Lesson 13: the dual
In Arabic there are 3 different word numbers: singular, dual (referring to 2) and plural (referring to
3+). We’ve learnt about singular and plural, this lesson is about the dual.
The dual in some cases, may have a literal meaning, and a figurative meaning.
For example:
Literal Meaning
Figurative Meaning
‫األبوان‬
the two fathers
the parents
‫القمران‬
the two moons
the sun and the
moon
‫العُمران‬
the two Umars
Abu Bakr and Umar
‫رضي هللا عنهما‬
So alert attention, that when we see a dual, although most often it refers to its literal meaning,
sometimes it may actually refer to its figurative meaning.
The dual: Nouns
There are only 2 ways to form a dual noun, and it will depend on which case the noun is in:
When it is
adding
‫مرفوع‬
When it is either
ِ‫ ان‬to its singular form
adding
‫ مجرور‬or ‫منصوب‬
ِ‫ ْين‬to its singular form and place a
fatha on letter before the ْ‫ي‬

Never try to make a dual from a plural noun – it won’t work! Always make a dual noun from
its singular format!

There is no tanween for indefinite (as with sound masc plural) – just the addition of ‫ ال‬if

definite
When feminine, the tar’maaboota can only appear at the end of a word, not in the middle!
Therefore replace with the open ta before adding ‫ان‬
/ ‫ يْن‬as shown in the feminine
example in the table below with the word ‫َمرَّ ة‬

If the dual has the 1st person suffix pronoun
as we saw with nouns ending in
‫كتاباي‬
My two books
‫ى‬
‫كتابان‬
two books
‫هُداي‬
‫هُدى‬
my guidance
guidance
‫ ي‬is added! – this is because adding ‫ ي‬makes this
now an idafa! Therefore, as we learnt in lesson 7, a sound masc plural looses the‫( ن‬like other words loose their
Notice: the
‫ ن‬of is ‫ان‬dropped when 1
‫ ي‬attached to it, the suffix becomes ‫ي‬,
َ just
st
person pronoun
tanween) – the same applies for the dual!( – see following section “dual noun as a mudaaf”)
1
Nominative
Genitive/Accusative
‫مرفوع‬
‫ منصوب‬/ ‫مجرور‬
‫ان‬
‫يْن‬
‫رجُالن‬
‫رجُلين‬
Indefinite
Remember: no “tanween” as the final ‫ن‬
replaces the need for tanween.
Masculine
Two men
Definite
‫الرجُالن‬
‫الرجُلين‬
The two men
Indefinite
Remember: no “tanween” as the final ‫ن‬
replaces the need for tanween.
Feminine
‫مرَّتان‬
‫مرَّتيْن‬
Two occasions
Definite
‫المرَّتان‬
‫المرَّتيْن‬
The two occasions
The dual noun as a mudaaf
In lesson 7 about Idaafa, we learnt that a mudaf can not display‫ال‬or tanweeen, and also that a
sound masculine plural when in the position of mudaaf, looses its final
‫سجْ ُن يُوسُف‬
The prison of Yusuf
‫مع ُمسْلمي المدينة‬
With the Muslims of the city
‫بين يديْه‬
Between his two hands
*Note: When the dual is
end of the
‫سجْ ن‬
tanween gets
dropped
‫ ن‬gets
Dropped
Singular noun
prison
‫ ن‬gets
Dropped (and ‫ال‬
‫ن‬.
)
‫مع ال ُمسْلمين‬
Sound Masc plural
With the Muslims
‫بين يديْن‬
Dual
Between two hands
‫ منصوب‬or ‫مجرور‬, and followed by hamzatul-wasl, the sukoon on the
ْ‫ ي‬becomes a kasrah, in order to prevent 2 sukoons together in succession.
*
َّ ‫ي‬
ْ ‫ب‬
‫هللا‬
‫ين يد‬
Between the hands of Allah
*literally means “’between’ the hands of” but depending on context can also mean ‘before’ (either in space and time)
2
Pronouns
Independent
3rd person
(male and female)
(same
for both
male
and
female)


2nd person
(male and female)
Attached (to verb/noun)
‫هُما‬
‫أ ْنتُما‬
‫ُكما‬
‫ هُما‬is the same and does not change, whether used as independent
َ ‫ أن‬etc) or as suffix pronouns of a noun or verb (like ‫ َك ها ُه‬etc).
pronouns (like ‫ِي هُم‬
َ ‫ته‬
The suffix pronoun ‫ هُما‬will become ‫ هِما‬when preceded by a kasrah or a yaa’, (like ‫هُم‬
and ُ‫)ه‬
The pronoun
Demonstratives
In lesson 6 we learnt that demonstratives do not change case. However, when in the dual form
they actually do!
Masculine
These two
Feminine
Masculine
Those two
Feminine
Nominative
Genitive/Accusative
‫مرفوع‬
‫ منصوب‬/ ‫مجرور‬
‫هذان‬
‫هذيْن‬
‫هتان‬
ْ ‫هت‬
‫ين‬
‫ذانك‬
‫ذيْنك‬
‫تانك‬
‫تيْنك‬
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Dual verbs- Perfect tense
There are only 3 conjugation patterns in the perfect tense for the dual:
3M Dual
3F Dual
2M/F Dual
Derived from 3M singular
Derived from 2F singular
Derived from 2M plural
‫ا‬
‫تا‬
‫تُما‬
‫فعال‬
‫فعلتا‬
‫فع ْلتُما‬
They (m) two did
They (f) two did
In lesson 8 we learnt that when a verb precedes its subject, the verb will be in its singular form
even if the subject is plural. It is the same with the dual – the verb preceding it will be in the
singular.
Adjectives
In lesson 1 we learnt that adjectives must agree with the noun it describes in all 4 things
(in/definatness, gender, number and case) – therefore, an adjective describing a dual must also be
put in the dual form.
In the same way as we make singular nouns dual, take the singular adjective and add to
‫ ان‬the
end.
‫الب ْنتان الجميلتان‬
ُ‫ت الجميلة‬
ُ ‫الب ْن‬
The two beautiful girls
The beautiful girl
‫اللسانان األبْيضان‬
ُ ‫الل‬
ُ‫سان األبْيض‬
The two white tongues
the white tongue
‫دون‬

It is a preposition, therefore will make following nouns genitive
‫مجْ رور‬
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
Its basic meaning is “on the side of” or “below” however it can take on different meanings
depending on context-
‫ ب‬then quite often it means “without”- .‫بدون‬
ْ ‫ م‬and give the meaning of “to the exclusion
It may be preceded by ‫ من‬as in ‫ن دون‬
1. When preceded by
2.
of” or “apart from”.
‫و من ُدونهما جنَّتان‬
Apart from them (two) are two gardens
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