Lesson 9 · كَبِيرٌ
Describing things: a big house, the big house
In Arabic the describing word comes after the noun: بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ (baytun kabiirun) is “a big house”. The adjective copies the noun: if the noun has الـ, so does the adjective, and if the noun is feminine, the adjective takes ـة too.
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌbaytun kabiiruna big house
الْبَيْتُ الْكَبِيرُal-baytu l-kabiiruthe big house
الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌal-baytu kabiirunThe house is big.
قَلَمٌ جَدِيدٌqalamun jadiiduna new pen
السَّيَّارَةُ جَدِيدَةٌas-sayyaaratu jadiidatunThe car is new.
هٰذَا طَالِبٌ مُجْتَهِدٌhaadhaa ṭaalibun mujtahidunThis is a hard-working student.
الْمَاءُ بَارِدٌal-maa’u baaridunThe water is cold.
الْقَهْوَةُ حَارَّةٌal-qahwatu ḥaarratunThe coffee is hot.
Key points
- بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ a big house · الْبَيْتُ الْكَبِيرُ the big house · الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ the house is big
- The only difference between “the big house” and “the house is big” is the الـ on the adjective. Without it, you have a full sentence.
- For a feminine noun, add ـة to the adjective as well: سَيَّارَةٌ جَدِيدَةٌ (a new car), الْمَدْرَسَةُ كَبِيرَةٌ (the school is big).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “a small book”. Small is صَغِيرٌ.
كِتَابٌ صَغِيرٌ kitaabun ṣaghiirun
Say “The book is small.”
الْكِتَابُ صَغِيرٌ al-kitaabu ṣaghiirun
No الـ on the adjective, so it is a full sentence.
Say “the new car”.
السَّيَّارَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ as-sayyaaratu l-jadiidatu
Both words take الـ, and the adjective takes ـة because سَيَّارَة is feminine.