Arabic Plurals in Formal Writing
A single report is خبر, and the plural اخبار means news in general.
How It Works
Some words arrived in Dari with their Arabic plural, and formal writing uses it.
| Singular | Arabic plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| خبر | اخبار | news |
| مسئله | مسائل | issues |
| اثر | آثار | works |
| مرکز | مراکز | centers |
| حادثه | حوادث | accidents, events |
| قانون | قوانین | laws |
| ولایت | ولایات | provinces |
Three rules.
- No ـها on top: اخبار and مسائل are already plural.
- For one thing, use the singular: یک خبر خوب, never یک اخبار.
- Speech and casual writing use ـها: مسئله‌ها, ولایت‌ها. The Arabic plurals belong to news, reports and books.
Afghan writers also use معلومات for information, which is an Arabic plural that Dari treats as a single word.
Where to meet them: bulletin headlines (اخبار, حوادث), notices (مراکز صحی) and school books (مسائل ریاضی). An Arabic plural takes ezafe and را like any noun: آثار این شاعر, مسائل را حل کردیم.
The Arabic plural is a fixed partner of its singular, so learn the pair together. A dictionary lists it next to the singular word.
Examples (5)
- اخبار امروز نشان می‌دهد که قیمت برنج در بازار پایین آمده است.
Today's news shows that the price of rice has come down in the market.
اخبار is the plural of خبر, here meaning the news.
- مسائل مهم شهر در جلسهٔ شاروالی بررسی شد.
The important issues of the city were reviewed at the municipality's meeting.
مسائل is the plural of مسئله.
- معلومات مفید دربارهٔ تاریخ بلخ در این کتاب جمع شده است.
Useful information about the history of Balkh is collected in this book.
معلومات ends in ـات and is treated as a single word for information.
- آثار این شاعر هراتی به چندین زبان ترجمه شده است.
This Herati poet's works have been translated into several languages.
آثار is the plural of اثر.
- مراکز صحی این ولایت برای همه باز است.
This province's health centers are open to everyone.
مراکز is the plural of مرکز.
Common Mistakes
Adding ـها to an Arabic plural.
اخبار‌ها را از رادیو شنیدم.اخبار را از رادیو شنیدم.اخبار is already plural. The ending ـها is for singular words.
Using a plural with یک.
یک اخبار خوب شنیدم.یک خبر خوب شنیدم.For one report, use the singular خبر.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Arabic plurals are used beside ـها and ـان in formal writing, so the regular plurals come first.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice Arabic Plurals in Formal Writing in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Dari lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
