Quantifiers and the Idafa Construction
In Arabic, quantifiers like كل (all/every) and بعض (some) behave as nouns. They connect to the following word using an Idafa (possession or "of") construction, where the quantifier forms the first part of the phrase.
Using كل to mean "Every"
When كل is followed by an indefinite singular noun, it means "every" or "each".
| Every modern application is fast. | كل تطبيق حديث سريع.kullu taṭbîqin ḥadîthin sarî'un. |
| Every modern device has a screen. | لكل جهاز حديث شاشة.likulli jihâzin hadîthin shâshah |
Using كل to mean "All"
When followed by a definite plural or collective noun (starting with الـ), كل means "all" or "all of".
| All the youth downloaded the application. | كل الشباب حملوا التطبيق.kullu ash-shabâbi hammalū at-tatbîqa |
| All the information is on the screen. | كل المعلومات على الشاشة.kullu al-ma'lûmâti 'alâ ash-shâshah |
Expressing "Some" with بعض
The word بعض means "some" or "a few". Like كل, it is typically followed by a definite plural or collective noun to mean "some of the...".
| Some users looked at the screen. | بعض المستخدمين نظروا إلى الشاشة.ba'du al-mustakhdimîna nazarû ilâ ash-shâshah |
| Some information in the update is old. | بعض المعلومات في التحديث قديمة.ba'du al-ma'lumâti fi at-tahdîthi qadîmah |
| Some users downloaded the new update. | بعض المستخدمين حملوا التحديث الجديد.ba'du almustakhdimîna hammalu attahdîtha aljadîda. |
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