The adjective after the word
The noun phrase here has two members: first the word, then the feature. bayt kabiir — a house big; saiyaara jadiida — a car new. The adjective always follows the word — and the rule has no exceptions: you have already read it in "al-makhqa qariib". For example: “السيارة الجديدة كبيرة” — The new car is big. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The noun phrase here has two members: first the word, then the feature. bayt kabiir — a house big; saiyaara jadiida — a car new. The adjective always follows the word — and the rule has no exceptions: you have already read it in "al-makhqa qariib".
The adjective copies the word: gender, number and definiteness. Masculine to masculine: qamiis jadiid; feminine to feminine: sutra jadiida. Definiteness takes the article on both words at once: al-qamiis al-jadiid — that very new shirt. An article on the second without one on the first is impossible.
Non-living plurals agree as a feminine singular: al-kutub jadiida — the books are new. The adjective holds the shape "jadiida" though the books are many — the same rule as the broken plural.
The comparison of adjectives you know from the prices: akbar — bigger, arkhas — cheaper. In the fitting room it is the main tool: akbar min miqaasii — bigger than my size.
Table
| translation | masculine | feminine |
|---|---|---|
| new | قميص جديد — qamiis jadiid | ساعة جديدة — saaʿa jadiida |
| white | قميص أبيض — qamiis ahyaq | سيارة بيضاء — saiyaara baydaaʾ |
| long | بنطال طويل — bantaal tawiil | تنورة طويلة — tanuura tawiila |
| red | معطف أحمر — miʿtaf ahmar | سيارة حمراء — saiyaara hamraaʾ |
| blue | تيشيرت أزرق — tishaart azraq | سترة زرقاء — sutra zarqaaʾ |
By example
- السيارة الجديدة كبيرةас-саййаара аль-джадида кябираThe new car is big
- قميص أزرق قصيرкамиис азрак касиирA blue short shirt
- الشورط واسعаш-шурт ваасиʿThe shorts are wide
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Adjective after noun in Arabic?
The noun phrase here has two members: first the word, then the feature. bayt kabiir — a house big; saiyaara jadiida — a car new. The adjective always follows the word — and the rule has no exceptions: you have already read it in "al-makhqa qariib".
Arabic adjective agreement?
Non-living plurals agree as a feminine singular: al-kutub jadiida — the books are new. The adjective holds the shape "jadiida" though the books are many — the same rule as the broken plural.
Why the article appears twice in Arabic?
The adjective copies the word: gender, number and definiteness. Masculine to masculine: qamiis jadiid; feminine to feminine: sutra jadiida. Definiteness takes the article on both words at once: al-qamiis al-jadiid — that very new shirt. An article on the second without one on the first is…
How to say a big house in Arabic?
The noun phrase here has two members: first the word, then the feature. bayt kabiir — a house big; saiyaara jadiida — a car new. The adjective always follows the word — and the rule has no exceptions: you have already read it in "al-makhqa qariib".
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“السيارة الجديدة كبيرة” (ас-саййаара аль-джадида кябира) — The new car is big. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.