The Golden Rule: Non-Human Plurals
One of the most important rules in Arabic grammar is how we treat plurals that aren't people. Whether you are talking about objects, animals, or concepts (like newspapers, pictures, or political news), all non-human plurals are grammatically treated as feminine singular.
This means any adjectives describing them, and any pronouns or demonstratives pointing to them, must take their feminine singular forms.
Adjective Agreement
When describing a non-human plural noun, use a feminine singular adjective (typically ending in ة). Let's look at how words like "newspapers" (صحف) and "news" (أخبار) take feminine singular adjectives like "new" (جديدة) and "important" (مهمة).
"These" and "Those"
Because non-human plurals are treated as feminine singular, you cannot use the plural word for "these" (هؤلاء), which is strictly reserved for human beings. Instead, you must use the feminine singular demonstratives هذه (this/these) and تلك (that/those).
Verbs and Non-Human Plurals
This rule extends to verbs as well. If a non-human plural is the subject doing the action, the verb must be conjugated in the feminine singular. Notice how the verb "published" (نشرت) takes the feminine form in these examples.
Stacking Adjectives
You can use multiple adjectives to describe a non-human plural, and every single one of them will follow the rule. Observe how "old" (قديمة) and "many" (كثيرة) both take the feminine singular form when describing "books" (كتب).
