Adjectives come after the noun and match it in gender, number and "the".
Matching gender
- ولد كبيرwalad kibiira big boy
- بنت كبيرةbint kibiiraa big girl
Matching "the": description vs sentence
If the noun has il-, the adjective takes il- too. Leave it off the adjective and you've made a sentence instead.
- الولد الكبيرil-walad il-kibiirthe big boy
- الولد كبيرil-walad kibiirThe boy is big.
Matching number
People take plural adjectives. Many adjectives have broken plurals:
- ولاد كبارwilaad kubaarbig boys
- ناس طيبينnaas tayyibiinkind people
Plurals of things usually take the feminine singular:
- عربيات جديدة3arabiyyaat gdiidanew cars
Nationality adjectives (-i)
Add -i to a place name; the feminine is -iyya, the plural -iyyiin.
- مصري / مصرية / مصريينmasri / masriyya / masriyyiinEgyptian (m / f / pl)
Colours
Colours have their own pattern:
| Masculine | Feminine | Plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| أحمر a7mar | حمرا 7amra | حمر 7umr | red |
| أزرق azra2 | زرقا zar2a | زرق zur2 | blue |
| أبيض abyad | بيضا beeda | بيض biid | white |
| إسود iswid | سودا sooda | سود suud | black |