Language/Chadian-arabic/Grammar/Adjectives
Hi Chadian Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, you will learn about adjectives in Chadian Arabic. Adjectives are used to describe or modify nouns. For example, in the sentence "The red car is fast," "red" is the adjective modifying the noun "car," and "fast" is the adjective modifying the noun "car."
Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Give your Opinion, Conditional Mood & Pronouns.
Adjective Agreement[edit | edit source]
Adjectives in Chadian Arabic agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This means that the ending of the adjective changes depending on the gender and number of the noun.
Masculine Singular Adjectives[edit | edit source]
Masculine singular adjectives usually end in "-i." For example:
| Chadian Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| سَيَّارَة حَمْرَاء | sayyārah ḥamrāʾ | red car |
| كِتَاب جَدِيد | kitāb jadīd | new book |
| خَبِيزَة كَبِيرَة | khabīzah kabīrah | big loaf of bread |
Note that if the noun starts with a vowel, the masculine singular adjective is written as "-yi" instead of "-i." For example:
| Chadian Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| وَرَقَة صَفْرَاء | waraqah ṣafrāʾ | yellow paper |
| إيسْكْرِيمْ بَارِدْ | ʾayskrīm bārid | cold ice cream |
| عَيْن زَرْقَاء | ʿayn zarqāʾ | blue eye |
Feminine Singular Adjectives[edit | edit source]
Feminine singular adjectives usually end in "-a." For example:
| Chadian Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| بِنْت حَلْوَة | bint ḥalwah | sweet girl |
| مِصْرَاط ضَيَّقَة | miṣrāṭ ḍayyaqah | narrow path |
| كَرْسِيْن نَظِيْفَةِ | kursīn naẓīfah | two clean chairs |
Note that if the noun starts with a vowel, the feminine singular adjective has an extra "-t" at the end. For example:
| Chadian Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| قَلَم أَخْضَرَةٌ | qalam ʾakhḍarah | green pen |
| طَاوَلاَة بَيْضَاءٌ | ṭāwalāh bayḍāʾ | white table |
| بَيْت كَبِيرَةٌ | bayt kabīrah | big house |
Plural Adjectives[edit | edit source]
To make an adjective plural in Chadian Arabic, add "-iin" if the last letter of the adjective is a consonant or "-at" if the last letter of the adjective is a vowel. For example:
| Chadian Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| سَيَّارَات حَمْرَاء | sayyārāt ḥamrāʾ | red cars |
| كُتُب جَدِيدَة | kutub jadīdah | new books |
| خَبَــــائِز كَبِيرَةٌ | khabāʾiz kabīrah | big loaves of bread |
Using Adjectives in a Sentence[edit | edit source]
In Chadian Arabic, the adjective usually comes after the noun. For example:
- المَنْزِل الكَبِيْر (al-manẓil al-kabīr) - the big house
In some cases, the adjective can come before the noun, especially if the adjective is describing a quality that is considered important. For example:
- الأَب الكَرِيْم (al-ʾab al-karīm) - the kind father
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
Here is an example dialogue using adjectives:
- Person 1: شَنُو رَايِك فِي سِيْرَة الْوَالِدِ الْجَدِيْدَةِ؟ (shnū rāyik fī sīrah al-wālid al-jadīdah?) - What do you think of dad's new car?
- Person 2: إِيْهَا، السَّيَارَة حَلْوَة جِدًّا وَسَرِيْعَة أَيْضًا. (ʾiyhā, al-sayyārah ḥalwah jiddan wa-sariʿah ʾayḍan.) - Yes, the car is very beautiful and fast too.
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
Congratulations on completing this lesson on adjectives in Chadian Arabic! To improve your Chadian Arabic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: How to Use Have & Nouns.