|
they (plural m.)
|
هُم
|
they (plural f.)
|
هُنَّ
|
They are teachers (f.).
|
هن معلمات.
|
They are teachers (m.).
|
هم معلمون.
|
نحنُ is also used for dual 'we'. هؤلاء is the both the masculine and the feminine form of these.
These are friends(feminine).
|
هؤلاء صديقات
|
These are friends(masculine).
|
هؤلاء أصدقاء
|
|