[ibnishaq]

Hello,

I was wondering about duals in the arabic language.

do they belong with the plurals, or are they distinct?

for example, ayam and yawmain.. one means days, one means 2 days.. the words are obviously different. so is the dual plural, or would it not be considered as such in arabic standards?

thanks!

[IbnMardhiyah]

In arabiy the ayn suffix is common to note a pair [or dual] of any noun, and yes there are singular and plural [more than two] forms as well.

[ibnishaq]

thank you.

so is the dual considered different then the plural?

like if you were to count the number of times a word was somewhere in plural, would you count the duals too?

[displaced]

Originally Posted by ibnishaq

thank you.

so is the dual considered different then the plural?

like if you were to count the number of times a word was somewhere in plural, would you count the duals too?

yes..

10 chars

[dezhen]

They are seperate as far as I know, and have different rules for the grammar than single and plural (which is 3 or more)... although when speaking many people just use the plural as it is easier.

dawood

[ibnishaq]

Originally Posted by dezhen

They are seperate as far as I know, and have different rules for the grammar than single and plural (which is 3 or more)... although when speaking many people just use the plural as it is easier.

dawood

yeah i was thinking the same too. plus, the dual is closer to the singular in terms of word form the plural if i am not mistaken.

[dezhen]

Sure, it is usually made by adding "aan" or "een" to the end of the word... but it is distinct in its own from both the single and plural.

dawood