When discussing communities and advocacy, we often describe groups by their attributes, such as "people of determination" or "people with disabilities." In Arabic, this is done using the noun for "possessor of" or "one with," which always acts as the first part of an Idafa (possession) construction. In this lesson, we will look at its plural forms.
Masculine Plural Subject: ذوو
When describing a masculine or mixed-gender plural group that is the subject of the sentence (the nominative case), use ذوو. Notice that it behaves like a sound masculine plural noun. Because it is always the first part of an Idafa, it drops the final letter ن that you would normally expect on a plural noun.
| People of determination reject discrimination. | يرفض ذوو الهمم التمييز.yarfudu dhawu al-himami at-tamyiza |
| Aren't people with cognitive disabilities a part of society? Yes! | أليس ذوو الإعاقة الذهنية جزءا من المجتمع؟ بلى!alaysa dhawu al-i'âqati adh-dhihniyyati juz'an mina al-mujtama'i? balâ! |
Masculine Plural Object and Prepositional: ذوي
If the masculine or mixed plural group is the object of a verb (accusative case) or comes after a preposition (genitive case), the form changes from ذوو to ذوي.
| Society still helps people with disabilities. | لا يزال المجتمع يساعد ذوي الإعاقات.lâ yazâlu-l-mujtama'u yusâ'idu dhawi-l-i'âqât |
| The law forbids discrimination against people with motor disabilities for the sake of equality. | يمنع القانون التمييز ضد ذوي الإعاقة الحركية من أجل المساواة.yamna'u al-qânûnu at-tamyîza didda dhawî al-i'âqati al-harakiyyati min ajli al-musâwâti. |
Feminine Plural: ذوات
When describing an exclusively female plural group, use the feminine plural form ذوات. Unlike the masculine form, its written spelling remains exactly the same regardless of its grammatical role in the sentence.
| The female students with visual disabilities are participating in the project. | تشارك الطالبات ذوات الإعاقة البصرية في المشروع.tushâriku at-tâlibâtu dhawâtu al-i'âqati al-basariyyati fi al-mashrû' |
| Equality is a right for the blind women with high determination. | المساواة حق للكفيفات ذوات الهمم العالية.al-musâwâtu haqqun lilkafîfâti dhawâti al-himami al-âliyah |
Summary of Plural Forms
| Group | Nominative (Subject) | Accusative / Genitive (Object / Preposition) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine / Mixed Plural | ذوو | ذوي |
| Feminine Plural | ذوات | ذوات |