This lesson introduces vocabulary to help you talk about armed forces, military equipment, and troop organization.
The Army and Soldiers
At the center of defense is the "army" (جيش) and its personnel. A "soldier" is جندي, and you can add a ta' marbuta (ة) to refer to a female soldier (جندية). They are often stationed at a military "camp" (معسكر).
As a quick reminder, non-human plurals are treated grammatically as feminine singular. You will see feminine singular words like هذه and العسكرية used to describe plural military camps.
| These military camps belong to the army. | هذه المعسكرات العسكرية للجيش.hâdhihi al-muaskarâtu al-askariyyatu lil-jaysh |
| Maryam is a soldier in the army. | مريم جندية في الجيش.maryamu jundiyyatun fil jaysh |
When counting items or people using numbers from 11 to 99, the noun that follows the number must be singular and in the accusative case (often taking an alif with two fathas). Notice how "twenty soldiers" uses the singular accusative form جنديا.
| Twenty soldiers arrived at the camp. | وصل عشرون جنديا إلى المعسكر.wasala 'ishrûna jundiyyan ilâ al-mu'askari. |
Battalions, Tanks, and Cannons
An army is divided into units such as a "battalion" (كتيبة). For heavy defense, forces rely on armored vehicles like a "tank" (دبابة) and artillery like a "cannon" (مدفع).
| These tanks and cannons belong to the third battalion. | هذه الدبابات والمدافع للكتيبة الثالثة.hâdhihi ad-dabbâbâtu wal-madâfi lil-katîbati ath-thâlithah |
| There are thirty military tanks here. | يوجد هنا ثلاثون دبابة عسكرية.yûjadu hunâ thalâthûna dabbâbatan askariyyatan |
| We repelled the attack with tanks and cannons. | صددنا الهجوم بالدبابات والمدافع.sadadnâ al-hujûma bid-dabbâbâti wal-madâfi' |
Missiles, Shields, and Ranks
Modern and historical defense equipment includes the "missile" (صاروخ) and the protective "shield" (درع). Watch how the non-human plural rule applies to these items as well, pairing plural nouns with feminine singular adjectives like سريعة (fast) and مفيدة (useful).
| The new missiles are very fast. | الصواريخ الجديدة سريعة جدا.as-sawârîkhu l-jadîdatu sarî'atun jiddan |
| Military shields are useful for the soldiers. | الدروع العسكرية مفيدة للجنود.ad-durû'u al-askariyyatu mufîdatun lil-junûdi |
| The army launched fifteen missiles. | أطلق الجيش خمسة عشر صاروخا.atlaqa al-jayshu khamsata 'ashara sârûkhan |
Finally, the hierarchy of the military is organized by "rank" (رتبة).
| What is your military rank, Yusuf? | ما هي رتبتك العسكرية يا يوسف؟mâ hiya rutbatuka al-askariyyatu yâ yûsufu? |