1.1.19   ISM-­‐  NUMBER   PART  IV  

  -­‐  Learn  the  last  category  of  plurals:  Ism  Jam’a  (‫ )ﻊﻤﺟ ﻢﺳﺍا‬ 
Learning
  Objectives -­‐  Review  all  of  Number  
 
 

  Lesson Review

We  will  now  discuss  the  sixth  and  last  category  of  plurals:  Ism  Jam’a  (‫)ﺍاﺳﻢ ﺟﻤﻊ‬.  Although  these  
words  look  singular,  they  are  actually  plural  because  the  Arabs  said  so.  There  are  only  three  
words  that  will  be  relevant  to  this  discussion:  
1. ‫ ﻗَﻮْ ٌﻡم‬ (nation)  
2. ٌ‫ ﻧَﺎﺱس‬ (people)  
3. ‫ ﻗَﺮْ ٌﻥن‬ (generation)  

Thus,  the  Arabs  would  not  say,  “It  is  a  generation,”  but  rather,  “They  are  a  generation.”  Note  
that  the  Ism  Jam’a  (‫ )ﺍاﺳﻢ ﺟﻤﻊ‬ is  not  the  same  thing  as  the  broken  plural.  The  broken  plural  has  a  
singular  version;  on  the  other  hand,  the  Ism  Jam’a  (‫ )ﺍاﺳﻢ ﺟﻤﻊ‬ itself  is  the  singular  version  (note  
that  it  is  still  considered  plural).    
Grammatically,  ‫ ﻗَﻮْ ٌﻡم‬ is  plural  because  the  Arabs  said  so.  But  it  has  a  broken  plural:  ‫ﺃأَ ْﻗ َﻮﺍا ٌﻡم‬.  
Remember,  with  Human  Broken  Plurals,  you  can  either  identify  them  as  ‘she’  (feminine,  
singular)  or  as  ‘they’  (masculine/feminine,  plural).  So  you  have  two  options  on  the  plural  side  
but  only  one  option  on  the  singular  side.  
 
Now  we  will  do  a  quick  review  of  Number:  
Singular  and  Dual:  
ْ ‫ ُﻣ‬,  ‫ ُﻣ ْﺴﻠِ ًﻤﺎ‬,  ‫ ُﻣ ْﺴﻠِ ٍﻢ‬ 
1. Singular  examples:  ‫ﺴﻠِ ٌﻢ‬
ِ ‫ ُﻣ ْﺴﻠِ َﻤ‬,  ‫ ُﻣ ْﺴﻠِ َﻤﻴﯿ ِْﻦ‬,  ‫ ُﻣ ْﺴﻠِ َﻤﻴﯿ ِْﻦ‬ 
2. Dual  examples:  ‫ﺎﻥن‬
a. Remember:  the  ‫ ﻧﺼﺐ‬ and  ‫ ﺟﺮ‬ forms  look  the  same  for  dual  ‫’ﺍاﺳﻢ‬s  
Plural:  
1. Masculine  Plural  ( َ‫ﻭوْ ﻥن‬,   َ‫ ) ْﻳﯾﻦ‬ 
a. Includes  humans,  angels,  and  jinn  
b. Includes  women  
2. Human  Feminine  Plural  (‫ﺍاﺕت‬ ٌ ,  ‫ﺕت‬
ٍ ‫ )ﺍا‬ 
3. Non-­‐Human  Feminine  Plural (‫ﺍاﺕت‬ ٌ ,  ‫ﺕت‬ ٍ ‫ )ﺍا‬ 
a. Treated  as  ‘she’  (feminine/singular)  
4. Human  Broken  Plural    

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a. End  with  ending  sounds  ◌, ٌ ً◌,  and ٍ◌  

b. They  look  like  they  are  singular,  but  they  are  actually  plural;  you  would  know  this  
only  by  their  translation  
c. Treated  either  as  ‘she’  (feminine,  singular)  or  ‘they’  (masculine/feminine,  plural)  
5. Non-­‐Human  Broken  Plural    
a. Treated  only  as  ‘she’  (feminine,  singular)  
6. Ism  Jam’a  ‫ ﺍاﺳﻢ ﺟﻤﻊ‬ 
a. These  are  plural  because  the  Arabs  said  so  
 
Remember:  all  non-­‐human  plurals  will  always  be  treated  as  ‘she’  (feminine,  singular).  Refer  to  
the  following  for  extra  help:  

Treat  plural  as  reality  ('they')  

Regular  Plural  
 

Human  
Treat  plural  as  Feminine,  
Singular  ('she')  
Broken  Plural  
OR  
Plurals   Treat  plural  as  reality  ('they')  

Treat  all  Non-­‐Human  plurals  

Non-­‐Human   (regular  or  broken)  as  
Feminine,  Singular  ('she')  

 
 
 
 
For  the  following,  answer  whether  the  word  is  singular,  dual,  or  plural.  If  it’s  plural,  provide  
what  category  of  plural  it  is:  
1. ‫ﻲ‬ ٌ ‫ ُﻋ ْﻤ‬ (blind  people)  
2. ‫ ﺍاَ ْﻟﻘَﻮْ ِﻡم‬ (the  nation)  
3. ‫ﺳ َﻤﺎ ٌء‬ ْ َ‫ ﺃأ‬ (names)  
4. ٌ‫ﻋ َﺬﺍاﺏب‬ َ  (punishment)  
5. ‫ﺢ‬ ُ ‫ﺼﺎﺑِ ْﻴﯿ‬ َ ‫( َﻣ‬lamps)  
6. ‫ْﻦ‬ ِ ‫ﺻﺎ ِﺩدﻗَﻴﯿ‬ َ  (two  companions)  
7. ‫ َﻣ َﻼﺋِ َﻜ ِﺔ‬ (angels)  
ٍ ‫ َﻛﻠِ َﻤﺎ‬ (words)  
8. ‫ﺕت‬
9. ‫ ﻗَﺮْ ٍﻥن‬ 
10. َ‫ﺴﻠِ ِﻤ ْﻴﯿﻦ‬ ْ ‫ ُﻣ‬ 
 

Answers:  

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1. ‫ﻲ‬ ٌ ‫ ُﻋ ْﻤ‬ (blind  people)  

a. Human  Broken  Plural  
i. ‘She’  (feminine,  singular)  or  ‘they’  (masculine,  plural)  
ْ
2. ‫ ﺍاَﻟﻘَﻮْ ِﻡم‬ (the  nation)  
a. ‫ ﺍاﺳﻢ ﺟﻤﻊ‬ 
i. Plural  because  the  Arabs  said  so  
3. ‫ﺳ َﻤﺎ ٌء‬ ْ َ‫ ﺃأ‬ (names)  
a. Non-­‐Human  Broken  Plural  
i. ‘She’  (feminine,  singular)  
4. ٌ‫ﻋﺬﺍاﺏب‬ َ َ  (punishment)  
a. Singular  
i. Ending  sound  ◌   ٌ
5. ‫ﺢ‬ ُ ‫ﺼﺎﺑِ ْﻴﯿ‬ َ ‫( َﻣ‬lamps)  
a. Non-­‐Human  Broken  Plural  
i. ‘She’  (feminine,  singular)    
6. ‫ْﻦ‬ ِ ‫ﺻﺎ ِﺩدﻗَﻴﯿ‬ َ  (two  companions)  
a. Dual  
i. ‫ ﻳﯾﻦ‬ (ayni)  ending  combination    
ِ
َ
7. ‫ َﻣﻼﺋِ َﻜ ِﺔ‬ (angels)  
a. Human  Broken  Plural  
i. ‘She’  (feminine,  singular)  or  ‘they’  (masculine,  plural)  
ٍ ‫ َﻛﻠِ َﻤﺎ‬ (words)  
8. ‫ﺕت‬
a. Non-­‐Human  Feminine  Plural  
i. ‫ﺕت‬
ٍ ‫ ﺍا‬ ending  combination  
9. ‫ ﻗَﺮْ ٍﻥن‬ 
a. ‫ ﺍاﺳﻢ ﺟﻤﻊ‬ 
i. Plural  because  the  Arabs  said  so  
10. َ‫ﺴﻠِ ِﻤ ْﻴﯿﻦ‬ ْ ‫ ُﻣ‬ 
a. Masculine  Plural  
i. َ‫ ْﻳﯾﻦ‬ ending  combination  

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