Grammar:Tutorial/Grammatical number

There are three numbers: singular, plural, and double.

The following is a rule (but there are many exceptions from this rule):

• The plural of a feminine noun ending with ה is formed by replacing ה with ות.
• The plural of a noun ending with ות is formed by replacing ות with יות.
• The plural of a noun ending with ית is formed by replacing ית with יות.
• The plural of a noun ending with ת but not with ות or ית is sometimes formed by replacing ת with ות, but this case has many exceptions.
• The plural of some nouns (especially masculine) ending with ה is formed by replacing ה with ים.
• The plural of the rest nouns (mainly masculine) not ending with ה is formed by adding ים at the end of the word.

Because the rule above has many exceptions, it is possible to identify whether the plural of a given noun ends with ות or with ים only by consulting a dictionary.

The plural of the word בית (“house”) is בתים. The plural of the word איש (“man”) is אנשים.

Double number forms are the same as plural. But double number means two things instead of an indefinite plural number.

Accordingly this book only the following words have double number:

• names of measures and numbers;
• words denoting pair-things (such as hands of a man).