ـات

Regular Feminine Plural

Level 1

The Regular Feminine Plural (جمع المؤنث السالم) is the most predictable way to make words plural in Arabic. While it is the standard for feminine nouns, it is also used for many masculine inanimate objects and loanwords.

How It Works

The Regular Feminine Plural is a versatile tool in Arabic grammar. It is used for:

  • Feminine Nouns: Words ending in تاء التأنيث (ة) like معلمة (teacher) become معلمات.
  • Masculine Names ending in ة: Names like حمزة (Hamza) or طلحة (Talha) become حمزات and طلحات.
  • Nouns ending in Alif Maqṣūra (ى): Like ذكرى (memory) which becomes ذكريات.
  • Nouns ending in Alif Mamdūda (اء): If the hamza is a feminizing suffix (like in صحراء - desert), it changes to a wāw: صحراوات. If the hamza is original to the root, it stays a hamza.
  • Masculine Inanimate Objects: Many non-human masculine nouns use this plural, such as مطار (airport) → مطارات.
  • Verbal Nouns (Masdars): Especially for derived verb forms, like تصليح (repair) → تصليحات.
  • Loanwords: Foreign words like كمبيوتر (computer) → كمبيوترات.

Important Notes:
1. Case Endings: This plural never takes a fatḥa. In the المنصوب (accusative), it takes a kasra instead.
2. False Friends: Beware of words like أوقات (times) or أصوات (voices). These are broken plurals where the 't' is part of the root; they take a normal fatḥa in the accusative.
3. Agreement: Remember that non-human plurals are treated as feminine singular for adjectives and verbs. For example: السيارات سريعة (The cars are fast).

Names and Human Adjectives
Feminine personal names can form an -āt plural even without ة: زينب → زينبات, مريم → مريمات, when referring to several people with that name. Adjectives describing female people also commonly use this pattern: طالباتٌ مجتهداتٌ (hardworking female students), الطالباتُ المجتهداتُ (the hardworking female students). Match definiteness and case as well as gender and number. Contrast nonhuman سياراتٌ سريعةٌ, with a feminine singular adjective.

The Full Case Pattern
For an indefinite regular plural, compare nominative معلماتٌ with accusative and genitive معلماتٍ. With ال, use المعلماتُ versus المعلماتِ; the article removes nunation but not case marking.

Further Connections

Examples (4)

  1. المعلمات في المدرسة.

    The (female) teachers are in the school.

    Word by Word: The-teachers (fem. pl.) in the-school.

    Here, the feminine singular 'mu'allima' becomes 'mu'allimāt' by dropping the ة and adding ـات.

  2. هناك مطارات كبيرة في هذه الدولة.

    There are large airports in this country.

    Word by Word: There airports large in this the-state.

    Notice that 'maṭār' (airport) is a masculine noun, but it takes the -āt plural. Also, the adjective 'kabīra' is feminine singular because airports are non-human.

  3. رأيتُ الطالباتِ في المكتبة.

    I saw the (female) students in the library.

    Word by Word: I-saw the-students (fem. pl. acc.) in the-library.

    In the accusative case (as the object of 'I saw'), the plural ends with a kasra (ـاتِ) instead of a fatḥah.

  4. عندي ثلاث سيارات.

    I have three cars.

    Word by Word: At-me three cars.

    The word 'sayyāra' (car) becomes 'sayyārāt' in the plural.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a fatḥa for the accusative case on sound feminine plurals.

    رأيتُ المعلماتَ
    رأيتُ المعلماتِ

    The regular feminine plural is unique because it never takes a fatḥa. Even when it is the direct object, it must take a kasra. This is a key part of becoming proficient in the case system.

  • Treating 'False Friends' like 'awqāt' (times) as sound feminine plurals.

    سمعتُ أصواتِ
    سمعتُ أصواتاً

    Some words end in -āt but are actually broken plurals where the 't' is part of the root (like 'aswāt' or 'awqāt'). These words follow standard rules and DO take a fatḥa in the accusative case.

  • Using مدرسات for 'schools'.

    Different Meaningمدرسات
    مدارس

    مدرسات is correct, but it is the plural of مدرِّسة, a female teacher. The plural of مدرسة (school) is the broken plural مدارس.

How It Connects

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ـاتLevel 1Regular Feminine Plural

Learn This First

To understand the Regular Feminine Plural, you first need to understand how gender is marked on singular nouns (usually with the Ta Marbuta) and the general concept of how Arabic distinguishes between singular and plural forms.

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ات