☰ Units · Egyptian Arabic A1

This and that, adjectives, colours

Unit 7 · Part B · Egyptian Arabic A1 (Beginners)
4

Colours

Egyptian Arabic A1 · Unit 7
GoalName six colours and use them with masculine and feminine nouns.
New words
لَوْن (lōn) · colourأَحْمَر (aḥmar) · redأَزْرَق (azraʾ) · blueأَخْضَر (akhḍar) · greenأَصْفَر (aṣfar) · yellowأَبْيَض (abyaḍ) · whiteأَسْوَد (aswad) · black
Explanation

Colours are adjectives. They come after the noun and they change for feminine nouns. The feminine colours have a different shape: أَحْمَر becomes حَمْرَا (ḥamra). So we say كِتَاب أَحْمَر (a red book) and عَرَبِيَّة حَمْرَا (a red car). Ask «what colour is the bag?» with لَوْن الشَّنْطَة إِيه؟. In أَخْضَر the letter ض is a heavy d, and in أَزْرَق the letter ق is a hamza: azraʾ.

ColourMasculineFeminine
redأَحْمَرحَمْرَا
blueأَزْرَقزَرْقَا
greenأَخْضَرخَضْرَا
yellowأَصْفَرصَفْرَا
whiteأَبْيَضبَيْضَا
blackأَسْوَدسَوْدَا
Worked examples
أَحْمَرأَزْرَقأَخْضَرأَصْفَرأَبْيَضأَسْوَد
The six colours.
Omar

لَوْن الشَّنْطَة إِيه؟

Salma

حَمْرَا.

Omar

حِلْوَة أَوِي!

Omar asks about the colour of a bag. Press each line.
A masculine and a feminine noun with a colour.
Class activity

Name the colour of ten things around you in Arabic. Say the colour in the masculine for a masculine noun and in the feminine for a feminine noun. Then ask a friend لَوْن … إِيه؟ about three things. Write six sentences like كِتَاب أَزْرَق and شَنْطَة زَرْقَا.

Practice
1
Say this colour in Arabic (masculine).
2
Say the feminine form of this colour.
3
Say «a black book».
4
Say «a white bag».
5
Say the feminine form of «yellow».