Belarusian to Arabic: count and agreement do not follow one shared pattern
A pair can require a separate dual construction
Belarusian uses a numeral and a governed noun form to identify two items. Standard Arabic has a grammatical dual, so a translation can express the pair through a distinct noun form. The source’s plural-looking construction should not automatically become an ordinary Arabic plural.
For example, дзве кнігі identifies two books in Belarusian, while كتابان is an Arabic dual form for two books in the appropriate case environment. The complete Arabic sentence may require another dual case form. Recognizing the pair is the first decision; selecting the form that fits its target role is the next.
This matters in a shopping or borrowing message. Two identified items are not a vague group of several items. Preserve the exact count before checking whether the Arabic noun phrase and its partners consistently represent a pair. A correct numeral in an English gloss does not verify that target agreement.
A nonhuman plural can take a feminine singular description
Belarusian adjectives normally agree with the noun they describe in gender and case, including plural constructions. Standard Arabic has an important nonhuman-plural pattern that should not be corrected according to the Belarusian appearance.
Compare старыя кнігі with كتب قديمة, both identifying old books. The Arabic adjective is feminine singular with the nonhuman plural. It has not reduced the books to one, and it does not identify their owner as female. The target agreement belongs to the noun construction.
For an inventory, inspect the complete Arabic phrase before deciding that a singular-looking adjective is wrong. At the same time, do not apply this pattern to every group of people. The distinction between human and nonhuman reference matters. Translate the source noun first, then check the agreement pattern appropriate to that target referent.
The source case still identifies who acts on the items
Belarusian case marking distinguishes a direct object from a subject and can work together with prepositions to express motion or location. Arabic also has its own case and clause patterns. A source ending does not select a target ending through a simple visual correspondence.
When translating a report about returning books, recover the actor, the returned items and any recipient before arranging the target clause. The fact that there are two books or several books does not tell you who returns them. Number, participant role and descriptive agreement are separate pieces of the message.
The examples here concern Standard Arabic grammar. An informal spoken variety may use different forms, so they should not be presented as a universal transcript of every Arabic conversation. For the selected written target, review the full noun phrase and sentence together: exact count, human or nonhuman reference, grammatical role and any description. This preserves what the Belarusian writer actually identifies while allowing Arabic to express that information through its own dual and plural constructions.
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