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Special Masculine Plurals Posted by on Dec 15, 2014 in Arabic Language, Grammar

Sound masculine plural is a form used to refer to nouns and adjectives that refer to human masculine nouns, and it is marked by the suffix (ون) or (ين), for example

معلم – معلمون/ معلمين

مهندس – مهندسون/ مهندسين

لبناني – لبنانيون/ لبنانيين

المعلمون اللبنانيون مهتمون باللغات

Lebanese teachers are interested in languages.

يعمل الكثير من المهندسين المصريين في الكويت

Many Egyptian teachers work in Kuwait.

However, there are other nouns in Arabic that are marked with the sound masculine suffixes although they do not refer to human masculine nouns. Some of these nouns are listed below:

  • Numbers referring to tens, e.g

 

عشرون/عشرين، ثلاثون/ثلاثين، أربعون/أربعين، خمسون/خمسين، ، ستون/ستين، ، سبعون/سبعين، ثمانون/ثمانين، تسعون/تسعين

حضر عشرون رجلاً

Twenty Men arrived.

رأيت عشرين بيتا

I saw twenty houses.

 

 

  • سنون/سنين

 

أقمت في أمريكا بضع سنين

I stayed in America for several years.

 

مرت السنون سريعاً

Years passed very quickly.

  • عالمون/عالمين

 

“الحمد لله رب العالمين”

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Comments:

  1. Scheich Josef:

    مرحبا يا عزيزة!

    in Wright’s Grammar of the Arabic Language (Vol. I, § 302) there are several other interesting examples, like the plural أرضون / أرضين of the feminine word أرض for “land”.

    Even the plural إوزّون / إوزّين of the goose إوزّ for Christmas is marked by the sound masculine marker! … and to all, who celebrate Christmas

    Merry Christmas ! عيد ميلاد مجيد

    مع السلامة

    يوسف