A1Unit 2 · People and family · Lesson 19 of 100
Plurals: one and many
ikhwti mitjawwzīn · wlād zghār · nās mnāḥ · mashalla!
Goal: Talk about several people: make nouns plural and use plural adjectives, and ask if someone is married.
Dialogue
At a café, Lina's friend Nour shows her family photos: married brothers, children, relatives far away. You will learn how Arabic makes plurals and how adjectives agree with several people.
A café in Ramallah. Nour, Lina's friend from Bethlehem, shows Lina family photos on her phone.
- Nourya Līna, inti mitjawwze?Lina, are you married?
- Linalaʾ, ana zghīre! w inti?No, I'm young! And you?
- Nourlaʾ. bass ikhwti mitjawwzīn. hadōl ikhwti, w hadōl wlādhom.No. But my brothers are married. These are my brothers, and these are their children.
- Linamashalla! il-wlād ḥilwīn ktīr!How lovely! The children are so cute!
- Nourw hādi khālti maʿ jōzha. jōzha rijjāl laṭīf ktīr.And this is my aunt with her husband. Her husband is a very kind man.
- Linaw hadōl? shabāb w ṣabāya ktīr!And these? So many young men and women!
- Nourhadōl ʾarāybi fi Tshīli.These are my relatives in Chile.
- Linafi Tshīli? ʿan jadd?In Chile? Really?
- Nouraywa! nās ktīr min Bēt Laḥem fi Tshīli. w sīdi w sitti ʿindhom ʿishrīn ḥafīd!Yes! Many people from Bethlehem live in Chile. And my grandfather and grandmother have twenty grandchildren!
- Linamashalla! ʿēle kbīre!How wonderful! A big family!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| jōz | husbandjōzi my husband; jōzha her husband |
| mitjawwez | marriedfor a woman: mitjawwze; plural mitjawwzīn |
| rijjāl | manplural rjāl |
| ʾarāyeb | relativesone relative: ʾarīb (a man), ʾarībe (a woman) |
| sīd | grandfathersīdi my grandfather |
| ḥafīd | grandsona granddaughter: ḥafīde; plural aḥfād |
| ṣabiyye | young woman, girlplural ṣabāya |
| shabb | young manplural shabāb young people; also "guys" |
| mashalla | how wonderful! (praise, to wish someone well) |
| Bēt Laḥem | Bethlehem |
Grammar
1. Plurals with an ending
Many words for people add -īn for men or a mixed group, and -āt for women. Many things add -āt too.
| One | Many | English |
|---|---|---|
| mʿallem | mʿallmīn | teachers (men, or mixed) |
| mʿallme | mʿallmāt | teachers (women) |
| mitjawwez | mitjawwzīn | married |
| falasṭīni | falasṭīniyyīn | Palestinians |
| sayyāra | sayyārāt | cars |
2. Plurals that change inside
Other words change their shape. There is no simple rule: learn each plural with its word.
| One | Many | English |
|---|---|---|
| walad | wlād | children, boys |
| bint | banāt | girls |
| akhu | ikhwe | brothers |
| rijjāl | rjāl | men |
| shabb | shabāb | young men |
| ṣabiyye | ṣabāya | young women |
| ḥafīd | aḥfād | grandchildren |
3. Plural adjectives for people
With several people, the adjective is plural too: kbīr → kbār, zghīr → zghār, ṭawīl → ṭwāl, mnīḥ → mnāḥ, ḥilu → ḥilwīn.
For plural things, use the feminine singular: ṣuwar ʾadīme "old photos".
Practice
1Choose the right words
The plural of walad is…
"The children are small."
Several people: the adjective is plural, zghār.
"My brothers are married."
Five women teachers are…
Women only: -āt.
"They have twenty grandchildren."
From 11 on, the noun stays singular (L15).
2Complete the sentence
hadōl ___ zghār. = These are small children.
nās ___ = good people
jōzha ___ laṭīf. = Her husband is a kind man.
3Match the Arabic and the English
shabāb
ṣabāya
ʾarāyeb
aḥfād
rjāl
jōz
4Put the words in order
Lina, are you married?
Many people from Bethlehem are in Chile.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Say: My brothers are tall.
ikhwti ṭwāl.
A friend shows you photos of the children in her family. Say: How wonderful! The children are very cute!
mashalla! il-wlād ḥilwīn ktīr!
6True or false?
Nour is married.
Nour says laʾ.
Nour has relatives in Chile.
Summary
- You can make plurals with -īn and -āt: mʿallmīn, mʿallmāt, sayyārāt.
- You can use common plurals that change inside: wlād, banāt, ikhwe, shabāb, ṣabāya.
- You can use plural adjectives with people: wlād zghār, nās mnāḥ.
- You can ask inti mitjawwze? and praise a family with mashalla!