Arabic Sound Plurals — Masculine and Feminine
How to form and recognise the two standard plural types in the Quran
- Distinguish between the two types of Arabic plural — sound plural (جَمْع سَالِم) and broken plural (جَمْع تَكْسِير)
- Identify the two endings of the sound masculine plural: ـُونَ for rafa' and ـِينَ for nasab/jar
- Identify the two endings of the sound feminine plural: ـَاتٌ for rafa' and ـَاتٍ for nasab/jar
- Convert a singular noun to its sound masculine or sound feminine plural by applying the correct suffix
- Use sound plurals correctly in nominal sentences and descriptive phrases, matching all four properties
Video Lesson
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Key Vocabulary
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| جَمْعٌ سَالِمٌ | jam` saalim | sound plural (follows a fixed pattern) | ISM |
| جَمْعُ مُذَكَّرٍ سَالِمٌ | jam` mudhakkar saalim | sound masculine plural (SMP) | ISM |
| جَمْعُ مُؤَنَّثٍ سَالِمٌ | jam` mu'annath saalim | sound feminine plural (SFP) | ISM |
| جَمْعُ تَكْسِيرٍ | jam` takseer | broken plural (no fixed pattern) | ISM |
| مُسْلِمُونَ | muslimuuna | Muslims (masculine plural, rafa') | ISM |
| مُسْلِمِينَ | muslimiina | Muslims (masculine plural, nasab/jar) | ISM |
| مُسْلِمَاتٌ | muslimaatun | Muslim women (feminine plural, rafa') | ISM |
| مُؤْمِنُونَ | mu'minuuna | male believers (sound masculine plural, rafa') | ISM |
| آيَاتٌ | aayaatun | verses / signs (sound feminine plural, rafa') | ISM |
| عَالَمِينَ | `aalamiina | worlds / realms of creation (notable SMP exception, jar) | ISM |
Introduction
Having established the singular and dual in Part 1, this lesson completes the picture of number by examining the sound plurals. Arabic has two distinct types of plural: the sound plural (جَمْع سَالِم), which follows a predictable pattern, and the broken plural (جَمْع تَكْسِير), which does not. This lesson deals entirely with the sound plurals. Broken plurals are covered in Lesson 6.
The sound plural is so called because the shape of the singular word is preserved intact — only a suffix is added, with no internal restructuring of the word. Once a student recognises the four possible endings, they can immediately identify any sound plural in the Quran, even in a word they have never encountered before.
The Concept
### Two Types of Plural in Arabic
Arabic plural = either جَمْع سَالِم (sound: fixed endings) or جَمْع تَكْسِير (broken: no fixed endings). Sound plurals are further divided into: — جَمْع مُذَكَّر سَالِم (SMP): sound masculine plural — جَمْع مُؤَنَّث سَالِم (SFP): sound feminine plural
### Sound Masculine Plural (جَمْع مُذَكَّر سَالِم)
The sound masculine plural has exactly two endings:
| Case | Ending | Example | |------|--------|---------| | رَفْع (rafa') | ـُونَ | مُسْلِمُونَ | | نَصْب / جَرّ | ـِينَ | مُسْلِمِينَ |
To form the Sound Masculine Plural: 1. Take the singular base. 2. For rafa': place a damma on the last letter, then add وَنَ → ending: ـُونَ 3. For nasab/jar: place a kasra on the last letter, then add يْنَ → ending: ـِينَ Examples: مُؤْمِنٌ → مُؤْمِنُونَ / مُؤْمِنِينَ كَافِرٌ → كَافِرُونَ / كَافِرِينَ صَالِحٌ → صَالِحُونَ / صَالِحِينَ
The sound masculine plural is principally used for words referring to rational beings — human beings, angels, and jinn. It is not normally applied to objects. However, a few notable exceptions exist in the Quran:
- عَالَمُونَ / عَالَمِينَ — worlds/realms (as in رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ — Al-Faatihah, 1:2)
- سِنُونَ / سِنِينَ — years (singular: سَنَةٌ)
These exceptions should be noted and memorised as they arise.
### Sound Feminine Plural (جَمْع مُؤَنَّث سَالِم)
The sound feminine plural also has two endings:
| Case | Ending | Example | |------|--------|---------| | رَفْع (rafa') | ـَاتٌ | مُسْلِمَاتٌ | | نَصْب / جَرّ | ـَاتٍ | مُسْلِمَاتٍ |
To form the Sound Feminine Plural: 1. Take the singular base. 2. If the word ends in ta' marbuta (ة), remove it first. 3. Place a fatha on the last letter of the base. 4. For rafa': add اَتٌ → ending: ـَاتٌ 5. For nasab/jar: add اَتٍ → ending: ـَاتٍ Examples: مُسْلِمَةٌ → (remove ة) → مُسْلِمَاتٌ / مُسْلِمَاتٍ آيَةٌ → (remove ة) → آيَاتٌ / آيَاتٍ سَيَّارَةٌ → (remove ة) → سَيَّارَاتٌ / سَيَّارَاتٍ
Unlike the sound masculine plural, the sound feminine plural is used widely — not only for people, but for many objects, concepts, and Quranic vocabulary. When the definite article اَلـ is prefixed, the tanwin drops: اَلْمُسْلِمَاتُ (rafa'), اَلْمُسْلِمَاتِ (nasab/jar).
### Sound Plurals in Nominal Sentences
The rules of the nominal sentence (جُمْلَة اِسْمِيَّة) remain unchanged when plurals are used. The subject (مُبْتَدَأ) must be definite and in rafa'; the predicate (خَبَر) must be indefinite and in rafa', matching in gender and number.
Examples:
- اَلْمُنَافِقُونَ كَاذِبُونَ — The hypocrites are liars.
- اَلْمُؤْمِنَاتُ صَادِقَاتٌ — The female believers are truthful.
- اَلْمُسْلِمُونَ صَالِحُونَ — The Muslims are pious.
### Sound Plurals in Descriptive Phrases
In a descriptive phrase (مُرَكَّب تَوْصِيفِي), the adjective copies all four properties of the noun it describes. If the noun is in the sound masculine plural, the adjective takes the sound masculine plural ending:
- مُنَافِقُونَ كَاذِبُونَ — lying hypocrites (indefinite, masculine, plural, rafa')
- اَلْمُنَافِقُونَ الْكَاذِبُونَ — the lying hypocrites (definite, masculine, plural, rafa')
- اَلْمُؤْمِنَاتُ الصَّادِقَاتُ — the truthful female believers (definite, feminine, plural, rafa')
The case of the phrase changes according to the grammatical function of the noun in the sentence:
- رَفْع: جَاءَ مُعَلِّمُونَ حَكِيمُونَ — Wise teachers came.
- نَصْب: رَأَيْتُ مُعَلِّمِينَ حَكِيمِينَ — I saw wise teachers.
- جَرّ: سَلَّمْتُ عَلَى مُعَلِّمِينَ حَكِيمِينَ — I greeted wise teachers.
Quranic Evidence
Summary
- Arabic plurals are of two types: sound (fixed endings) and broken (no fixed endings). This lesson covers only sound plurals; broken plurals are taught in Lesson 6.
- The sound masculine plural (SMP) has two endings: ـُونَ for rafa', and ـِينَ for nasab and jar. It is used mainly for rational beings, with a few Quranic exceptions such as عَالَمِينَ and سِنِينَ.
- The sound feminine plural (SFP) has two endings: ـَاتٌ for rafa', and ـَاتٍ for nasab and jar. It is used widely, including for objects and Quranic terms such as آيَاتٌ.
- To form either plural, return to the singular base. For words ending in ta' marbuta, remove it before adding the SFP suffix.
- In nominal sentences and descriptive phrases, the four properties — definiteness, gender, number, and case — must match between the parts, exactly as with singulars and duals.
- Completing the Muslim Table through all 18 forms — singular, dual, and plural, across three cases and two genders — gives students a complete and practical map of Arabic number.