أبناء
abnā'
The Arabic phrase for "sons" is أبناء (abnā').
أبناء refers to male children of a parent. However, in many contexts, it is frequently used in a general sense to mean "children" or "offspring," regardless of the gender of the children.
How does it change in a sentence?
أبناء is a broken plural form. The singular form of أبناء is ابن, which means "son".
How do you pronounce it?
abnā'
Did you know?
- The word ابن, meaning 'son', is often used metaphorically in Arabic to denote a person's origin or character. For example, saying someone is an ابن البلد (son of the country) implies they are a true, authentic local.
- Arabic has a specific word, الضنى, which can mean 'son' but carries a deeper emotional connotation of a child who is the 'apple of the eye' or a source of longing.
- In Arabic, the word ابن can be used to denote lineage in official names, often appearing as 'bin' or 'ben'. This creates a chain of ancestry that can trace a person's heritage back many generations.
Examples in context
- سيذهب أبناء فاضل إلى الجنّة.Fadil's sons will go to heaven.This sentence shows the use of أبناء in a context regarding Fadil's sons.Tatoeba #6132966 by OsoHombre, translation #5882943 by OsoHombre
- لديه ثلاثة أبناء.He has three sons.This sentence demonstrates how to state the number of أبناء a person has.Tatoeba #431134 by saeb, translation #430778 by Archibald
- لدي ثلاثة أبناء.I have three sons.
- هل لديكم أبناء؟Do you have sons?
- كيف صحة شبابكم؟How are the health and well-being of your sons / young men?
- أبناء الجيران يلعبون في الحديقة.abnā' al-jīrān yal'abūn fī al-ḥadīqa.The neighbors' sons are playing in the garden.
Example conversation
Layla and Ziad are talking about family.
- ليلى Laylaهل لديك أبناء يا زياد؟Hal ladayka abna' ya Ziyad?Do you have sons, Ziad?
- زياد Ziadنعم، لدي ابنان.Na'am, ladayya ibnan.Yes, I have two sons.
- ليلى Laylaما شاء الله، ربي يحفظهم.Ma sha' Allah, rabbi yahfazhum.God bless them, may the Lord protect them.
- زياد Ziadشكراً لكِ يا ليلى.Shukran laki ya Layla.Thank you, Layla.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
