Lesson 92 · كَرِيمٌ
Lasting qualities: كَرِيمٌ, صَعْبٌ, عَطْشَانُ
كَاتِبٌ (writer) describes someone doing an action. Words for lasting qualities have patterns of their own, often from verbs like كَرُمَ (be generous) or سَهُلَ (be easy). Grammarians call them الصِّفَةُ الْمُشَبَّهَةُ, “the adjective that resembles the doer word”.
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
صَدِيقِي كَرِيمٌṣadiiqii kariimunMy friend is generous.
هٰذَا الدَّرْسُ سَهْلٌhaadha d-darsu sahlunThis lesson is easy.
أَنَا عَطْشَانُanaa ʿaṭshaanuI am thirsty. (a man)
الْبِنْتُ جَوْعَىal-bintu jawʿaaThe girl is hungry.
كَانَ الْجُنْدِيُّ شُجَاعًاkaana l-jundiyyu shujaaʿanThe soldier was brave.
مُحَمَّدٌ حَسَنُ الْخُلُقِmuḥammadun ḥasanu l-khuluqiMuhammad has good manners.
Key points
- Common patterns: فَعِيلٌ كَرِيمٌ generous, جَمِيلٌ beautiful · فَعَلٌ حَسَنٌ good · فَعْلٌ صَعْبٌ hard, سَهْلٌ easy · فَعِلٌ تَعِبٌ tired, فَرِحٌ happy · فُعَالٌ شُجَاعٌ brave.
- Hunger, thirst and anger use فَعْلَانُ, feminine فَعْلَى, with no tanween: عَطْشَانُ / عَطْشَى thirsty · جَوْعَانُ / جَوْعَى hungry · غَضْبَانُ / غَضْبَى angry. Colours and body features use أَفْعَلُ / فَعْلَاءُ (lesson 32).
- They can take the next noun as a possession pair: مُحَمَّدٌ حَسَنُ الْخُلُقِ (Muhammad has good manners, literally “good of character”) · هُوَ طَوِيلُ الْقَامَةِ (he is tall in stature).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I am tired.”
أَنَا تَعِبٌ anaa taʿibun
Say “She is angry.”
هِيَ غَضْبَى hiya ghaḍbaa
Say “The exam was hard.” Exam: الِامْتِحَانُ.
كَانَ الِامْتِحَانُ صَعْبًا kaana l-imtiḥaanu ṣaʿban
