Case Endings Chart

This chart provides a comprehensive reference for iʿrāb (الْإِعْرَابُ) — the system of case endings that marks grammatical function in Classical Arabic.

Quick Navigation

• Overview: The Three Cases
• Singular Nouns (الْمُفْرَدُ)
• Dual Nouns (الْمُثَنَّى)
• Sound Masculine Plural (جَمْعُ الْمُذَكَّرِ السَّالِمِ)
• Sound Feminine Plural (جَمْعُ الْمُؤَنَّثِ السَّالِمِ)
• Broken Plurals (جَمْعُ التَّكْسِيرِ)
• The Five Nouns (الْأَسْمَاءُ الْخَمْسَةُ)

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Overview: The Three Cases

Arabic nouns change their endings based on grammatical function within a sentence. These changes are called case endings (حَرَكَاتُ الْإِعْرَابِ).

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Singular Nouns (الْمُفْرَدُ)

Most singular nouns follow the triptote pattern — they take all three cases with tanwīn (التَّنْوِينُ) when indefinite.

Triptote Pattern

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

inna llāha ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīrun

Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.

— Surah Al-Baqarah 2:20 Listen

Analysis:

• شَيْءٍ (shayʾin): Genitive indefinite after preposition كُلِّ (every)
• قَدِيرٌ (qadīrun): Nominative indefinite — predicate describing Allah

Diptote Nouns (المَمْنُوعُ مِنَ الصَّرْفِ) — Special Pattern

Some nouns are diptote (مَمْنُوعٌ مِنَ الصَّرْفِ) — they never take tanwīn when indefinite and use fatḥah instead of kasrah in the genitive.

Common diptote patterns:

• Proper names (أَحْمَدُ, مَرْيَمُ)
• Adjective patterns like أَفْعَلُ (أَكْبَرُ, أَحْسَنُ)
• Broken plurals on patterns مَفَاعِلُ or فَوَاعِلُ (مَسَاجِدُ, صَحَارَى)

Diptote Case Endings

Case	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	ـُ (-u)	ـُ (-u)
Accusative	ـَ (-a)	ـَ (-a)
Genitive	ـَ (-a)	ـِ (-i)

Key difference: Indefinite genitive uses fatḥah (ـَ), not kasrah.

وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا

wa li-llāhi l-asmāʾu l-ḥusnā fa-dʿūhu bihā

And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them.

— Surah Al-A'raf 7:180 Listen

الْحُسْنَىٰ (al-ḥusnā): Feminine superlative أَفْعَلُ pattern, diptote. Here definite nominative.

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Dual Nouns (الْمُثَنَّى)

The dual (الْمُثَنَّى) indicates exactly two of something. It has only two case forms: one for nominative, one for accusative/genitive.

فَإِن كَانَتَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَلَهُمَا الثُّلُثَانِ

fa-in kānatā ithnatayni fa-lahumā th-thuluthāni

But if there are two [daughters], for them is two-thirds.

— Surah An-Nisa 4:11 Listen

Analysis:

• اثْنَتَيْنِ (ithnatayni): Dual accusative (predicate after كَانَتَا)
• الثُّلُثَانِ (ath-thuluthāni): Dual nominative (subject)

Related lesson: L2.08 (Dual Nouns)

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Sound Masculine Plural (جَمْعُ الْمُذَكَّرِ السَّالِمِ)

The sound masculine plural applies to:

• Male human nouns (مُسْلِمُونَ muslimūna “Muslims”)
• Masculine adjectives (صَالِحُونَ ṣāliḥūna “righteous ones”)

وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ

wa-l-muʾminūna wa-l-muʾminātu baʿḍuhum awliyāʾu baʿḍin

The believing men and believing women are allies of one another.

— Surah At-Tawbah 9:71 Listen

الْمُؤْمِنُونَ (al-muʾminūna): Definite nominative plural (subject)

More Examples: Sound Masculine Plural in Context

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū ttaqū llāha ḥaqqa tuqātihi wa-lā tamūtunna illā wa-antum muslimūna

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].

— Surah Ali 'Imran 3:102 Listen

مُّسْلِمُونَ (muslimūna): Nominative predicate after كَانَ-type construction

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ

kuntum khayra ummatin ukhrijat li-n-nāsi

You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind.

— Surah Ali 'Imran 3:110 Listen

Analysis: When masculine plural nouns are indefinite and in iḍāfah, the nūn drops:

• خَيْرَ (khayra): Accusative predicate
• Would be خَيْرُونَ (khayrūna) if not in iḍāfah

Related lesson: L2.09 (Sound Plurals)

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Sound Feminine Plural (جَمْعُ الْمُؤَنَّثِ السَّالِمِ)

The sound feminine plural ending ـَاتٌ applies to:

• Female nouns (مُسْلِمَاتٌ muslimātun “Muslim women”)
• Many non-human plurals
• Some abstract nouns

إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ

inna l-muslimīna wa-l-muslimāti wa-l-muʾminīna wa-l-muʾmināti

Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women...

— Surah Al-Ahzab 33:35 Listen

الْمُسْلِمَاتِ and الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ: Both genitive after the particle إِنَّ (which governs accusative on the first element, then subsequent coordinated nouns take genitive).

More Examples: Sound Feminine Plural Patterns

وَالصَّالِحَاتِ مِن نِّسَائِكُمْ

wa-ṣ-ṣāliḥāti min nisāʾikum

And the righteous women among your women

— Surah An-Nur 24:32 Listen

الصَّالِحَاتِ (aṣ-ṣāliḥāti): Genitive after conjunction وَ in genitive context

Pattern recognition:

• Nominative indefinite: صَالِحَاتٌ (ṣāliḥātun)
• Accusative indefinite: صَالِحَاتٍ (ṣāliḥātin)
• Genitive indefinite: صَالِحَاتٍ (ṣāliḥātin)

The feminine plural is especially common for:

• Abstract concepts: حَسَنَاتٌ (ḥasanātun) “good deeds”, سَيِّئَاتٌ (sayyiʾātun) “bad deeds”
• Collections: آيَاتٌ (āyātun) “signs/verses”, كَلِمَاتٌ (kalimātun) “words”

Related lesson: L2.09 (Sound Plurals)

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Broken Plurals (جَمْعُ التَّكْسِيرِ)

Broken plurals (جَمْعُ التَّكْسِيرِ) change the internal structure of the word. They follow the same case endings as singular nouns.

Common broken plural patterns:

• فُعُولٌ (بُيُوتٌ buyūtun “houses” from بَيْتٌ)
• فِعَالٌ (رِجَالٌ rijālun “men” from رَجُلٌ)
• أَفْعَالٌ (أَوْلَادٌ awlādun “children” from وَلَدٌ)
• فُعَلَاءُ (عُلَمَاءُ ʿulamāʾu “scholars” from عَالِمٌ) — diptote

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً

wa-idh qāla rabbuka li-l-malāʾikati innī jāʿilun fī l-arḍi khalīfatan

And [mention] when your Lord said to the angels, 'Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.'

— Surah Al-Baqarah 2:30 Listen

لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ (li-l-malāʾikati): Broken plural of مَلَكٌ (malakun “angel”), genitive after preposition لِـ

Related lesson: L2.12 (Broken Plurals)

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The Five Nouns (الأَسْمَاء الخَمْسَة)

Five special nouns use long vowels (وٌ، اٌ، يٌ) instead of short vowel case endings when they are:

1. Singular
2. Indefinite or in iḍāfah (possessive)
3. Not followed by the first-person possessive suffix (ـي)

The five nouns are:

• أَبٌ (abun) “father”
• أَخٌ (akhun) “brother”
• حَمٌ (ḥamun) “father-in-law”
• فُو (fū) “mouth”
• ذُو (dhū) “possessor of”

وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ آبَائِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ

wa-ttabaʿtu millata ābāʾī ibrāhīma wa-isḥāqa wa-yaʿqūba

And I have followed the religion of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

— Surah Yusuf 12:38 Listen

آبَائِي (ābāʾī): Plural of أَب (ab “father”), not the special five-noun pattern. Genitive after مِلَّةَ.

وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ

wa-rafaʿa abawayhi ʿalā l-ʿarshi

And he raised his parents upon the throne.

— Surah Yusuf 12:100 Listen

أَبَوَيْهِ (abawayhi): Dual of أَب, accusative (direct object). Shows wāw before dual suffix.

More Examples: Five Nouns Patterns

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ حُسْنًا

wa-waṣṣaynā l-insāna bi-wālidayhi ḥusnan

And We have enjoined upon man goodness to parents.

— Surah Al-Ankabut 29:8 Listen

بِوَالِدَيْهِ (bi-wālidayhi): Dual genitive after preposition بِ

Five Nouns Summary:

1. أَبٌ (father): أَبُوهُ / أَبَاهُ / أَبِيهِ
2. أَخٌ (brother): أَخُوهُ / أَخَاهُ / أَخِيهِ
3. حَمٌ (father-in-law): حَمُوهُ / حَمَاهُ / حَمِيهِ
4. فُو (mouth): فُوهُ / فَاهُ / فِيهِ
5. ذُو (possessor): ذُو / ذَا / ذِي

Note: ذُو is unique — it ONLY appears in the five-noun pattern, never with regular endings.

وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ

wa-llāhu dhū l-faḍli l-ʿaẓīmi

And Allah is the possessor of great bounty.

— Surah Al-Baqarah 2:105 Listen

ذُو (dhū): Nominative (subject/predicate position)

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Cross-References

Related Curriculum Lessons

• L2.04: Nominative Case (الرَّفْع)
• L2.05: Accusative Case (النَّصْب)
• L2.06: Genitive Case (الجَرّ)
• L2.08: Dual Nouns
• L2.09: Sound Plurals
• L2.12: Broken Plurals

Other Resources

• Pronoun Charts — Attached pronoun case variations
• Verb Conjugation Tables — Verb mood endings

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Practice Tips

1. Start with recognition: Before memorizing endings, practice identifying case markers in Quranic verses.

2. Use analysis tools: When reading verses, identify:

   • Is this word the subject (nominative)?
   • Is it an object (accusative)?
   • Does it follow a preposition (genitive)?

3. Listen for pronunciation: Case endings affect recitation in formal tajwīd. Pay attention to final vowel sounds.

4. Learn patterns gradually: Master singular → dual → sound plurals → broken plurals → five nouns.

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Quick Reference: All Patterns Summary

Key Observations:

• Dual and sound masculine plural share the same ending for accusative AND genitive
• Sound feminine plural shares accusative and genitive endings
• Diptote indefinite genitive looks like accusative (ـَ)
• Five nouns use long vowels: و (wāw) for nominative, ا (alif) for accusative, ي (yāʾ) for genitive
• Broken plurals follow singular patterns exactly

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Topic Hub: See I’rab Cases: Marfuʻ, Mansub, Majrur for the unified pedagogical overview of all three cases — what triggers each, how the markers shift across number, and a 4-step parsing routine for any verse.