A2 Case System 12 min read Medium

The Rebel Plural: Feminine Words & The Kasra Trap

Sound Feminine Plurals take a Kasra (i) even when they are the object of the sentence.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

When a non-human plural noun is feminine, treat it as a singular feminine object for adjectives and verbs.

  • Non-human plurals act like singular feminine nouns: 'The big houses' = 'Al-buyutu al-kabiratu'.
  • Do not use the Kasra (genitive) case for diptote patterns; use Fatha instead.
  • Verbs preceding these plurals take the singular feminine form: 'The cars arrived' = 'Wasalat al-sayyarat'.
Plural(Non-Human) = Singular Feminine (Agreement)

Overview

In Arabic grammar, nouns change their endings to signal their role in a sentence—a system called case endings (إِعْرَاب - iʿrāb). While most nouns follow predictable patterns, one group stands out for its unique behavior: the Sound Feminine Plural (جَمْعُ المُؤَنَّثِ السَّالِمُ - jamʿ al-muʾannath as-sālim). This plural form is used for many feminine nouns, and while its formation is consistent, its case endings present a crucial exception that every learner must master.

The rule is this: when a Sound Feminine Plural noun is the direct object of a verb, it refuses the standard 'a' vowel (fatḥa) that you would normally expect. Instead, it adopts an 'i' vowel (kasra). This phenomenon, sometimes called the “Kasra Trap,” is not a random quirk; it's a fundamental feature of Arabic morphology and phonetics.

Understanding why this happens provides a deeper insight into the language's internal logic.

Mastering this rule is a significant milestone. It distinguishes learners who are merely memorizing vocabulary from those who are beginning to grasp the structural elegance of Arabic grammar. It's a sign that you are attuned to the phonetic and grammatical patterns that govern the language, moving beyond surface-level application to a more intuitive understanding.

How This Grammar Works

To understand the Sound Feminine Plural's unique behavior, you must first be comfortable with the three primary Arabic cases. These cases use vowel markings on the end of a noun to show its function.
  • 1. Nominative Case (حَالَةُ الرَّفْعِ - ḥālat ar-rafʿ): This marks the subject of a sentence (the one doing the action) or the topic of a non-verbal sentence. The standard marker is a ḍamma ( ُ - u) or ḍammatayn ( ٌ - un) for indefinite nouns.
  • Example: جَاءَتْ الطَّبِيبَةُ. (jāʾat aṭ-ṭabībatu. - The female doctor came.) Here, aṭ-ṭabībatu is the subject, so it takes a ḍamma.
  • 2. Accusative Case (حَالَةُ النَّصْبِ - ḥālat an-naṣb): This marks the direct object (the one receiving the action). The standard marker is a fatḥa ( َ - a) or fatḥatayn ( ً - an) for indefinite nouns.
  • Example: رَأَيْتُ الطَّبِيبَةَ. (raʾaytu aṭ-ṭabībata. - I saw the female doctor.) Here, aṭ-ṭabībata is the object, so it takes a fatḥa.
  • 3. Genitive Case (حَالَةُ الْجَرِّ - ḥālat al-jarr): This marks a noun that comes after a preposition or is the second noun in a possessive construction (إِضَافَة - iḍāfa). The standard marker is a kasra ( ِ - i) or kasratayn ( ٍ - in) for indefinite nouns.
  • Example: تَحَدَّثْتُ مَعَ الطَّبِيبَةِ. (taḥaddathtu maʿa aṭ-ṭabībati. - I spoke with the female doctor.) Here, aṭ-ṭabībati follows the preposition maʿa, so it takes a kasra.
Now, let's apply this to the Sound Feminine Plural. This plural is formed by adding the suffix ـَات (-āt) to a singular noun. It behaves as expected in two of the three cases, but rebels in the accusative.
  • Nominative (Subject): Takes a ḍamma (or ḍammatayn). This is normal.
  • جَاءَتْ الطَّبِيبَاتُ. (jāʾat aṭ-ṭabībātu. - The female doctors came.)
  • Genitive (After Preposition/Possessive): Takes a kasra (or kasratayn). This is also normal.
  • تَحَدَّثْتُ مَعَ الطَّبِيبَاتِ. (taḥaddathtu maʿa aṭ-ṭabībāti. - I spoke with the female doctors.)
  • Accusative (Object): Here is the exception. Instead of the expected fatḥa, it takes a kasra. This is its defining feature.
  • Correct: رَأَيْتُ الطَّبِيبَاتِ. (raʾaytu aṭ-ṭabībāti. - I saw the female doctors.)
  • Incorrect: raʾaytu aṭ-ṭabībāta. (with a fatḥa)
This substitution is why the accusative and genitive forms of the Sound Feminine Plural look identical. The kasra in the accusative case is a stand-in, a proxy for the fatḥa that is phonetically disallowed. Classical grammarians refer to this as substitution (نِيَابَة - niyāba), where one vowel acts on behalf of another.
The linguistic reason is largely phonetic: the long ā vowel in the ـَات (-āt) suffix does not harmonize well with the short a (fatḥa) that would follow it. The sequence ...āti flows more smoothly in Arabic than ...āta. This preference for phonetic ease became codified as a non-negotiable grammatical rule.
This table summarizes the key difference:
| Case | Singular Noun (muhandisa - مهندسة) | Sound Feminine Plural (muhandisāt - مهندسات) | Sound Masculine Plural (muhandisūn - مهندسون) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Nominative | al-muhandisatu (المهندسةُ) | al-muhandisātu (المهندساتُ) | al-muhandisūna (المهندسونَ) |
| Accusative | al-muhandisata (المهندسةَ) | al-muhandisāti (المهندساتِ) | al-muhandisīna (المهندسينَ) |
| Genitive | al-muhandisati (المهندسةِ) | al-muhandisāti (المهندساتِ) | al-muhandisīna (المهندسينَ) |
Notice how the accusative and genitive are identical for the Sound Feminine Plural, both ending in ـَاتِ (-āti). This is the core of the rule.

Formation Pattern

1
The Sound Feminine Plural is called 'sound' (سَالِم - sālim) because the original structure of the singular noun remains intact, or 'sound', when the plural suffix is added. This makes its formation highly predictable compared to broken plurals.
2
The primary method applies to singular feminine nouns ending in tāʾ marbūṭa (ة).
3
Step-by-step formation:
4
Identify the singular noun ending in tāʾ marbūṭa (ة).
5
Remove the tāʾ marbūṭa.
6
Add the plural suffix ـَات (-āt).
7
Let's apply this:
8
Singular: سَيَّارَة (sayyāra - car) -> Remove ة -> Add ات -> Plural: سَيَّارَات (sayyārāt - cars)
9
Singular: مَجَلَّة (majalla - magazine) -> Remove ة -> Add ات -> Plural: مَجَلَّات (majallāt - magazines)
10
Singular: جَامِعَة (jāmiʿa - university) -> Remove ة -> Add ات -> Plural: جَامِعَات (jāmiʿāt - universities)
11
However, this plural pattern isn't limited to nouns ending in tāʾ marbūṭa. It extends to other categories, which is crucial for advanced use:
12
Feminine names or titles: مَرْيَم (Maryam) becomes مَرْيَمَات (Maryamāt), and زَيْنَب (Zaynab) becomes زَيْنَبات (Zaynabāt).
13
Verbal nouns (masdar - مَصْدَر) of derived verb forms: Many verbal nouns that have more than three root letters, even if they are grammatically masculine, take this plural form to denote instances or types of the action.
14
تَعْلِيم (taʿlīm - teaching) -> تَعْلِيمَات (taʿlīmāt - instructions)
15
إِصْلَاح (iṣlāḥ - reform) -> إِصْلَاحَات (iṣlāḥāt - reforms)
16
اِمْتِحَان (imtiḥān - exam) -> اِمْتِحَانَات (imtiḥānāt - exams)
17
Foreign loanwords: Arabic often pluralizes foreign words, particularly technical or modern terms, using the Sound Feminine Plural, regardless of their gender in the original language.
18
تِلِفُون (tilifūn - telephone) -> تِلِفُونَات (tilifūnāt - telephones)
19
كُمبِيُوتَر (kombyūtar - computer) -> كُمبِيُوتَرَات (kombyūtarāt - computers)
20
بْرُوتِين (brōtīn - protein) -> بْرُوتِينَات (brōtīnāt - proteins)
21
Nouns with more than four letters that don't have a known broken plural: This is a general catch-all category. For example, the word for 'library' or 'bookstore', مَكْتَبَة (maktaba), follows the standard pattern to become مَكْتَبَات (maktabāt).

When To Use It

Knowing when to form a Sound Feminine Plural is just as important as knowing how. While not every feminine noun uses it (many use broken plurals), the SFP is required for several large and predictable categories of words. You should default to this plural form for the following types of nouns:
  • 1. Any noun ending in tāʾ marbūṭa (ة) that refers to an inanimate object. This is one of the most common categories. If it ends in ة and isn't a person, it almost certainly takes the ـَات (-āt) plural.
  • طَاوِلَة (ṭāwila - table) -> طَاوِلَات (ṭāwilāt)
  • شَرِكَة (sharika - company) -> شَرِكَات (sharikāt)
  • 2. Nouns referring to female persons or titles. This is the original and most intuitive use of this plural.
  • مُهَنْدِسَة (muhandisa - female engineer) -> مُهَنْدِسَات (muhandisāt)
  • مُدَرِّسَة (mudarrisa - female teacher) -> مُدَرِّسَات (mudarrisāt)
  • أُمّ (umm - mother) -> أُمَّهَات (ummahāt) - Note the irregular addition of a fatḥa on the middle consonant.
  • 3. Most verbal nouns (masdar) from derived verb forms (Form II and higher). This is a very common pattern in formal, academic, and political Arabic.
  • تَشْرِيع (tashrīʿ - legislation) -> تَشْرِيعَات (tashrīʿāt - legislations)
  • اِقْتِرَاح (iqtirāḥ - suggestion) -> اِقْتِرَاحَات (iqtirāḥāt - suggestions)
  • 4. Foreign loanwords and technical jargon. As seen earlier, this is the default method for adapting new words into the Arabic plural system.
  • فِيتَامِين (vītāmīn - vitamin) -> فِيتَامِينَات (vītāmīnāt)
  • مُدَوَّنَة (mudawwana - blog) -> مُدَوَّنَات (mudawwanāt) - This word is derived in Arabic but follows the modern tech pattern.
  • 5. Certain adjectives describing non-human nouns. When an adjective describes a plural non-human noun, the adjective itself often takes the singular feminine form. If you need to turn that quality into a noun, it may take the SFP.
  • نَجَاح (najāḥ - success) -> نَجَاحَات (najāḥāt - successes)

Common Mistakes

Because this rule involves a prominent exception, it is a frequent source of errors for learners. Being aware of these specific pitfalls is the first step to avoiding them.
  • Mistake 1: The Fatḥa Fallacy. The most common error is applying the standard accusative fatḥa to a Sound Feminine Plural out of habit. The brain learns the pattern “object takes fatḥa” and applies it everywhere.
  • Incorrect: أَقْرَأُ الْمَجَلَّاتَ كُلَّ يَوْم. (aqraʾu al-majallāta kulla yawm.)
  • Correct: أَقْرَأُ الْمَجَلَّاتِ كُلَّ يَوْم. (aqraʾu al-majallāti kulla yawm. - I read the magazines every day.)
  • Why it happens: This is a hypercorrection based on the general rule of the accusative case. You must train yourself to pause and check if the object is a Sound Feminine Plural before applying the ending.
  • Mistake 2: Confusing with Broken Plurals. Some feminine nouns that end in tāʾ marbūṭa have a broken plural, not a sound one. This is a matter of vocabulary memorization.
  • Incorrect: لَدَيَّ ثَلَاثُ غُرْفَات. (ladayya thalāthu ghurfāt.)
  • Correct: لَدَيَّ ثَلَاثُ غُرَف. (ladayya thalāthu ghuraf. - I have three rooms.)
  • Why it happens: The word غُرْفَة (ghurfa - room) looks like a perfect candidate for the SFP, but it idiomatically uses the broken plural غُرَف (ghuraf). There is no shortcut other than learning the common exceptions.
  • Mistake 3: Dropping Case Endings Entirely. In the effort to remember the kasra rule, some learners forget to apply any ending at all, especially when the noun is indefinite. The plural must still take an ending (-un, -in).
  • Incorrect: اِشْتَرَيْتُ سَيَّارَات جَدِيدَة. (ishtaraytu sayyārāt jadīda.)
  • Correct: اِشْتَرَيْتُ سَيَّارَاتٍ جَدِيدَةً. (ishtaraytu sayyārātin jadīdatan. - I bought new cars.)
  • Why it happens: The focus on the i vowel can overshadow the need for the full in (kasratayn) ending for indefinite nouns in the accusative/genitive case.
  • Mistake 4: Applying the Kasra Rule to Other Plurals. After mastering the SFP rule, some learners over-apply it to masculine or broken plurals in the accusative case.
  • Incorrect: شَاهَدْتُ الْمُهَنْدِسِينَِ فِي الْمَوْقِع. (shāhadtu al-muhandisīni...)
  • Correct: شَاهَدْتُ الْمُهَنْدِسِينَ فِي الْمَوْقِع. (shāhadtu al-muhandisīna... - I saw the engineers at the site.) The Sound Masculine Plural always ends in ـِينَ (-īna) in the accusative/genitive, which includes a fatḥa on the final nūn.

Real Conversations

While full case endings (iʿrāb) are often dropped in spoken dialects, they are essential in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is used in news, official documents, academic writing, and formal speech. The plural form itself (-āt) is used universally in all dialects.

Here’s how you might see this grammar in different modern contexts:

- Work Email (Formal MSA): A manager sending an email about action items.

- الرَّجَاءُ مُرَاجَعَةُ التَّعْدِيلَاتِ الْمُقْتَرَحَةِ وَإِعْطَاءُ الْمُوَافَقَةِ.

- ar-rajāʾu murājaʿatu at-taʿdīlāti al-muqtaraḥati wa-iʿṭāʾu al-muwāfaqati.

- (Please review the proposed amendments and give approval.)

- Grammar Note: at-taʿdīlāti is the object of the verbal noun murājaʿatu (reviewing), so it's in the accusative case, marked by kasra.

- Social Media Post (Slightly less formal): Someone posting about a new project.

- أَخِيرًا، أَطْلَقْنَا مَجْمُوعَةً مِنْ الدَّوْرَاتِ التَّدْرِيبِيَّةِ الْجَدِيدَةِ!

- akhīran, aṭlaqnā majmūʿatan min ad-dawrāti at-tadrībiyyati al-jadīdati!

- (Finally, we launched a set of new training courses!)

- Grammar Note: Here, ad-dawrāti is in the genitive case because it follows the preposition min (from/of). Its ending is identical to what it would be in the accusative case.

- News Headline (Formal MSA):

- الدَّوْلَةُ تُقِرُّ إِصْلَاحَاتٍ اقْتِصَادِيَّةً وَاسِعَةً.

- ad-dawlatu tuqirru iṣlāḥātin iqtiṣādiyyatan wāsiʿatan.

- (The state approves wide-ranging economic reforms.)

- Grammar Note: iṣlāḥātin is the direct object of the verb tuqirru (approves). Because it's an indefinite SFP, it takes kasratayn (-in) instead of the expected fatḥatayn (-an).

Quick FAQ

  • Q: Do I need to use these case endings when I speak Arabic with friends?

Generally, no. Most spoken dialects (Aammiyya) drop the final case-ending vowels in everyday conversation. However, the plural form itself (-āt) is universal. You would say banāt for girls, not banātu or banāti. Knowing the case endings is crucial for reading, writing, and understanding any form of MSA.

  • Q: So the accusative and genitive forms are always 100% identical for the Sound Feminine Plural?

Yes. In form and pronunciation, sayyārātin (indefinite) and as-sayyārāti (definite) serve as both the accusative and genitive. Context is what tells you the noun's function—is it an object, or is it following a preposition?

  • Q: Are there any exceptions where a Sound Feminine Plural can take a fatḥa?

In standard modern Arabic, for all practical purposes, the answer is no. This rule is one of the most consistent in the language. Extremely rare instances might be found in archaic poetry or specific Quranic readings, but these are not relevant for learners at this level. You should treat the rule “no fatḥa on the Sound Feminine Plural” as absolute.

  • Q: What happens if a word seems like it could have a broken plural and a sound plural?

This does happen. Sometimes the two forms have different nuances. For example, شَجَرَة (shajara - tree) has a common broken plural أَشْجَار (ashjār), referring to trees in general. The sound plural شَجَرَات (shajarāt) is also possible but often implies a specific, counted number of trees. For learners, it's best to stick to the most common plural form taught in dictionaries.

Agreement Table for Non-Human Plurals

Noun Type Adjective Form Verb Form Example
Non-human Plural
Singular Feminine
Singular Feminine
الكتبُ مفيدةٌ
Human Plural
Plural
Plural
الطلابُ مجتهدون

Meanings

This rule dictates that plural nouns referring to non-human entities (objects, animals, concepts) are grammatically treated as singular feminine nouns.

1

Adjective Agreement

Adjectives modifying non-human plurals must be singular feminine.

“الكتبُ المفيدةُ كثيرةٌ”

“الأقلامُ المكسورةُ على الطاولةِ”

2

Verb Agreement

Verbs preceding the plural subject take the singular feminine conjugation.

“وصلتْ القطاراتُ في الموعدِ”

“سقطتْ الأوراقُ من الشجرةِ”

3

Diptote Restriction

Certain plural patterns (like 'mafa'il') cannot take a Kasra or Tanween.

“ذهبتُ إلى مساجدَ كثيرةٍ”

“رأيتُ مفاتيحَ جديدةً”

Reference Table

Reference table for The Rebel Plural: Feminine Words & The Kasra Trap
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Noun(pl) + Adj(fem.sing)
البيوتُ واسعةٌ
Negative
Laysa + Noun(pl) + Adj(fem.sing)
ليستِ البيوتُ واسعةً
Question
Hal + Noun(pl) + Adj(fem.sing)?
هلِ البيوتُ واسعةٌ؟
Diptote Genitive
Preposition + Diptote(fatha)
في مساجدَ
Verb-First
Verb(fem.sing) + Noun(pl)
وصلتِ الرسائلُ

Formality Spectrum

Formal
السياراتُ سريعةٌ

السياراتُ سريعةٌ (General statement)

Neutral
السياراتُ سريعةٌ

السياراتُ سريعةٌ (General statement)

Informal
السياراتُ سريعةٌ

السياراتُ سريعةٌ (General statement)

Slang
السياراتُ سريعة

السياراتُ سريعة (General statement)

The Plural Divide

Plurals

Rational

  • الطلاب Students

Irrational

  • الكتب Books
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Examples by Level

1

الكتبُ كبيرةٌ

The books are big

2

السياراتُ سريعةٌ

The cars are fast

3

الأقلامُ زرقاءُ

The pens are blue

4

المدنُ جميلةٌ

The cities are beautiful

1

وصلتْ القطاراتُ

The trains arrived

2

ذهبتُ إلى مساجدَ كثيرةٍ

I went to many mosques

3

رأيتُ حقائبَ جديدةً

I saw new bags

4

سقطتْ الأوراقُ

The leaves fell

1

تلكَ الجبالُ عاليةٌ

Those mountains are high

2

اشتريتُ مفاتيحَ ذهبيةً

I bought golden keys

3

تغيرتْ الظروفُ

The circumstances changed

4

هذهِ الفنادقُ فاخرةٌ

These hotels are luxurious

1

تُعتبرُ هذهِ القوانينُ صارمةً

These laws are considered strict

2

زرتُ مدائنَ تاريخيةً

I visited historical cities

3

أُغلقتْ المحلاتُ

The shops were closed

4

تلكَ الأفكارُ عبقريةٌ

Those ideas are genius

1

تتطلبُ هذهِ المسائلُ دقةً

These issues require precision

2

تتسمُ تلكَ العواصمُ بالازدحامِ

Those capitals are characterized by crowding

3

استخدمتُ أدواتٍ متنوعةً

I used various tools

4

تلكَ المعالمُ شاهدةٌ على العصرِ

Those landmarks are witnesses to the era

1

تتجلى في تلكَ المبادئِ قيمٌ عليا

High values are manifested in those principles

2

تلكَ الأساطيرُ مرويةٌ بأسلوبٍ أدبيٍ

Those myths are narrated in a literary style

3

تتداخلُ تلكَ العواملُ في النتيجةِ

Those factors overlap in the result

4

تلكَ الأضرحةُ مقدسةٌ

Those shrines are sacred

Easily Confused

The Rebel Plural: Feminine Words & The Kasra Trap vs Human Plural Agreement

Learners apply the same rule to people.

Common Mistakes

✗

الكتبُ كبارٌ

✓

الكتبُ كبيرةٌ

Using plural adjective instead of singular feminine.
✗

وصلوا الكتبُ

✓

وصلتِ الكتبُ

Using masculine plural verb for non-human.
✗

في مساجدي

✓

في مساجدَ

Adding Kasra to a diptote.
✗

تلكَ الأقلامُ غاليين

✓

تلكَ الأقلامُ غاليةٌ

Using human plural adjective.

Sentence Patterns

ال___ ___ (plural noun) ___ (adj)

Real World Usage

Social Media very common

الصورُ رائعةٌ

Travel common

القطاراتُ متأخرةٌ

Job Interview common

المهاراتُ مطلوبةٌ

Food Delivery common

الوجباتُ لذيذةٌ

Texting constant

الرسائلُ كثيرةٌ

Academic Writing very common

الدراساتُ دقيقةٌ

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💡

The 'She' Trick

Whenever you see a plural object, imagine it's one lady. It makes agreement easy!

Smart Tips

Always check if the noun is human.

الكتبُ كبارٌ → الكتبُ كبيرةٌ

Pronunciation

kabiratu

Feminine Ending

Ensure the 'ta marbuta' (ة) is pronounced as 'at' when followed by a vowel.

Statement

الكتبُ كبيرةٌ ↘

Falling intonation for declarative sentences.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of non-human plurals as a 'Feminine Collective'. They are a group, but they act like a single lady.

Visual Association

Imagine a group of books wearing a single, large, elegant feminine hat. The hat represents the feminine singular agreement.

Rhyme

Plurals of things, don't be a fool, use feminine singular as your rule.

Story

A group of books (non-human) decided to go to the library. Because they aren't human, they didn't walk in as a crowd. They transformed into one elegant lady (feminine singular) and walked through the door together.

Word Web

مساجدكتبسياراتأقلاممدنحقائب

Challenge

Write 5 sentences describing objects in your room using singular feminine adjectives.

Cultural Notes

In spoken dialects, the feminine singular agreement is even more strictly applied to objects.

Formal MSA is used in media, where this rule is strictly enforced.

Often simplifies plurals, but the feminine singular agreement remains standard.

Rooted in the ancient Semitic distinction between rational and irrational entities.

Conversation Starters

“

ما رأيك في هذهِ الكتبِ؟

Journal Prompts

Describe your favorite city using non-human plurals.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

الكتبُ ___ (big).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: كبيرة
Non-human plural needs fem. sing. adj.

Score: /1

Practice Exercises

1 exercises
Fill in the blank.

الكتبُ ___ (big).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: كبيرة
Non-human plural needs fem. sing. adj.

Score: /1

Practice Bank

12 exercises
Complete the sentence Fill in the Blank

The planes arrived: Waṣalat al-ṭā'irāt___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -u (Damma)
Choose the right ending Fill in the Blank

He helps the animals: Yusa'idu al-ḥayawānāt___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -i (Kasra)
Identify the correct form Multiple Choice

Which word is a Sound Feminine Plural?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sayyārāt (Cars)
Fix the mistake Error Correction

Qara'tu al-majalāt-a (I read the magazines)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Qara'tu al-majalāt-i
Select the correct translation Multiple Choice

How do you say 'I heard voices' (aṣwāt - note: aṣwāt is actually a broken plural that looks feminine!)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sami'tu aṣwāt-an
Preposition check Fill in the Blank

I went to the libraries: Dhahabtu ilā al-maktabāt___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -i
Match the case to the vowel for Sound Feminine Plurals Match Pairs

Match the role to the ending

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ["Subject : -u (Damma)","Object : -i (Kasra)","Preposition : -i (Kasra)"]
Arrange into a valid sentence Sentence Reorder

al-bint / al-waqī'āt / (The girl) / (the realities) / 'arafat / (knew)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 'Arafat al-bintu al-waqī'āt-i
Correct the ending Error Correction

Hādhihi muhandisāt-in (These are engineers)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hādhihi muhandisāt-un
Which fits the context? Multiple Choice

Start a letter: To the ladies...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ilā al-sayyidāt-i
Translate into Arabic Translation

I like the challenges (al-taḥadiyāt).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Uḥibbu al-taḥadiyāt-i
Indefinite Object Fill in the Blank

She bought computers: Ishtarat ḥāsūbāt___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -in

Score: /12

FAQ (1)

It is a linguistic convention to treat non-human plurals as a collective.

Scaffolded Practice

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1

Mastery Progress

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In Other Languages

Spanish low

Plural agreement

Arabic distinguishes rational/irrational.

French low

Plural agreement

Arabic uses singular feminine for objects.

German low

Plural agreement

Arabic uses singular feminine for objects.

Japanese partial

No plural

Arabic marks plural but changes agreement.

Arabic high

Feminine singular proxy

N/A

Chinese low

No plural

Arabic uses agreement.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Arabic Plural Endings: -un and -in (Sound Masculine Plural)
Next
Arabic Broken Plurals: Simple Case Endings (-u, -a, -i)

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