رَجُلَانِtwo men

Example sentences

• والنبي ومعه الرجل والرجلان،

  and a prophet with one or two men with him,

  وَٱلرَّجُلَانِ — and the two men. This is 'and' plus the DUAL — 'and the two men' — Arabic's dedicated form for exactly two, marked by the '-ani' ending. Where English needs 'two men', Arabic folds 'exactly two' into the noun's ending. Joined to 'the man', it gives 'one or two'.

  From: Those Who Enter Without Account →

• كَانَ رَجُلَانِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ

  There were two men among the companions of the Messenger of God.

  رَجُلَانِ — two men. This noun is in the DUAL, Arabic's 'exactly two' form, so its ending alone means 'two men' with no separate word for 'two'. It is the subject of the 'there were' verb and so takes the dual's subject-ending. English must add 'two'; Arabic folds the count into the noun's shape.

  From: Mothers and the Companions →

• فَقُتِلَ مِنْ خَيْلِ خَالِدِ يَوْمَئِذٍ رَجُلَانِ

  So two men from Khalid's horsemen were killed that day.

  رَجُلَانِ — two men. This noun carries Arabic's dual ending, which means exactly two without any separate word for 'two' the way English needs. It is the thing the passive verb happened to, so the count 'two' is built right into the shape of the word that names the victims.

  From: Conquest of Mecca Account →