Declining the Dual and Sound Plural

Declining the Dual and Sound Plural

إِعْرَاب الْمُثَنَّى وَالْجَمْعِ السَّالِمِ

وَالْمُثَنَّى يُرْفَعُ بِالأَلِفِ، وَيُنْصَبُ وَيُجَرُّ بِالْيَاءِ. وَجَمْعُ الْمُذَكَّرِ السَّالِمُ يُرْفَعُ بِالْوَاوِ، وَيُنْصَبُ وَيُجَرُّ بِالْيَاءِ. وَجَمْعُ الْمُؤَنَّثِ السَّالِمُ يُنْصَبُ بِالْكَسْرَةِ. وَيُقَالُ لِلأَلِفِ وَالْوَاوِ وَالْيَاءِ وَالْكَسْرَةِ “عَلاَمَاتٌ فَرْعِيَّةٌ”.     The الْمُثَنَّى (dual) is: مَرْفُوْع (i.e. declined in the case of الرَّفْع ) with the الأَلِف and مَنْصُوْب  (i.e. declined in the case of النَّصْب ) and مَجْرُوْر (i.e. declined in the case of الْجَرّ ) with the الْيَاء .   The جَمْع الْمُذَكَّرِ السَّالِم (sound masculine plural) is: مَرْفُوْع with the الْوَاو andمَنْصُوْب and مَجْرُوْر with the الْيَاء .   The جَمْع الْمُؤَنَّثِ السَّالِم (sound feminine plural) is: مَنْصُوْب with the الْكَسْرَة .   [As for being مَرْفُوْع and مَجْرُوْر it takes the standard declension, that is, مَرْفُوْع with the الضَّمَّة and مَجْرُوْر with the الْكَسْرَة ]   The الأَلِف , the الْوَاو , the الْيَاء and the الْكَسْرَة are said to be “عَلاَمَات فَرْعِيَّة” (secondary signs).  

Explanation:

You already know that:

  • the عَلاَمَة الرَّفْعِ الأَصْلِيَّة (primary sign of الرَّفْع ) is the الضَّمَّة ,
  • the عَلاَمَة النَّصْبِ (الأَصْلِيَّة) (primary sign of النًّصْب ) is the الْفَتْحَة ,
  • The عَلاَمَة الْجَرِّ (الأَصْلِيَّة) (primary sign of الْجَرّ ) is the الْكَسْرَة and
  • The عَلاَمَة الْجَزْمِ (الأَصْلِيَّة) (primary sign of الْجَزْم ) is the السُّكُوْن .

Moreover, there exist also عَلاَمَات فَرْعِيَّة (secondary signs)which take the place of these (primary) signs in certain types of the الْكَلِمَات as will be mentioned.

Thus:

(1) the الْمُثَنَّى is:

  • مَرْفُوْع with the الأَلِف in place of the الضَّمَّة (i.e. نِيَابَةً عَنِ الضَّمَّةِ ), like: “حَضَرَ هُنَا رَجُلاَنِ” (two men were present here)
  • مَنْصُوْب and مَجْرُوْر with the الْيَاء in place of the الْفَتْحَة and the الْكَسْرَة                                 (i.e. نِيَابَةً عَنِ الْفَتْحَةِ وَالْكَسْرَةِ ), like: “أَكْرَمْتُ الرَّجُلَيْنِ” (I honoured the two men) and    “نَظَرْتُ إِلَى الرَّجُلَيْنِ” (I looked at the two men).

(2) the جَمْع الْمُذَكَّرِ السَّالِم is:

  • مَرْفُوْع with the الْوَاو in place of the الضَّمَّة (i.e. نِيَابَةً عَنِ الضَّمَّةِ ), like: “خَرَجَ الْمُهَنْدِسُوْنَ” (The engineers left / went out)
  • مَنْصُوْب and مَجْرُوْر with the الْيَاء in place of the الْفَتْحَة and the الْكَسْرَة                                 (i.e. نِيَابَةً عَنِ الْفَتْحَةِ وَالْكَسْرَةِ ), like: “وَدَّعْتُ الْمُهَنْدِسِيْنَ” (I bid the engineers farewell) and    “نَظَرْتُ إِلَى الْمُهَنْدِسِيْنَ” (I looked at the engineers).

(3) the جَمْع الْمُؤَنَّثِ السَّالِم is مَنْصُوْب with the الْكَسْرَة in place of the الْفَتْحَة                            (i.e. نِيَابَةً عَنِ الْفَتْحَةِ ) like: “غَرَسْتُ شَجَرَاتٍ” (I planted trees). As for its الرَّفْع and الْجَرّ , it is declined with the two primary signs: the الضَّمَّة and the الْكَسْرَة , like: “أَيْنَعَت الشَّجَرَاتُ” (The trees are ripe) and “جِئْتُ بِشَجَرَاتٍ أُخْرَى” (I brought other trees).

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