Language/Egyptian-arabic/Grammar/Adjective-Agreement
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As a beginner in learning Egyptian Arabic, you will soon realize that adjectives play an important role in constructing sentences. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. In this lesson, we will learn about the agreement of adjectives with nouns in gender and number in Egyptian Arabic.
After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Conditional Mood & Questions Words.
Adjective Agreement in Gender
In Egyptian Arabic, adjectives agree with the gender of the noun they describe. The genders in Egyptian Arabic are masculine (for males and masculine objects) and feminine (for females and feminine objects).
To make an adjective agree with a noun in gender, you usually add a suffix to the end of the adjective. Here are some examples:
| Egyptian Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| بنت حلوة | bent helwa | pretty girl (feminine) |
| ولد جميل | weld gameel | handsome boy (masculine) |
| سيارة حمرا | sayyara hamraa | red car (feminine) |
| كتاب جديد | kitaab gadeed | new book (masculine) |
In the examples above, the adjective agrees with the gender of the noun it describes. The suffix -ة (-a) is added to the adjective for nouns that are feminine. Note that not all adjectives take a suffix in Egyptian Arabic.
Adjective Agreement in Number
In addition to gender agreement, adjectives in Egyptian Arabic also agree with the number of the noun they describe. The numbers in Egyptian Arabic are singular (for one item) and plural (for two or more items).
To make an adjective agree with a noun in number, you add a suffix to the adjective. Here are some examples:
| Egyptian Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| كتاب واحد جديد | kitaab waHid gadeed | one new book (singular) |
| ساعتان كبيرتان | saa3atan kibeeratan | two big watches (dual) |
| ثلاث كتب جديدة | talaat kotob gadeeda | three new books (plural) |
| خمسة مفاتيح حمراء | khamsa mafaateehHamraa | five red keys (plural) |
In the examples above, the suffix -تان (-taan) is added to the adjective for dual nouns, and the suffix -ة (-a) is added for plural nouns. Note that some adjectives do not take a suffix in Egyptian Arabic, especially those that end in -ي (-ee) or -يه (-eya) in their masculine and feminine forms respectively.
Exceptions to Adjective Agreement
There are some adjectives in Egyptian Arabic that do not follow the usual rules of agreement in gender and number. Here are some examples:
- Colors: In Egyptian Arabic, colors are used as adjectives and do not change form based on gender or number. For example, سماوي (samaawi) means "blue" and can be used to describe both masculine and feminine objects, as well as singular and plural objects.
- Nationalities and religions: In Egyptian Arabic, nationalities and religions are used as adjectives and do not change form based on gender or number. For example, مصري (mSri) means "Egyptian" and can be used to describe both masculine and feminine Egyptians, as well as singular and plural Egyptians.
- Other adjectives: Some adjectives in Egyptian Arabic do not change based on gender or number. For example, الكبير (el-kibeer) means "big" and can be used to describe both masculine and feminine objects, as well as singular and plural objects.
Practice Exercise
Use the following prompts to construct sentences in Egyptian Arabic using adjectives:
- Feminine singular: الفتاة الجميلة
- Masculine dual: الولدين المحبوبين
- Plural: الشوارع الضيقة
- Masculine singular: السائق السيئ
Answers:
- الفتاة الجميلة (el-bint el-gameela) means "the pretty girl."
- الولدين المحبوبين (el-weldayn el-maHboobein) means "the two beloved boys."
- الشوارع الضيقة (el-shawaare3 el-Dee2'a) means "the narrow streets."
- السائق السيئ (el-saa'eq el-sayyee) means "the bad driver."
Conclusion
In this lesson, we have learned about the agreement of adjectives with nouns in gender and number in Egyptian Arabic. We have also looked at some exceptions to the usual rules of agreement. Remember to practice constructing sentences using adjectives to reinforce your understanding of the grammar. In the next lesson, we will learn about adverbs and how to use them in Egyptian Arabic.
Well done on mastering this lesson! Don't miss these related pages to expand your knowledge: Possession & Adverbial Phrases.
Other Lessons
- Indefinite and definite articles
- Common Prepositions
- Verb To Be
- Genitive Case
- How to use the modal verb Must
- Future Tense
- Possessive Pronouns
- Adjectives
- Comparatives and Superlatives
- Prepositions
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