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

Inflected forms
Personal-pronoun- including forms	singular		plural
	m	f
1st person	ibni		binna
2nd person	ibnek		binkom
3rd person	ibnu	binha	binhom

Derived terms

• Iben (“Son”)