iben

See also: Iben

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪ.bɛn/

Noun

iben m (construct state iben or bin, plural ulied)

1. son

   Coordinate term: bint

Usage notes

• The singular of this word is predominantly used in the construct state, that is with a possessive suffix or a following noun. This is similar to the words ħu (“brother”) and oħt (“sister”), though with iben and bint this restriction is only a tendency, not a definite rule.
• The plural ulied is gender-neutral and thus means “children” in the sense of “offspring of either sex”. In order to specify the masculine in the plural one says ulied subien (“sons”, literally “children boys”).

Inflection

Inflection of iben

		singular		plural
		m	f
singular	1st person	ibni		binna
	2nd person	ibnek		binkom
	3rd person	ibnu	binha	binhom
plural	1st person	uliedi		uliedna
	2nd person	uliedek		uliedkom
	3rd person	uliedu	uliedha	uliedhom

Derived terms

• Iben (“Son”)