Arabic Plurals — Sound and Broken
The two plural systems of Arabic — predictable endings versus reshaped words.
The Two Plural Systems
Arabic has three numbers — singular, dual, and plural (three or more) — and two completely different ways of forming the plural:
- The sound plural (جَمْع سَالِم) — "sound" because the singular stays intact; a suffix is simply added
- The broken plural (جَمْع تَكْسِير) — the internal shape of the singular is broken and restructured
Compare: مُسْلِمٌ → مُسْلِمُونَ (suffix added, word intact — sound) versus قَلَمٌ → أَقْلَامٌ (internal vowels reshaped — broken).
The Sound Plurals
| Type | Raf' | Nasb / Jarr |
|---|---|---|
| Sound masculine | ـُونَ (مُسْلِمُونَ) | ـِينَ (مُسْلِمِينَ) |
| Sound feminine | ـَاتٌ (مُسْلِمَاتٌ) | ـَاتٍ (مُسْلِمَاتٍ) |
Once you recognise these four endings you can identify any sound plural in the Quran — even in a word you have never met before. Note that the sound masculine plural shows its i'raab by changing the whole suffix (ـُونَ ↔ ـِينَ), not by a vowel mark, and the sound feminine never takes fathah — its nasb looks like its jarr.
The Broken Plural and Its Famous Rule
Broken plurals follow many patterns (قَلَمٌ → أَقْلَامٌ، كِتَابٌ → كُتُبٌ، رَسُولٌ → رُسُلٌ) which are learned by exposure rather than by formula. What matters most is how they behave in sentences:
A broken plural of NON-RATIONAL nouns (objects, animals, concepts) is treated grammatically as SINGULAR FEMININE. Its adjectives, verbs, demonstratives and pronouns all take the feminine singular form.
This single rule explains countless Quranic constructions — تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللهِ ("these are the verses of Allah") uses the feminine singular demonstrative تِلْكَ even though آيَات is plural.
Quranic Example
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know whether a word's plural is sound or broken?
You learn it with the word — dictionaries and vocabulary lists give the plural alongside the singular. Rational beings often take sound plurals; most everyday nouns take broken plurals. Exposure to Quranic vocabulary builds the pattern-sense quickly.
What is the dual?
Arabic has a dedicated form for exactly two: ـَانِ (raf') / ـَيْنِ (nasb-jarr) — كِتَابَانِ "two books". Every Arabic noun, pronoun and verb has dual forms; English simply lacks the category.
Why does the Quran use feminine verbs with plural subjects like "the nations"?
Because of the non-rational plural rule above — a broken plural of non-rational nouns takes feminine singular agreement. It is not an exception; it is the system.