Elementary Arabic Morphology 1
The Division of Nouns Into Masculine and Feminine
What is a masculine noun?
What is a feminine noun?
What gender to non-living objects have?
What are the signs of feminine nouns?
A masculine noun is a noun that denotes a male human or animal. For example: ﺃبٌ ﺃسَدٌ(a lion, a father)
A feminine noun is a noun that denotes a female human or animal. For example: اُمّ لَبوَةٌ (a lioness, a mother)
Non living objects are:
• Always masculine; for example: قَمَرٌ سَیفٌ (a moon, a sword)
• Always feminine; for example: شَمسٌ عَینٌ (a sun, an eye)
- There are three signs of a feminine noun:
• The ة ; for example: کاذِبَة (a female liar)
• The ی ; for example: کُبریَ (a female name)
• The اء ; for example: حَسناء (a beautiful woman)