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Non-Human Plurals Act Like Feminine Singulars
By ArabicTree | January 19, 2008
In Arabic, you have singular, dual, and plural. You also have humans, and non-human (or irrational, or non-intelligent) beings.
With humans, as you’d expect, the plural is plural. However, plurals for non-humans are treated as feminine singular grammatically. Let’s clarify by example:
هُم مُسلِمُونَ: They are Muslims.
هِيَ كِلابٌ: They are dogs.
In the first sentence, the word used to refer to Muslims–hum–is a third-person masculine plural.
However, in the second sentence, you’ll see the word used to refer to dogs–hiya–is actually feminine singular, because the non-human plural acts as feminine singular.
Let’s take another example:
لِي بَطَّاتٌ صَغِيرَةٌ: I have small ducks. The word used for small-saghiyrah–is actully feminine singular (even though the word for ducks–battaat–is feminine plural) because the non-human plural acts as feminine singular.
One final example to drill this home:
أينَ القِطَّاتُ؟ خَرَجَت مِن البَيتِ: Where are the cats? They left from the house.
The form of kharaja used for the cats is kharajat–the feminine singular, even though the word used for cats, qittaat, is feminine plural–because the non-human plural acts as feminine singular.
In all aspects, in all ways, the non-human plural acts like the feminine singular, grammatically speaking.
Topics: Beginner, Grammar | 4 Comments »
September 4th, 2009 at 11:32 am
[...] What’s going on? The answer is, Arabic treats the non-human plural as feminine singular. Read all about it at Arabic Tree (if you’re interested). It’s complicated, I know. That’s why Al-Jibaal works with [...]
April 10th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Assalamu alaikum
In the first ayah of the third Juz, it says ‘Tilka rusul…’ How come tilka is used rather than ulaa’ika? The word rusul here is being treated as singular feminine right? But it’s not referring to something non-human.
April 10th, 2010 at 8:49 am
Wa’alikum as-salaam,
Allahu a’lam, I don’t know.
May 9th, 2010 at 5:56 am
Jazakallahu khairan. Good reply.
I think I might have found the answer:
As for the الْجَمْع الْمُكَسَّر الْعَاقِل (broken plural referring to intelligent beings) when it (i.e. the الْعَامِل ) is مُسْنَد to the الضَّمِيْر referring to it (i.e. to the الْجَمْع الْمُكَسَّر الْعَاقِل ) then it is necessary for its الْعَامِل to be مُفْرَد مُؤَنَّث (feminine singular) or جَمْع مُذَكَّر (masculine plural), like: “الرِّجَالُ جَاءَتْ أَوْ جَاؤُوْا أَوْ جَائِيَةٌ أَوْ جَاؤُوْنَ” (the men came or are coming).
(http://www.lisanularab.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3096&postcount=3)