☰ Units · Egyptian Arabic A1

This and that, adjectives, colours

Unit 7 · Part B · Egyptian Arabic A1 (Beginners)
2

Masculine and feminine

Egyptian Arabic A1 · Unit 7
GoalKnow if a noun is masculine or feminine and use the right word.
New words
بَاب (bāb) · doorقَلَم (ʾalam) · penكُرْسِي (kursi) · chairمَدْرَسَة (madrasa) · schoolتَرَابِيزَة (tarābēza) · tableعَرَبِيَّة (ʿarabiyya) · carطَالِب (ṭālib) · student (man)طَالِبَة (ṭāliba) · student (woman)
Explanation

Every Arabic noun is masculine or feminine. Most nouns ending in ة (said -a) are feminine: مَدْرَسَة، عَرَبِيَّة، تَرَابِيزَة. Most other nouns are masculine: بَاب، قَلَم، كُرْسِي. Use دَه with masculine nouns and دِي with feminine nouns. For people, add ة to speak about a woman: طَالِب becomes طَالِبَة. Nationalities work the same way: مِصْرِي becomes مِصْرِيَّة. Remember that ق is said as a hamza in Cairo: ʾalam.

Masculine (دَه)Feminine (دِي)
دَه بَابدِي مَدْرَسَة
دَه قَلَمدِي تَرَابِيزَة
دَه كُرْسِيدِي عَرَبِيَّة
دَه طَالِبدِي طَالِبَة
Worked examples
Masculine things. Press each card.
Feminine things. Press each card.
Karim

أَنَا طَالِب.

Maryam

وِأَنَا طَالِبَة.

A boy and a girl who study. Press each line.
Class activity

Sort twenty words you know into two columns: masculine and feminine. Look at the last letter: ة means feminine. Then say a sentence for each word with دَه or دِي. Finally change the word طَالِب into the feminine and say both.

Practice
1
Press Listen. Is the word masculine or feminine?
2
Is كُرْسِي masculine or feminine? Say «this is a chair».
3
Say «this is a school».
4
Make طَالِب feminine.
5
Say «this is a car».