Learn Arabic › B2 › كِلا
كِلا
both (of two) /kiˈlaː/
nounB2#3216 most common
Also: either, the pair of
Example sentences
جاء كِلا الولدين إلى المدرسة.
Both boys came to school.
كِلا الكتابين مفيد جداً.
Both books are very useful.
رأيت كِلا الطالبين في المكتبة أمس.
I saw both students in the library yesterday.
كِلاهما يحب القراءة كثيراً.
Both of them love reading a lot.
نجح الطالبان كِلاهما في الامتحان النهائي بتفوق.
Both students succeeded with distinction in the final exam.
اتفق الطرفان كِلاهما على شروط الاتفاقية رغم اختلافهما الجذري في وجهات النظر.
Both parties agreed to the terms of the agreement despite their fundamental difference in viewpoints.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | كلا (fixed, before a named noun) | كلاهما (with attached pronoun) |
| Genitive | كلا (fixed, before a named noun) | كليهما (with attached pronoun) |
| Accusative | كلا (fixed, before a named noun) | كليهما (with attached pronoun) |
| Vocative | None | None |
Word family
كلتاboth (feminine dual quantifier)
كلاهماboth of them (masculine, nominative)
كليهماboth of them (masculine, oblique)
كلتاهماboth of them (feminine)
Etymology
كِلا is a native Semitic word, not a borrowing. Arabic grammarians treat it as a fixed item built into the dual system, used only to mean 'both' of two masculine things. It has no clear derivation from a three-letter root, unlike most Arabic nouns. Its feminine partner, كلتا, was formed alongside it to match feminine dual nouns.
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