بعض

Some

Level 2

بعض (ba‘ḍ) is the standard way to say 'some' or 'part of' in Arabic. It is always a noun and acts as the first part of an possession construction (Idafa).

How It Works

The word بعض is a versatile quantifier in Modern Standard Arabic. To become proficient in its use, keep these rules in mind:

  • The Idafa Structure: When بعض functions as the first part of an Idafa, it never takes the definite article (الـ) or nunation. The following noun is in the genitive case and is frequently definite (e.g., بعض الكتب - some of the books).
  • Singular vs. Plural: When followed by a definite plural noun, it means 'some of'. When followed by a definite singular noun, it means 'part of' (e.g., بعض اليوم - part of the day). If followed by an indefinite singular noun, it often means 'a certain' or 'part of' (e.g., بعض يوم - part of a day).
  • Standing Alone: If the group being referred to is already understood, بعض can stand alone. In this case, it can take nunation (e.g., قرأتُ بعضاً - I read some) or even the definite article (e.g., البعض يقول - some say).
  • Pronoun Suffixes: It is very common to attach possessive pronouns to بعض, such as بعضهم (some of them) or بعضنا (some of us).
  • Reciprocal 'Each Other': To express 'each other', Arabic repeats the word: بعض... بعضاً. For example, يساعد الطلاب بعضهم بعضاً (The students help each other).
  • Case Endings: As a noun, بعض changes its ending based on its role in the sentence (Case Endings). It can be nominative, accusative, or genitive.
  • Verb Agreement: If بعض is the subject, the verb can either agree with بعض itself (staying masculine singular) or agree with the noun that follows it. Both بعض الطالبات حضر and بعض الطالبات حضرن are grammatically acceptable.

Examples (5)

  1. بعضُ الطلابِ في المكتبةِ.

    Some of the students are in the library.

    Word by Word: Some (of) the students in the library.

    Here, 'ba'du' is the subject (nominative) and is followed by a definite plural noun in the genitive.

  2. قرأتُ بعضَ الكتابِ اليومَ.

    I read part of the book today.

    Word by Word: I read some (of) the book the day.

    When followed by a singular noun, 'ba'da' (accusative object) means 'part of' the entity.

  3. تحدثتُ مع بعضِ المدرسينَ.

    I spoke with some of the teachers.

    Word by Word: I spoke with some (of) the teachers.

    After the preposition 'ma'a', 'ba'di' takes the genitive case ending.

  4. بعضُ النساءِ ذهبنَ إلى السوقِ.

    Some of the women went to the market.

    Word by Word: Some (of) the women they went to the market.

    Note how the verb 'dhahabna' (went) agrees with the feminine plural 'women' rather than being singular.

  5. ساعدَ الأصدقاءُ بعضُهم بعضاً.

    The friends helped one another.

    Word by Word: Helped the friends some of them some.

    This is a common idiomatic structure to express reciprocal action ('each other').

Common Mistakes

  • Adding the definite article 'Al-' to 'ba‘ḍ' when it is the first part of an Idafa.

    البعض الطلاب غائبون.
    بعضُ الطلابِ غائبون.

    In an Idafa construction, the first term (ba‘ḍ) cannot have 'Al-'. The definiteness is provided by the second noun.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

بعضLevel 2Some

Learn This First

To use 'بعض' (some) correctly, a learner needs to understand how nouns are joined in possession or partitive relationships (Idafa), how to form plural nouns, and how the second noun in such a pair takes the genitive case ending.

Words in This Pattern

بعض