دَرْسُ المُثَنَّى

The Lesson of the Dual Form

الفصل الأول | Chapter One

فِي مَدِينَةِ فَاسَ، قَابَلْتُ تَوْأَمَتَيْنِ جَمِيلَتَيْنِ.

In the city of Fes, I met two beautiful twins.

"نَحْنُ أُخْتَانِ،" قَالَتَا مَعًا. "نُعَلِّمُ العَرَبِيَّةَ."

"We are two sisters," they said together. "We teach Arabic."

كَانَتَا فِي الثَّلَاثِينَ، جَسَدَاهُمَا مُمْتَلِئَانِ وَعَيْنَاهُمَا سَوْدَاوَانِ.

They were in their thirties, their bodies full and their eyes black.

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

المُثَنَّى (al-muthannā) - The Dual Form

Arabic has a special form for exactly two of something:

أُخْتَانِ (ukhtān) - two sisters (nominative)
تَوْأَمَتَيْنِ (taw'amatayni) - two twins (accusative/genitive)

Formation:

Nominative: اسم + ـَانِ (noun + āni)
Accusative/Genitive: اسم + ـَيْنِ (noun + ayni)

الفصل الثاني | Chapter Two

"كَيْفَ نُثَنِّي الاِسْمَ؟" سَأَلْتُهُمَا.

"How do we make a noun dual?" I asked them.

قَالَتِ الأُولَى: "نُضِيفُ 'ـَانِ' فِي الرَّفْعِ."

The first said: "We add '-ān' in the nominative."

قَالَتِ الثَّانِيَةُ: "وَ'ـَيْنِ' فِي النَّصْبِ وَالجَرِّ."

The second said: "And '-ayn' in the accusative and genitive."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

تثنية الاسم - Making Nouns Dual

| المفرد | Singular | المثنى رفعًا | Nom. Dual | المثنى نصبًا/جرًّا | Acc./Gen. | |--------|----------|--------------|-----------|-------------------|-----------| | كِتَابٌ | book | كِتَابَانِ | two books | كِتَابَيْنِ | two books | | طَالِبَةٌ | student (f.) | طَالِبَتَانِ | two students | طَالِبَتَيْنِ | two students | | مُعَلِّمٌ | teacher | مُعَلِّمَانِ | two teachers | مُعَلِّمَيْنِ | two teachers |

The final ة becomes ت before the dual suffix.

الفصل الثالث | Chapter Three

"عَيْنَاكُمَا جَمِيلَتَانِ،" قُلْتُ.

"Your two eyes are beautiful," I said.

ضَحِكَتَا مَعًا. "نَحْنُ أَرْبَعُ عُيُونٍ!"

They laughed together. "We are four eyes!"

"لَكِنَّ 'عُيُون' جَمْعٌ لَا مُثَنَّى..."

"But 'eyes' (uyūn) is plural, not dual..."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

إعراب المثنى - Parsing the Dual

عَيْنَاكُمَا جَمِيلَتَانِ:

عَيْنَا: مبتدأ مرفوع بالألف لأنه مثنى، وهو مضاف
كُمَا: ضمير متصل في محل جر مضاف إليه
جَمِيلَتَانِ: خبر مرفوع بالألف لأنه مثنى

Note: المثنى المضاف يحذف نونه (the dual in iḍāfa loses its nūn): عَيْنَانِ → عَيْنَا (مضاف)

الفصل الرابع | Chapter Four

أَمْسَكَتِ الأُولَى يَدِي اليُمْنَى، وَالثَّانِيَةُ يَدِي اليُسْرَى.

The first held my right hand, and the second my left hand.

"يَدَاكَ قَوِيَّتَانِ،" قَالَتَا.

"Your two hands are strong," they said.

"وَيَدَاكُمَا نَاعِمَتَانِ..."

"And your two hands are soft..."

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

صفة المثنى - Dual Adjectives

The adjective must match the dual noun:

| المثنى | Dual Noun | الصفة | Adjective | |--------|-----------|-------|-----------| | يَدَانِ قَوِيَّتَانِ | two strong hands | مؤنث | feminine | | رَجُلَانِ كَرِيمَانِ | two generous men | مذكر | masculine | | كِتَابَانِ جَدِيدَانِ | two new books | مذكر | masculine |

Both noun and adjective take the dual suffix.

الفصل الخامس | Chapter Five

"وَمَاذَا عَنِ الفِعْلِ مَعَ المُثَنَّى؟" سَأَلْتُ.

"And what about the verb with the dual?" I asked.

"الفِعْلُ يَتْبَعُ الفَاعِلَ،" قَالَتِ الأُولَى.

"The verb follows the subject," said the first.

"جَاءَتَا، ذَهَبَتَا، قَالَتَا..." أَكْمَلَتِ الثَّانِيَةُ.

"They two came, they two went, they two said..." completed the second.

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

الفعل مع المثنى - Verbs with Dual Subjects

| الضمير | Pronoun | الماضي | Past | المضارع | Present | |--------|---------|--------|------|---------|---------| | هُمَا (م) | they two (m.) | ذَهَبَا | they went | يَذْهَبَانِ | they go | | هُمَا (ث) | they two (f.) | ذَهَبَتَا | they went | تَذْهَبَانِ | they go | | أَنْتُمَا | you two | ذَهَبْتُمَا | you went | تَذْهَبَانِ | you go |

Note the ألف in the past and ـَانِ in the present for dual.

الفصل السادس | Chapter Six

جَلَسَتَا بِجَانِبَيَّ. شَعَرْتُ بِدِفْئِهِمَا.

They sat on both sides of me. I felt their warmth.

"نَحْنُ نُحِبُّكَ،" قَالَتَا مَعًا.

"We love you," they said together.

"وَأَنَا أُحِبُّكُمَا..." أَجَبْتُ.

"And I love you two..." I answered.

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

ضمائر المثنى - Dual Pronouns

| النوع | Type | المنفصل | Separate | المتصل | Attached | |-------|------|---------|----------|--------|----------| | غائب | 3rd | هُمَا | they two | ـهُمَا | them two | | مخاطب | 2nd | أَنْتُمَا | you two | ـكُمَا | you two |

Examples:

أُحِبُّكُمَا = I love you two
رَأَيْتُهُمَا = I saw them two
بَيْتُهُمَا = their (two) house

الفصل السابع | Chapter Seven

"هَلْ سَتَبْقَيَانِ مَعِي اللَّيْلَةَ؟" سَأَلْتُ.

"Will you two stay with me tonight?" I asked.

"سَنَبْقَى مَعَكَ... نَحْنُ لَا نَفْتَرِقُ أَبَدًا."

"We will stay with you... we never separate."

وَتَعَلَّمْتُ أَنَّ المُثَنَّى لَيْسَ فَقَطْ فِي القَوَاعِدِ، بَلْ فِي الحَيَاةِ أَيْضًا.

And I learned that the dual is not only in grammar, but in life too.

Grammar Note | ملاحظة نحوية:

المثنى في الأمر والنهي - Dual in Commands

| المفرد | Singular | المثنى | Dual | |--------|----------|--------|------| | اِجْلِسْ | sit! (m.s.) | اِجْلِسَا | sit! (you two) | | اِجْلِسِي | sit! (f.s.) | اِجْلِسَا | sit! (you two) | | لَا تَذْهَبْ | don't go! (m.s.) | لَا تَذْهَبَا | don't go! (you two) |

The dual command ends in ـَا for both genders.

الخاتمة | Conclusion

فِي مَدِينَةِ فَاسَ، تَعَلَّمْتُ أَنَّ الاِثْنَيْنِ أَجْمَلُ مِنَ الوَاحِدِ.

In the city of Fes, I learned that two is more beautiful than one.

وَأَنَّ العَرَبِيَّةَ وَحْدَهَا تَحْتَفِي بِالثُّنَائِيَّةِ بِصِيغَةٍ خَاصَّةٍ.

And that Arabic alone celebrates duality with a special form.

كَمَا احْتَفَيْتُ أَنَا بِالتَّوْأَمَتَيْنِ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ.

Just as I celebrated with the twin sisters that night.

ملخص القواعد | Grammar Summary

المثنى - The Dual:

التكوين: اسم + ـَانِ (رفع) أو ـَيْنِ (نصب وجر)
علامة الرفع: الألف (كِتَابَانِ)
علامة النصب والجر: الياء (كِتَابَيْنِ)
عند الإضافة: تُحذف النون (كِتَابَا الطَّالِبِ)
الصفة: تتبع المثنى في التثنية
الفعل: يُلحق به ألف (ذَهَبَا) أو ـَانِ (يَذْهَبَانِ)

تمارين | Exercises

ثَنِّ الكَلِمَاتِ التَّالِيَةَ: Make the following words dual:

قَلَمٌ → ... (two pens)
طَالِبَةٌ → ... (two female students)
مُعَلِّمٌ → ... (two teachers)
سَيَّارَةٌ → ... (two cars)
يَدٌ → ... (two hands)

انتهى الدرس الحادي عشر End of the Eleventh Lesson