Breakdown of هذه الأعوام والأشهر سريعة.
الal
the
وwa
and
هذهhâdhihi
this (f)
سريعsarî'
fast
شهرshahr
month
عامâmun
year
Questions & Answers about هذه الأعوام والأشهر سريعة.
Why does the sentence use هذه (this/feminine) to mean "these"?
In Arabic, all non-human plurals (like years and months) are grammatically treated as feminine singular. Because of this rule, we use the feminine singular word هذه instead of a plural word like هؤلاء.
How do we get the plural الأعوام (the years) from its singular form?
The singular is عام (year). To make it plural, it doesn't take a regular suffix. Instead, the word "breaks" and changes its internal shape to become أعوام. This specific broken plural pattern is very common.
Is الأشهر (the months) also a broken plural?
Yes! The singular is شهر (month), and its broken plural is أشهر. Notice how both أعوام and أشهر start with an extra Alif letter. This is a great hint that you are looking at a broken plural.
Why does the adjective سريعة (fast) end with the feminine marker (ة)?
This is another example of the non-human plural rule in action! Since the plural subjects (the years and months) act like a single female entity grammatically, the adjective describing them must also be in the feminine singular form.
Learn هذه الأعوام والأشهر سريعة and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free