Lesson 9: Female & Plural Nouns in Arabic
Let’s tackle plural and feminine words. Today, we’ll learn how to form them. Be careful, though
– Arabic has plenty of irregular forms.
Feminine Words: Review
In Arabic, many feminine words end in ة (taaʾ marbuuṭa). This letter sounds like "a" at the end of a word, like in:
-
أستاذة (ustaadha) — female teacher
-
طالبة (ṭaaliba) — female student
-
مدرسة (madrasa) — school
But be careful! When we add possessive endings, the taaʾ marbuuṭa (ة) changes to a "t" sound for pronunciation and writing.
Example:
-
مدرستي (madrasti) — my school (The a in madrasa becomes t before adding -i.)
Feminine Plurals (Regular)
To make the plural of feminine words, just remove the taaʾ marbuuṭa and add -aat (ات):
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| أستاذة (ustaadha) | أستاذات (ustaadhaat) |
| طالبة (ṭaaliba) | طالبات (ṭaalibaat) |
For masculine words, regular plurals often add -iin (ين).
Example:
-
معلم (m3allim) — male teacher
-
معلمين (m3allmiin) — male (+ female) teachers
In the feminine plurals we saw ustaadhaat (أستاذات) as the feminine plural of ustadha (أستاذة). Since ustadha and m3allima are synonyms. We can also say:
-
معلم (m3allim) — male teacher
-
معلمين (m3allmiin) — male (+ female) teachers
- معلمة (m3allime) — female teacher
Irregular Plurals
Some masculine words have broken (irregular) plurals, which follow unique patterns. You will learn them slowly by practice. Some examples:
| Singular | Plural | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| طالب (ṭaalib) | طلاب (ṭullaab) | Irregular |
| أستاذ (ustaadh) | أساتذة (asaatidha) | Irregular |
| مدرسة (madrase) | مدارس (madaaris) | Feminine words usually have regular plurals, but not always! |
Vocabulary You Learned
We’ve learned that m3allim is a synonym of ustaadh. While m3allim is more commonly used in Syria, ustaadh is more frequently used in Lebanon.
Great job today! If you feel like pushing yourself a little further, here are a few practice exercises you can try to test your understanding. Translate these sentences!