Nouns: Dual

01

The Nominative Dual (Subject)

When the pair of items is the subject of the sentence (the one doing the action), you add the suffix ⁧⁧ـَانِ⁩⁩ (-āni-āni-āni-ani) to the singular noun. This consists of a long "a" followed by "ni".

• ⁧وَصَلَ المُسَافِرَانِ.⁩

  waṣala al-musāfirāni.waṣala al-musāfirāni.waṣala ʾal-musāfirāni.waṣala al-musafirani.

  The two travelers arrived.

• ⁧هَذَانِ بَيْتَانِ كَبِيرَانِ.⁩

  hādhāni baytāni kabīrāni.hādhāni baytāni kabīrāni.hādhāni baytāni kabiyrāni.hadhani baytani kabyrani.

  These are two big houses.

02

The Accusative and Genitive Dual (Object and Preposition)

When the pair is the object of a verb, or follows a preposition (like "in" or "with"), the suffix changes to ⁧⁧ـَيْنِ⁩⁩ (-ayni). This sounds like the English word "eye" followed by "nee".

Notice that the final vowel is still a short "i" ⁧ـِ⁩ (i), but the long "a" changes to a diphthong "ay" ⁧ـَيْـ⁩ (ayayʾayay).

• ⁧شَاهَدْتُ فِيلَيْنِ.⁩

  shāhadtu fīlayni.shāhadtu fīlayni.shāhadtu fiylayni.shahadtu fylayni.

  I saw two elephants.

• ⁧تَكَلَّمْتُ مَعَ صَدِيقَيْنِ.⁩

  takallamtu ma‘a ṣadīqayni.takallamtu ma‘a ṣadīqayni.takallamtu ma‘a ṣadiyqayni.takalamtu ma‘a ṣadyqayni.

  I spoke with two friends.

03

Dual for Feminine Nouns

Most feminine nouns in Arabic end with the letter Tāʾ Marbūṭah ⁧ة⁩ (h). To make these nouns dual, you must first "open" the ⁧ة⁩ (h) into a regular ⁧⁧ت⁩⁩ (t), and then add the dual endings described above.

For example, ⁧⁧مَدِينَة⁩⁩ (madīnahmadīnahmadiynahmadynah) - city becomes ⁧⁧مَدِينَتَانِ⁩⁩ (madīnatānimadīnatānimadiynatānimadynatani) - two cities.

• ⁧هُنَاكَ شَجَرَتَانِ فِي الحَدِيقَةِ.⁩

  hunāka shajaratāni fī al-ḥadīqah.hunāka shad͟jaratāni fī al-ḥadīqah.hunāka shaǧaratāni fiy ʾal-ḥadiyqah.hunaka shajaratani fy al-ḥadyqah.

  There are two trees in the garden.

• ⁧اشْتَرَيْتُ سَاعَتَيْنِ.⁩

  ishtaraytu sā‘atayni.ishtaraytu sā‘atayni.ishtaraytu sā‘atayni.ishtaraytu sa‘atayni.

  I bought two watches.

04

Usage Without Numbers

Because the dual suffix inherently carries the meaning of "two," it is usually unnecessary to use the number "two" ⁧⁧اِثْنَانِ⁩⁩ (ithnāniithnāniithnāniithnani) in the sentence. Using the noun with the dual ending is sufficient.

If the number "two" is added after the noun, it serves purely to emphasize the quantity.

• ⁧عِنْدِي قَلَمَانِ.⁩

  ‘indī qalamāni.‘indī qalamāni.‘indiy qalamāni.‘indy qalamani.

  I have two pens.

• ⁧عِنْدِي قَلَمَانِ اثْنَانِ.⁩

  ‘indī qalamāni ithnāni.‘indī qalamāni ithnāni.‘indiy qalamāni ithnāni.‘indy qalamani ithnani.

  I have two pens (emphasizing exactly two).