Regular Plural Nouns
Form regular plurals in Arabic by adding a suffix to the end of the singular noun. The suffix depends on the gender of the noun.
Regular Masculine Plurals (ـون)
To make a masculine noun plural (for groups of men or mixed-gender groups), add the suffix ـون. Use this ending when the noun is the subject of the sentence.
| The organizers are in the hall. | المنظمون في القاعة.al-munazzimoona fil-qâ'ah. |
| The participants attended the conference. | حضر المشاركون المؤتمر.hadara al-mushârikûna al-mu'tamara. |
| The photographers are busy. | المصورون مشغولون.al-musawwirûn mashghûlûn |
Regular Feminine Plurals (ـات)
To make a feminine noun plural, remove the tied taa' (ة) at the end of the singular word and add the suffix ـات. This applies to groups of women and many inanimate objects.
| The female trainers are in the halls. | المدربات في القاعات.al-mudarribâtu fi al-qâ'âti. |
| The female translators are present now. | المترجمات حاضرات الآن.al-mutarjimâtu hâdirâtun al-âna. |
| The invitations are for the participants. | الدعوات للمشاركين.ad-da'awâtu lil-mushârikîn. |
Masculine Plurals with Objects and Prepositions (ـين)
If a regular masculine plural noun is the object of a verb or follows a preposition, the suffix changes from ـون to ـين. (The spelling of regular feminine plurals remains ـات regardless of their role).
| The manager received invitations from the organizers. | استلم المدير دعوات من المنظمين.istalama al-mudîru da'awâtin mina al-munazzimîn |
| The manager went to the photographers. | ذهب المدير إلى المصورين.dhahaba al-mudîru ilâ al-musawwirîn |
Notice how these next sentences use both masculine forms: ـون for the subjects, and ـين for the nouns following a preposition or receiving the action.
| The translators are with the trainers. | المترجمون مع المدربين.al-mutarjimoon ma'a al-mudarribeen |
| The organizers sent the engineers to the hotel. | أرسل المنظمون المهندسين إلى الفندق.arsala l-munazzimoona l-muhandiseena ila l-funduq |
