# قرى



## 6aalib

There are some nouns that refer to a collective mass of animals/natural-objects, and a "taa-marbuta" is added to refer to a singular.  And then the "sound feminine plural" ( ات ) is used to refer to a smaller collection (eg. between 3-10). 

Is قرى a collective noun?  I know these are mostly animals and natural objects but i believe there are exceptions.

The singular is  قرية

I want to know if I should use the sound feminine plural to refer to 3-10 villages.


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## Lark-lover

Yes, _*quraa*_, and *qaryaat قريات *


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## 6aalib

Shukran


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## Arabic Guru

Lark-lover said:


> *qaryaat قريات *



I didn't hear "qaryaat" before, what is your source?


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## Lark-lover

All Arabic words we utter are not only contained in Arabic dictionaries, huge chunks of utterances are still in the memory of the speakers.
What I've provided and you've just asked of is called plural of fewness/littleness _jam'u qillah_.
If you haven't heard of it doesn't mean that it is not existent or wrong.


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## barkoosh

As far as I know, قُرى is the plural of قرية and means "villages". The ant colony is also called قرية. I don't think it's a collective plural.


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## akhooha

قَرْيَة : جمع قَرْيات وقُرًى (معجم اللغة العربية المعاصرة)ـ
http://www.almaany.com/home.php?lan...cat_group=2&lang_name=عربي&type_word=2&dspl=0


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## Arabic Guru

Lark-lover said:


> If you haven't heard of it doesn't mean that it is not existent or wrong.


Hearing means: I didn't read it in any Arabic resource كناية 

What I know that "quraan" قرًى  plural of "qarya"  لـ قرية  جمع غير قياسي​


> الوزن هو فُــعَــل لأن قرًى هي في الأصل قُـرَي- على جمع التكسير فُعَل
> أما كيف غدت قُرَي فقد وقعت الياء متحركة وما قبلها فتحة فتقلب الياء ألفًا = قرًى. وانتبه إلى تنوين النصب فهو على الراء قبل الألف المقصورة.​





akhooha said:


> قَرْيَة : جمع قَرْيات وقُرًى (معجم اللغة العربية المعاصرة)ـ
> http://www.almaany.com/home.php?language=arabic&word=قرية&cat_group=2&lang_name=عربي&type_word=2&dspl=0



One source is not enough, other moderns are not mentioning it قَرْيات


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## إسكندراني

Arabic Guru said:


> I didn't hear "qaryaat" before, what is your source?


I didn't either, but it seems to be a common place name.


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## akhooha

إسكندراني said:


> I didn't either, but it seems to be a common place name.


This may be of interest:


> ولاية قريات:  سميت قريات بهذا الاسم لأنها تتكون من عدة قرى وأحياء سكنيه ويرجع أصل تسمية قريات إلى جمع قرية، وقيل أنها جمع قُريَّة تصغير قرية٠٠٠


(http://gom.gov.om/index.aspx?PageId=53)


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## Lark-lover

Thanks a lot, Akhooha, for the sources.


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## إسكندراني

اسم المحافظة السعودية فيه تشديد القريّات فيبدو أن التأثيل الثاني صحيح 
جمع قرية قرى
وجمع قريّة قريّات


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## Lark-lover

What are the possibilties of the plural of _*an egg*_ in Arabic then?


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## akhooha

إسكندراني said:


> اسم المحافظة السعودية فيه تشديد القريّات فيبدو أن التأثيل الثاني صحيح
> جمع قرية قرى
> وجمع قريّة قريّات


So, fully vowelled, "قريّة" would be "قُرَيَّة" (qurayyah)?
and "قريّات" would be "قُرَيَّات" (qurayyaat)?


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## إسكندراني

akhooha said:


> So, fully vowelled, "قريّة" would be "قُرَيَّة" (qurayyah)?
> and "قريّات" would be "قُرَيَّات" (qurayyaat)?


صح


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## 6aalib

I see that sometimes there can be debate on the plural form.  What is the best strategy for beginners?

Many times I learn a noun that has broken plural forms ( فُعَل and فُعُل), and has a taa-marbuta in its single form.  For example:

level = رتبة pl. رُتَب
room = غرفة pl. غُرَف
point = نقطة pl.  نُقَط

For these nouns, (if you can not look it up in a dictionary) is the best strategy :  

(a) assume it is a collective noun, and use the sound feminine plural for 3-10 items
or
(b) do not assume it is a collective noun, and use the broken plural for 3-10 items


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## barkoosh

The taa-marbuta in a collective noun doesn't change the 7arakaat of the noun. For example:
بَقَر - بَقَرَة
تَمْر - تَمْرَة
نَخْل - نَخْلَة
مَهَا - مَهَاة
نَمْل - نَمْلَة
شَجَر - شَجَرَة
تُفَّاح - تُفَّاحَة

Had قُرَى ("villages") been a collective noun, "one village" would have been قُرَاة, not قَرْيَة. Likewise, had رُتَب - غُرَف - نُقَط been collective nouns, their singular form, with taa-marbuta, would have been: رُتَبَة - غُرَفَة - نُقَطَة.


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## jacksparro3014

I see there are many details in the replies, but i believe that many of them had gone beyond the question, if you need my simple answer, here it is:
use قرى to refer to 3-10 villages, 
never ever use قريات


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## Lark-lover

If so, how would you count more than 50 villages ?


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## jacksparro3014

To Lark-lover ,,, this wasn't his question, his question was " if he should use the sound feminine plural to refer to 3-10 villages" , not 50 villages, but the answer for your question is
قرية


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## Lark-lover

Sorry for being off his question


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## 6aalib

barkoosh said:


> The taa-marbuta in a collective noun doesn't change the 7arakaat of the noun. For example: بَقَر - بَقَرَة تَمْر - تَمْرَة نَخْل - نَخْلَة مَهَا - مَهَاة نَمْل - نَمْلَة شَجَر - شَجَرَة تُفَّاح - تُفَّاحَة  Had قُرَى ("villages") been a collective noun, "one village" would have been قُرَاة, not قَرْيَة. Likewise, had رُتَب - غُرَف - نُقَط been collective nouns, their singular form, with taa-marbuta, would have been: رُتَبَة - غُرَفَة - نُقَطَة.


  Oh yes, I forgot that the 7arakaat also had to be the same...that simplifies things....SHUKRAN JAZILAN


jacksparro3014 said:


> I see there are many details in the replies, but i believe that many of them had gone beyond the question, if you need my simple answer, here it is:
> use قرى to refer to 3-10 villages,
> never ever use قريات



Yes I did have a little trouble understanding but I liked following the conversation.  It is good to know that even advanced students will sometimes not know which plural form is correct


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