Whether you are building a stamp collection or swapping hobby supplies, you will often need to talk about having "a few" or "several" items. In Arabic, this is expressed using بِضْع and بِضْعَة.
Reverse-Gender Agreement
These words indicate an unspecified number between three and nine. They behave exactly like the numbers 3 through 9, taking reverse-gender agreement:
- If the noun is feminine in its singular form, use the masculine بِضْع.
- If the noun is masculine in its singular form, use the feminine بِضْعَة.
- The counted noun must be plural and in the genitive case (مجرور).
Using Masculine بِضْع (For Feminine Nouns)
Words like "copies" (نسخ, singular: نسخة) and "coins" (عملات, singular: عملة) are feminine in their singular forms, so they pair with the masculine بِضْع.
| The researcher always acquires a few copies for the new album. | يقتني الباحث دائما بضع نسخ للألبوم الجديد.yaqtani albahithu da'iman bida nusakhin lil'albumi aljadid |
| She bought a few antique coins from one of the shops. | اشترت بضع عملات أثرية من أحد المتاجر.ishtarat bida umulâtin athariyyatin min ahadi al-matâjir |
Using Feminine بِضْعَة (For Masculine Nouns)
If the item is masculine in its singular form, use the feminine بِضْعَة. This applies to words like "editions" (إصدارات, singular: إصدار) and "stamps" (طوابع, singular: طابع). Even if a plural ends in an ات suffix, its gender is still determined by its singular form.
| A few rare editions were very expensive. | كانت بضعة إصدارات نادرة غالية جدا.kânat bid'atu isdârâtin nâdiratin ghâliyatan jiddan |
| I put a few valuable stamps in the folder. | وضعت بضعة طوابع ثمينة في الحافظة.wada'tu bid'ata tawâbi'a thamînatin fî al-hâfizati |
Mixed Contexts
Notice how the gender correctly flips depending on the singular root of each item in these sentences:
| She bought several rare coins a few days ago. | اشترت بضع عملات نادرة قبل بضعة أيام.ishtarat bida umulâtin nâdiratin qabla bidati ayyâmin |
| I bought a few models and a few missing pieces. | اشتريت بضعة مجسمات وبضع قطع ناقصة.ishtaraytu bid'ata mujassamâtin wa bid'a qita'in nâqisatin. |