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I am learning Arabic from Madinah Arabic . com. I have some problems. Firstly, I read hospital as "mustashfi" while my orientation with the language says they are missing the vertical fatah on the ya and it should be "mustashfaa" (a feminine Arabic noun with an alif mamdooda at the end). I face similar confusion in fatai/fataa (youn man) and alai/alaa (on) and ilai/ilaa (to).

Secondly, though all Arabic broken plurals are used in my language (Urdu) as well, I face problems making broken plurals in a foreign language. Are sound plurals of the same words acceptable in Arabic exams? For example, make plural of kitab as kitabun instead of kutub? Both are perfectly valid in Urdu. However, in Urdu we form sound plurals as kitabain.

Please clear my concepts about the sound plurals and the alif mamdooda / ya.

I hope it's not too difficult a question. Doesn't anyone speak Arabic here?

I didn't really understand what your question(s) was

Just tell me if:

1. hospital is mustashfi or mustashfaa
2. On (a preposition) is alai or alaa
3. In (also a preposition) is ilai or ilaa
4. Is a young man fatai or fataa

There is a longer version of a fatah (an airab) in Arabic that makes a ya (last alphabet in Arabic) sound /a:/ (like dart) I just want to know if there is a ya with a longer fatah at the end of these words or just a ya.

Then I shall explain my second question.

Just tell me if:

1. hospital is mustashfi or mustashfaa
2. On (a preposition) is alai or alaa
3. In (also a preposition) is ilai or ilaa
4. Is a young man fatai or fataa

There is a longer version of a fatah (an airab) in Arabic that makes a ya (last alphabet in Arabic) sound /a:/ (like dart) I just want to know if there is a ya with a longer fatah at the end of these words or just a ya.

Then I shall explain my second question.

1. hospital is pronounced as mustashfa
2. on is pronounced as alaa , alai means on me
3. neither one, as far as i am aware in is fee
4. i've also never heard of fatai...but the word used for a young man is fataa

Jazakallah. Idiot of me, I intended to write To instead of In in the third one, but now I am clear that the words which I read as a ya sound at the end are actually words having alif mamdooda (or maksoora I don't remember what the two are called). That website has missed the fatah on the ya's!

NOw, kitab's plural is kutub, just like in my language Urdu. But we are free to form sound plurals of kitab like kitabain (in Arabic it's sound plural would be kitabuun). Is it acceptable to use sound plurals for words that have broken plurals?

Kind Regards,
Usama

I'm sorry but I honestly didn't understand, what are sound/broken plurals?

Sound plurals are formed by simple modification of the singular nouns:

Muslim ==> Muslimuun
Taliba ==> Talibaatun

and in english as well:

Language ==> Languages

But Broken plurals change the whole noun:

kitabun ==> kutubun
rajulun ==> rijaalun

and in english as well:

Man ==> Men
Woman ==> Women

My question is that can we form sound plurals of singular nouns which have broken plurals already?

Also answer my previous incomplete question: Is To (a preposition) translated as ilai or ilaa?

Regards,
Usama

no you can't, and to would be pronounced as ilaa. thanks for explaining that by the way, appreciate it

Thanks a lot, I have corrected some of my huge mistakes (never spoke Arabic, since only read and written). No problem, I just need to get myself used to connect these plurals in the language, (and by the way, I don't need to learn them because these are what we use in Urdu ). NOw that I have already started a topic, can you tell me if Arabic has a vast dictionary (in Urdu, we have 4 - 5 equivalents of the same word because Urdu is a mixture of seven languages). Hope Arabic doesn't have them. Am I right? Can I learn the required vocabulary used in daily life within a year and a half? Do Arabic exams expect good vocabulary or just ideas?

Thanks a lot, I have corrected some of my huge mistakes (never spoke Arabic, since only read and written). No problem, I just need to get myself used to connect these plurals in the language, (and by the way, I don't need to learn them because these are what we use in Urdu ). NOw that I have already started a topic, can you tell me if Arabic has a vast dictionary (in Urdu, we have 4 - 5 equivalents of the same word because Urdu is a mixture of seven languages). Hope Arabic doesn't have them. Am I right? Can I learn the required vocabulary used in daily life within a year and a half? Do Arabic exams expect good vocabulary or just ideas?

Well, it depends on whether you are talking about learning traditional (classical) arabic, or a specific dialect of arabic. There are a variety of different dialects of the arabic language, which sometimes makes it difficult for non-arab speakers to learn the language.

If you are talking about learning classical arabic, then you really shouldn't have any problems since there are many similarities in sentence structure and other grammatical parts with urdu.

If you are focusing on learning a specific dialect of the arabic language, then it may be a bit more difficult because many people speak many different ways.

On arabic exams, a proficient understanding of the arabic language is expected, and correct grammar should be used.

On arabic exams, a proficient understanding of the arabic language is expected, and correct grammar should be used.

And when I know that the one I'll give Inshallah, its standard Arabic, very happy!

Could anone tell me if the Arabic written here is in standardarabic or a dialect: w w w . cie . org . uk / docs / dynamic / 22932 . pdf

Please remove the spaces (all of them) first. Also, have they used good vocabulary or usual one?

standard arabic

Thanks a lot, shookran, that bring's an end to this very long topic.