4.3 Grammar and Reading: Using Adjectives
In this section:
- You will learn about nouns and adjectives and practice using them.
- You will create and use sentences with embedded noun-adjective phrases.
Vocabulary (2)
Learn the vocabulary for colors. Listen, read, and repeat.
| Meaning | Transcription | Color (f.) | Transcription | Color (m.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| white | BayDaa' | بيضاء | AbyaD | أبيض |
| black | sawdaa' | سوداء | aswad | أسود |
| green | khaDraa' | خضراء | akhDar | أخضر |
| red | Hamraa' | حمراء | Hamraa' | أحمر |
| yellow | Safraa' | صفراء | Asfar | أصفر |
| blue | zarqaa' | زرقاء | Azraq | أزرق |
| brown | bunniyah | بنية | bunni | بني |
| orange | burtuqaliyaa | برتقالية | burtuqaali | برتقالي |
| grey | ramadiyyah | رمادية | ramadi | رمادي |
| purple | banafsajiyya | بنفسجية | banafaji | بنفسجي |
Grammar
Noun-Adjective Structure
As you may have noticed during your study of Arabic so far, nouns come before adjectives and they must agree together in number and gender. Study the following examples:
|
سَيّارة كبيرة Syyara kabiira |
بَيت كبير Bayt kabiir |
| مَكْتبة صغيرة
Maktaba Saghiira |
مَكتب صغير
Maktab Saghiir |
| أستاذة جديدة
ustaatha jadiida |
أستاذ جديد
ustaath jadiid |
| وردة جميلة
Warda jamiila |
مطعم جميل
maTCam jamiil |
| شجرة خضراء
Shajara khaDraa |
شاي أخضر
Shay AkhDar |
| طاولة صفراء
Tawila Safraa |
دولاب أصفر
Doulaab aSfar |
| بنت لطيفة
Bint LaTiifa |
ولد لطيف
Walad LaTiif |
As you can see, adjectives change according to masculine or feminine nouns. The typical ending for a feminine noun is ة – ـة , but some nouns are inherently feminine with no masculine counterpart and vice versa. The case with colors is an exception, as they have certain other forms for feminine, as you see in the vocabulary table.
Activity (13): Read with your classmates and listen to check your pronunciation. Record yourself reading the sentences.
Key Takeaways
- Move on to the next lesson to continue working on your sentences.
