Arabic Adjectives Explained

In this Arabic grammar lesson, we will study Arabic adjectives. This topic is essential for students who want to learn Arabic online, describe a person, an object or a place, and build more precise Arabic sentences.

In Arabic, an adjective is called نَعْتٌ or صِفَةٌ. The noun described by the adjective is called مَنْعُوتٌ or مَوْصُوفٌ.

What Is an Arabic Adjective?

An adjective is used to describe a noun. In English, we say for example: a small boy, a new bag, a big house or a red book.

In Arabic, this construction also exists, but it follows specific grammar rules. The adjective must agree with the noun it describes.

Examples:

• وَلَدٌ صَغِيرٌ: a small boy;
• الْحَقِيبَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ: the new bag;
• مِنْدِيلٌ وَسِخٌ: a dirty tissue;
• طَالِبَةٌ ذَكِيَّةٌ: an intelligent female student.

The Descriptive Construction in Arabic

The descriptive construction is called الْمُرَكَّبُ الْوَصْفِيُّ in Arabic. It is made of a noun and an adjective.

It can also be referred to as:

• النَّعْتُ وَالْمَنْعُوتُ: the adjective and the described noun;
• الصِّفَةُ وَالْمَوْصُوفُ: the description and the described noun.

This rule is important for Arabic for beginners, Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic grammar and Arabic reading.

The Position of the Adjective After the Noun

In Arabic, the adjective usually comes after the noun it describes. This is an important difference from English, where the adjective generally comes before the noun.

Agreement Between the Adjective and the Noun

An Arabic adjective follows the noun in several grammatical features. It must agree with it in gender, definiteness, number and grammatical case.

Agreement in Gender

If the noun is masculine, the adjective is masculine. If the noun is feminine, the adjective is feminine.

• مُهَنْدِسٌ شَهِيرٌ: a famous engineer;
• تُفَّاحَةٌ لَذِيذَةٌ: a delicious apple.

Agreement in Definiteness

In Arabic, the noun and the adjective must also agree in definiteness. If the noun is indefinite, the adjective is indefinite. If the noun is definite, the adjective is definite too.

• كِتَابٌ جَدِيدٌ: a new book;
• الْكِتَابُ الْجَدِيدُ: the new book;
• رَجُلٌ فَقِيرٌ: a poor man;
• الْمَدِينَةُ الْكَبِيرَةُ: the big city.

Agreement in Grammatical Case

The adjective also follows the grammatical case of the noun. If the noun is nominative, the adjective is nominative. If the noun is genitive, the adjective is genitive. If the noun is accusative, the adjective follows the same case.

• هَذَا مُدَرِّسٌ جَدِيدٌ: this is a new teacher;
• الْقَلَمُ فِي الْحَقِيبَةِ الصَّغِيرَةِ: the pen is in the small bag;
• الْمَاءُ فِي كَأْسٍ مَكْسُورٍ: the water is in a broken glass;
• ذَهَبَ أَحْمَدُ إِلَىٰ صَدِيقٍ مَرِيضٍ: Ahmad went to a sick friend.

Examples of Arabic Adjectives

Here are more examples to understand Arabic adjectives more clearly:

• أَمْرِيكَا بَلَدٌ كَبِيرٌ: America is a large country;
• هَذِهِ الْمِرْوَحَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ: this is the new fan;
• دَخَلَ أَحْمَدُ فِي مَنْزِلٍ كَبِيرٍ: Ahmad entered a big house;
• العُصْفُورُ طَيْرٌ جَمِيلٌ: the sparrow is a beautiful bird;
• هَذَا طَرِيقٌ مُزْدَحِمٌ: this is a crowded road;
• الْغُرْفَةُ النَّظِيفَةُ: the clean room.

Adjectives Expressing a State or Feeling

Some Arabic adjectives that express a state or feeling often end with ان. They usually do not take tanwin on the final letter.

• عَطْشَانُ: thirsty;
• جَوْعَانُ: hungry;
• مَلآنُ: full;
• غَضْبَانُ: angry;
• فَرْحَانُ: happy.

How to Memorize Arabic Adjectives

To memorize Arabic adjectives, it is helpful to learn each adjective with a simple noun. This allows you to remember both the agreement and the position of the adjective.

For example:

• كِتَابٌ جَدِيدٌ: a new book;
• بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ: a big house;
• طَالِبَةٌ ذَكِيَّةٌ: an intelligent female student;
• غُرْفَةٌ نَظِيفَةٌ: a clean room.

This method supports progressive learning of Arabic vocabulary, Arabic grammar and Arabic pronunciation.

Learn Arabic Grammar with a Teacher

Arabic adjectives are essential for students who want to learn Arabic online, understand simple texts and progress in Modern Standard Arabic or Quranic Arabic.

To continue your learning, you can follow our online Arabic classes, study through our Modern Standard Arabic online lessons, review the Arabic alphabet or download our free Arabic books for beginners.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we studied Arabic adjectives. We learned that the adjective usually comes after the noun and agrees with it in gender, definiteness, number and grammatical case.

This rule helps you understand Arabic sentence structure more clearly. However, to learn Arabic correctly, you need a clear method, regular practice and correction from a qualified Arabic teacher.