An adjective tells us what something is like: big, small, new. In Arabic the adjective comes after the noun, the opposite of English: بَيْت كَبِير is “house big”, a big house. A masculine noun takes the masculine adjective, as in قَلَم جَدِيد (a new pen). Many adjectives come in pairs of opposites, so learn them together. In كَبِير, صَغِير and جَدِيد the long ī is stretched. You already know جَمِيل (beautiful): it works in the same way.
Noun
Adjective
Meaning
بَيْت
كَبِير
a big house
قَلَم
جَدِيد
a new pen
رَجُل
جَمِيل
a handsome man
Worked examples
Opposites in pairs. Listen: big and small, new and old.
First the noun, then the adjective. Listen: an old book, an easy lesson, a tall man.
وَلَدboy+قَصِيرshort
Say it in Arabic order: boy first, then short.
Class activity
Opposites game. Write the eight adjectives on small cards. Put them in pairs: كَبِير and صَغِير, جَدِيد and قَدِيم, طَوِيل and قَصِير, سَهْل and صَعْب. Then take a masculine noun you know, such as بَيْت، كِتَاب or قَلَم, and say it with two opposite adjectives. Look around you and describe three things in Arabic.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Is the vowel in the last syllable long or short?
Long: ثَقِيل (thaqīl), “heavy”, ends in the long ī.
2
Where does the adjective go in Arabic: before or after the noun?
After the noun: بَيْت كَبِير.
3
Say in Arabic: “a small book”.
كِتَاب صَغِير
4
The picture shows a giraffe. Which word is “tall”: طَوِيل or قَصِير?
