Table of Contents
General Remarks
The majority of Arabic nouns form their plural using the broken plural.
There are hardly any rules that allow one to reliably derive the correct plural form from the singular. For this reason, the learner must memorize at least two forms for every noun:
the singular and the plural.
Some regularities in plural formation exist only for certain groups of verbal nouns, which form the sound plural. Relevant notes will be given in the corresponding lessons.
Common Patterns
There are numerous broken plural patterns. The most frequently occurring ones are:
- fiʿāl (فِعَال)
- afʿāl (أَفْعَال)
- fuʿūl (فُعُول)
Nouns with the pattern fiʿāl (فِعَال) include:
- kabīr → kibār (كبير → كبار) — big → big (pl.)
- ṣaghīr → ṣiġār (صغير → صغار) — small → small (pl.)
- qaṣīr → qiṣār (قصير → قصار) — short → short (pl.)
- ṭawīl → ṭiwāl (طويل → طوال) — long → long (pl.)
- ṣaḥīḥ → ṣiḥāḥ (صحيح → صحاح) — correct/healthy → correct/healthy (pl.)
Nouns with the pattern afʿāl (أَفْعَال) include:
- qalam → aqlām (قلم → أقلام) — pen → pens
- waraq → awrāq (ورق → أوراق) — paper → papers
- lawḥ → alwāḥ (لوح → ألواح) — board → boards
- bāb → abwāb (باب → أبواب) — door → doors
Nouns with the pattern fuʿūl (فُعُول) include:
- bayt → buyūt (بيت → بيوت) — house → houses
- saqf → suqūf (سقف → سقوف) — roof → roofs
Further broken plural patterns include, among others:
faʿl, fuʿl, fiʿl, fuʿal, afʿila, afʿul, fawāʿil, faʿāʿil, faʿālīl, afʿilāʾ, fuʿalāʾ