You know سَرِير (bed), طَاوِلَة (table), كُرْسِيّ (chair), نَافِذَة (window) and بَاب (door). Here are eight more things for a home. Most words that end in ة are feminine: أَرِيكَة، خِزَانَة، مِرْآة، ثَلَّاجَة، سَجَّادَة. The words مِصْبَاح، تِلْفَاز and مَكْتَب are masculine. Use the right pointing word: هَذَا مِصْبَاح, but هَذِهِ أَرِيكَة. The adjective matches too: الْأَرِيكَة كَبِيرَة, but التِّلْفَاز جَدِيد.
Arabic
Say
Gender
Meaning
أَرِيكَة
ʾarīka
f
sofa
خِزَانَة
khizāna
f
cupboard, wardrobe
مِصْبَاح
miṣbāḥ
m
lamp
مِرْآة
mirʾā
f
mirror
تِلْفَاز
tilfāz
m
television
ثَلَّاجَة
thallāja
f
fridge
مَكْتَب
maktab
m
desk, office
سَجَّادَة
sajjāda
f
carpet, rug
Worked examples
Three things in a room. Which one is a lamp, a mirror, a television?
A sentence with هَذَا, one with هَذِهِ and one with the adjective.
Salma
مَا هَذَا؟
Karim
هَذِهِ سَجَّادَة.
Salma
هِيَ جَمِيلَة جِدًّا!
Karim
وَهَذِهِ مِرْآة كَبِيرَة.
Salma and Karim look at things in a shop.
Class activity
Sticky labels. Take small pieces of paper and write on them the Arabic words of the things in your home, with the pointing word: هَذَا مِصْبَاح، هَذِهِ طَاوِلَة. Put each label on the right thing. Say the sentences aloud. Add the adjective once: هَذَا كُرْسِيّ قَدِيم.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Is it a piece of furniture?
…
No. It is مِفْتَاح (miftāḥ), a key.
2
Is مِصْبَاح masculine or feminine? Which pointing word do you use?
Masculine, so هَذَا مِصْبَاح.
3
The picture shows a television. Say “this is a television”.
هَذَا تِلْفَاز.
4
The picture shows a mirror. Say “this is a mirror”.
