Language/Tunisian-arabic/Grammar/Gender

Tunisian Arabic Grammar - Gender

Hi Tunisian Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about gender in Tunisian Arabic. The concept of gender is important in a language because it shows the distinction between masculine and feminine nouns in grammar. We will also provide cultural information and interesting facts to make the learning experience more engaging.

Understanding Gender in Tunisian Arabic

In Tunisian Arabic, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. It is important to learn the gender of a noun because it affects the agreement of other words in the sentence. For example, the definite article "the" changes depending on the gender of the noun.

• Definite article for masculine: الـ (al)
• Definite article for feminine: الـ (al), often pronounced as ت (ta)

Here are some examples of masculine and feminine nouns:

Tunisian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
بنت	bnt	girl (feminine)
ولد	wld	boy (masculine)
بابا	bab	dad (masculine)
ماما	mama	mom (feminine)

Note that the use of gender in Tunisian Arabic is not related to male or female individuals, but rather it is a grammatical concept that applies to all nouns.

Masculine Nouns

Masculine nouns in Tunisian Arabic have the grammatical marker الـ (al) before the noun. Some masculine nouns do not follow this rule, but they are an exception. For example:

• الولد (al-wld) - the boy (starts with الـ)
• الماء (al-mā') - the water (starts with الـ, but is a masculine exception)

Here are some examples of masculine nouns:

Tunisian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
سيارة	syyrḧ	car
حذاء	ḥdhā'	shoe
كرسي	krsy	chair
قلم	qlm	pen

Adjectives that describe masculine nouns also have to be in the masculine form. For example:

• السيارة السودة (al-syyrḧa al-swdḧa) - the black car
• الحذاء الرياضي (al-ḥdhā'a al-ryāḍy) - the sports shoe

Feminine Nouns

Feminine nouns in Tunisian Arabic also have the grammatical marker الـ (al) before the noun, but when it comes before a feminine noun, it is pronounced ت (ta). Here are some examples of feminine nouns:

Tunisian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
سيارة	siyyāra(t)	car
بنت	bnt	girl
كرسي	kursi(t)	chair
قلم	qlm	pen

Adjectives that describe feminine nouns have to be in the feminine form. For example:

• البنت الجميلة (al-bnta al-jmīla) - the beautiful girl
• الكراسي الحمراء (al-kursiyya al-ḥmrā') - the red chairs

Plural Forms

In Tunisian Arabic, the plural of both masculine and feminine nouns is formed differently. Here are some examples:

• Masculine plural: add -ين (-in) or -ون (-wn) to the end of the word

Tunisian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
سيارة	siyyāra(t)	car
سيارتين	siyyāratiyn	two cars
سيارات	siyyārāt	cars

• Feminine plural: add -ات (-āt) to the end of the word

Tunisian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
بنت	bnt	girl
بنتين	bntiyn	two girls
بنات	bnat	girls

Gender in Context

Here is an example dialogue to see the use of gender in context:

• Person 1: بيتك فين؟ (bītk fīn?) - Where is your house?
• Person 2: بيتي في تونس. البيت كبير و جميل. (bītī fī Twans. al-bīt kbyr w jmīl) - My house is in Tunis. The house is big and beautiful.

Cultural Information

In Tunisian Arabic, just like in many other languages, some nouns have an inherent gender, which means they are considered masculine or feminine regardless of their physical attributes.

• الشمس (shms) - the sun (feminine)
• القمر (qmr) - the moon (masculine)

Moreover, there are some professions and titles that have distinct feminine and masculine forms:

• Doctor: دكتور (dktūr) is masculine, دكتورة (dktūra) is feminine
• Engineer: مهندس (mhnndh) is masculine, مهندسة (mhnndha) is feminine

Interesting Facts

Did you know that the Tunisian flag has a gender? In Tunisian Arabic, the word "flag" (علم, 'lm) is masculine, so the article that accompanies the word is الـ (al). However, when referring to the Tunisian flag specifically, the article used is "ta" (ت, ta), which is the feminine form of "al". Interesting, right?

To improve your Tunisian Arabic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Tunisian Arabic Wikipedia page
• Grammatical gender Wikipedia page
• Tunisian flag Wikipedia page

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