1A Lesson 3 FAQs:
1.) Why are words like حُسْنَى - كُبْرَى - زَهْرَاءُ - صَحْرَاءُ considered feminine? They don’t end in (ة or ـة).
There are actually three primary signs of femininity (ة - اء - ى). Whenever any of these are at the end of a word, it usually becomes feminine. Therefore, it is important to remember that while (ة or ـة) is a common femining ending, it is not the only feminine ending. There are two others: (ى) and (اء).
2.) If words that end in (ة or ـة) are considered feminine, then why are names like حَمْزَة and طَلْحَة and أُسَامَة used as male names? Don’t they have a feminine ending of (ة or ـة)?
Yes, these names do indeed have feminine endings. However, they are considered feminine by form, but masculine by meaning, since they are used as male names. Therefore, we have to consider the context in which the word exists. In this situation, the context indicates that these are names of men. Therefore, despite having a feminine ending, the names are considered masculine.
3.) Why is the word نَارٌ (“fire”) considered feminine? It doesn’t appear to have any sign of femininity.
Yes, this word does not have any of the three primary signs of femininity (ة - اء - ى). However, there are certain words that are feminine by Arab convention (in other words, they are feminine because the Arabs said so, without necessarily a reason for it). The Arabs spoke a certain way, and this was passed down through generations, including the concept of femininity without a sign of such. نَارٌ is such a word; it is feminine by Arab convention. Other words that behave in this way are: نَفْسٌ (“soul”), أَرْضٌ (“Earth/land”), شَمْسٌ (“sun”), رِيحٌ (“wind”), دَارٌ (“home”). Notice that these many of these words are geographical in nature. This does not mean that all geographical terms or terms related to nature are feminine. This is simply a pattern, but there are plenty of geographic terms that are masculine. Therefore, one must memorize these words that are feminine by Arab convention as one comes across them.
4.) Why is the word حَامِلٌ (“pregnant”) feminine, even though there is no sign of femininity?
The word حَامِل is feminine because only a woman can become pregnant. Because men can never be pregnant, the characteristic of being pregnant can only apply to women. Therefore, there is no need to put a sign of femininity (ة - اء - ى) at the end of such words, as thse indicator are not needed in this scenario. Therefore, because of the exclusivity of words like حَامِلٌ to the feminine gender, there is no need to put a sign of femininity at its end, hence there is none. The same concept applies to the word أُمٌّ (“mother”). There can only be a female mother, hence there is no need to add a feminine indicator to its end.
5.) Why are names of cities and countries considered feminine, even though they don’t take a feminine ending?
Names of citties (القُدْسُ = Jerusalem) and countries (مِصْرُ = Egypt) are considered feminine by Arab convention. Many of them do not take feminine signs (ة - اء - ى), but this is a rule that needs to be memorized: names of cities and countries are generally considered feminine by Arab convention.