Language/Egyptian-arabic/Grammar/Adjectives
Hi Egyptian Arabic Learners! 😃
In today's lesson we will learn how to use adjectives.
Happy learning!
Introduction
اسم الفاعل (the active participle) acts as an adjective.
- هو نايم (howwa naayim)
He is sleeping.
- الفيلم ده مملّ (il-film da mumill)
This movie is boring.
- كتاب كويس (kitaab kwayyis)
a good book
- الست اللي واقفة هناك (is-sitt illi wa'fa hnaak)
the woman who is standing there
Basic Egyptian Arabic Adjectives
Here are some common adjectives:
| English | Egyptian Arabic Writing | Egyptian Arabic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| good | كويس | kwayyis |
| bad | وحش | weHiš |
| easy | سهل | sahl |
| hard, difficult | صعب | Sa3b |
| small | صغير (ج) صغار | Soġayyar (pl.) Suġaar |
| big | كبير (ج) كبار | kibiir (pl.) kobaar |
| smart | ذكي (ج) أذكياء | zaki (pl.) azkiya |
| stupid | غبي (ج) أغبياء | ġabi (pl.) aġbiya |
| rich | غني (ج) أغنياء | ġani (pl.) aġniya |
| poor | فقير (ج) فقراء | fa'iir (pl.) fu'ra |
| clean | نضيف (ج) نضاف | naDiif (pl.) nuDaaf |
| dirty | وسخ | wisix |
| heavy | ثقيل | ti'iil |
| light | خفيف | xafiif |
Gender and number inflections in Egyptian Arabic
As with nouns, to make adjectives feminine or plural you usually add a suffix: ـة (-a) for the feminine form, ـين (-iin) for the regular plural form.
However, many adjectives don't have regular plural forms, so for those you need to memorize the broken plurals.
The first half of the above list is made up of adjectives with broken plurals.
See also the following examples:
| Plural | |||
| poor | فقير (fa'iir) | فقيرة (fa'iira) | فقراء (fu'ra) |
| big | كبير (kibiir) | كبيرة (kibiira) | كبار (kobaar) |
Here's a regular adjective:
| Singular masculine | Singular feminine | Plural | |
| good | كويس (kwayyis) | كويسة (kwayyesa) | كويسين (kwayyisiin) |
Note: If an adjective ends with ـي (-i) and it is not of the form فاعل (faa3il), when you add the suffixes ـة and ـين to make it feminine / plural, you must insert a yy between the adjective and the suffix.
| Singular masculine | Singular feminine | Plural | |
| smart | ذكي (zaki) | ذكية (zakeyya) | أذكياء (azkiya) |
| stupid | غبي (ġabi) | غبية (ġabeyya) | أغبياء (aġbiya) |
| Egyptian* | مصري (maSri) | مصرية (maSreyya) | مصريين (maSriyyiin) |
Examples: Color Adjectives in Egyptian Arabic (Singular/Plural and Masculine/Feminine)
- Qualities are written after the nouns
| Number | Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Masculine | Feminine |
| Arabic | ازرق | زرقاء | ازرق | زرقاء |
| Pronunciation | azira` | zarq`a | azira` | zarq`a |
| English | BLUE | BLUE | BLUE | BLUE |
| Arabic | اصفر | صفراء | اصفر | صفراء |
| Pronunciation | aSâfar | Sâfra | aSâfar | Sâfra |
| English | YELLOW | YELLOW | YELLOW | YELLOW |
| Arabic | طويل | طويلة | طوال | طوال |
| Pronunciation | Táuiil | Táuuiila | Táuuaal | Tàuuaal |
| English | TALL | TALL | TALL | TALL |
| Arabic | مفتوح | مفتوحة | مفتوحين | مفتوحات |
| Pronunciation | maftuuH | maftuuHa | maftuuHiin | maftuuHaat |
| English | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN |
| Arabic | جميل | جميلة | جميلين | جميلات |
| Pronunciation | gamiil | gamiila | gamiiliin | gamiilaat |
| English | BEAUTIFUL | BEAUTIFUL | BEAUTIFUL | BEAUTIFUL |
Examples: Adjectives of Nationality in Egyptian Arabic (Masculine and Feminine)
| MASCULINE | FEMININE | |
|---|---|---|
| English | AMERICAN | AMERICAN |
| Arabic | أمريكي | أمريكية |
| Pronunciation | a mi ri ca nii | a mi ri ca niia |
| English | ARABIC | ARABIC |
| Arabic | عربي | عربية |
| Pronunciation | a ra bii | a ra biia |
| English | EGYPTIAN | EGYPTIAN |
| Arabic | مصري | مصرية |
| Pronunciation | ma Sâ rii | ma Sâ riia |
| English | ENGLISH | ENGLISH |
| Arabic | إنجليزي | إنجليزية |
| Pronunciation | in gli zii | in gli zya |
Agreement of adjectives in Egyptian Arabic
In English, adjectives are placed just before the noun they describe. In Arabic, on the contrary, adjectives always directly follow the noun they modify. In addition, adjectives and nouns must always match in a definite way (they must be both definite or both undefined).
Adjectives + singular nouns
A singular noun is modified by a singular adjective of the same gender, as shown in the examples below:
- بنت هادية (bint hadya)
a quiet girl - lit. "girl quiet"
- المدرس الجديد (il-mudarris il-gediid)
the new teacher - lit. "the-teacher the-new"
Adjectives + dual nouns
A dual noun must be modified by a plural adjective:
| Egyptian Arabic | English |
| ولدين مصريين (waladein maSriyyiin) | two Egyptian boys |
| كتابين غاليين (kitaabein ġalyiin) | two expensive books |
| بنتين سوريين (bintein suriyyiin) | two Syrian girls |
| عربيتين جداد (3arabiyyatein gudaad) | two new cars |
Adjectives + human plural nouns
Human plural nouns, masculine or feminine, are usually modified by masculine plural adjectives.
- أولاد كبار (awlaad kobaar)
big boys
- بنات صغار (banaat Soġaar)
small girls
Adjectives + non-human plural nouns
Non-human plural nouns are modified by feminine singular adjectives. This is confusing at first, but you get used to it fast!
- عربيات قديمة (3arabiyyaat 'adiima)
old cars
- دول متقدمة (dowal mit'addima)
advanced countries
- أفلام جديدة (aflaam gediida)
new movies
Adjectival expressions
NB: Many beginning students are confused about adjectival expressions and whether or not they may be full sentences. Look at these examples:
- التلميذ الشاطر (it-tilmiiz iš-šaaTir)
A phrase/sentence fragment: "The smart student." (Lit. "the-student the-smart.")
- التلميذ شاطر (it-tilmiiz šaaTir)
A complete simple sentence: "The student is smart." (Lit. "The-student smart.")
- تلميذ شاطر (tilmiiz šaaTir)
A phrase/sentence fragment: "A smart student." (Lit. "student smart.")
"´AWEE" (VERY) + ADJECTIVE
THE WORD "´AWEE" (VERY) WITH AN ADJECTIVE. This word always follows the adjective
| Arabic | الشارع ده طويل قوي |
| Pronunciation | ich- chéerya dii tauiila auii |
| English | THIS STREET IS VERY LONG |