Dual Agreement between the Subject and Predicate and Shared Rules

1. What Will We Learn in This Level?

● In this section, we will learn agreement in the second major number category of the nominal sentence: the dual.
● We will learn how the predicate is made dual when the subject (mubtadaʾ) refers to two people.
● We will study the special rule for the predicate when a mixed-gender subject contains both a masculine and a feminine noun.
● We will work through all the dual examples in the exercise in detail and apply them in practice.

2. The Rule of Dual Agreement

● In Arabic, when the subject (mubtadaʾ) is dual, referring to two, the predicate (khabar) must also be dual.
● In earlier lessons, we learned that the nominative (marfūʿ) form of the dual is shown by the ending "ـَانِ".
● Masculine dual example:
○ Zayd and Ḥāmid are righteous. -> زَيْدٌ وَحَامِدٌ صَالِحَانِ
■ Here, the subject contains two masculine nouns, so the predicate is also masculine dual: صَالِحَانِ.
● Feminine dual example:
○ Maryam and Zaynab are righteous. -> مَرْيَمُ وَزَيْنَبُ صَالِحَتَانِ
■ Here, the subject contains two feminine nouns, so the predicate is also feminine dual: صَالِحَتَانِ.

3. The Rule for a Mixed-Gender Subject

● Important grammar rule:
○ If the subject (mubtadaʾ) contains one masculine and one feminine noun, the predicate always follows the masculine form. In other words, the predicate is masculine dual.
● Example:
○ Zayd and Fāṭimah are righteous. -> زَيْدٌ وَفَاطِمَةُ صَالِحَانِ
■ Zayd is masculine and Fāṭimah is feminine, but the masculine dual form صَالِحَانِ is used for the predicate rather than the feminine form.

4. Practice with Masculine Dual and Mixed-Gender Sentences

● Learn the Arabic equivalents of the following masculine dual and mixed-gender sentences:

English sentence
Arabic sentence
Form change

Hāshim and ʿĀbid are doctors.
هَاشِمٌ وَعَابِدٌ طَبِيبَانِ
طَبِيبٌ becomes طَبِيبَانِ

Nāṣir and Mujāhid are hardworking.
نَاصِرٌ وَمُجَاهِدٌ مُجْتَهِدَانِ
مُجْتَهِدٌ becomes مُجْتَهِدَانِ

Khālid and Zayd are students.
خَالِدٌ وَزَيْدٌ طَالِبَانِ
طَالِبٌ becomes طَالِبَانِ

Manṣūr and Shāhid are standing.
مَنْصُورٌ وَشَاهِدٌ قَائِمَانِ
قَائِمٌ becomes قَائِمَانِ

Maẓhar and Sājid are sitting.
مَظْهَرٌ وَسَاجِدٌ جَالِسَانِ
جَالِسٌ becomes جَالِسَانِ

5. Practice with Feminine Dual Sentences

● Learn the Arabic equivalents of sentences containing two feminine nouns:

English sentence
Arabic sentence
Form change

Maryam and Zaynab are righteous.
مَرْيَمُ وَزَيْنَبُ صَالِحَتَانِ
صَالِحَةٌ becomes صَالِحَتَانِ

Fāṭimah and ʿĀʾishah are truthful.
فَاطِمَةُ وَعَائِشَةُ صَادِقَتَانِ
صَادِقَةٌ becomes صَادِقَتَانِ

Ḥafṣah and Ruqayyah are female teachers.
حَفْصَةُ وَرُقَيَّةُ مُعَلِّمَتَانِ
مُعَلِّمَةٌ becomes مُعَلِّمَتَانِ

ʿĀbidah and Shāhidah are female students.
عَابِدَةُ وَشَاهِدَةُ طَالِبَتَانِ
طَالِبَةٌ becomes طَالِبَتَانِ

Nāṣirah and Ṣāʾimah are hardworking.
نَاصِرَةُ وَصَائِمَةُ مُجْتَهِدَتَانِ
مُجْتَهِدَةٌ becomes مُجْتَهِدَتَانِ