What it is made of: min + the material
The material is introduced by the preposition min: min suuf — of wool, min khariir — of silk, min blaastiik — of plastic. The preposition has one role both in "from the airport" and "from nuts": origin and material are not split. Everything "made of what" is one "min". For example: “الفستان من الحرير” — The dress is of silk. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The material is introduced by the preposition min: min suuf — of wool, min khariir — of silk, min blaastiik — of plastic. The preposition has one role both in "from the airport" and "from nuts": origin and material are not split. Everything "made of what" is one "min".
The two-member "made of" is built without a verb: al-kursii matiin min al-hashab — the chair is sturdy of wood. If the material is already known, it is set definite: min as-suuf — of this wool. The article after "min" is the usual one: "al-" at moon letters, assimilation at sun letters — "min as-saja".
There is a second road too: an adjective with the suffix "-iyy": juldiyy — of leather, hashabiyy — of wood. It is shorter, and here it more often stands in a product label than in living speech.
Table
| material | of what | reading | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| wool | الصوف | as-suuf | of wool — min as-suuf |
| silk | الحرير | al-khariir | of silk — min al-khariir |
| glass | الزجاج | az-zujaaj | of glass — min az-zujaaj |
| metal | معدن | maʿadan | of metal — min maʿadan |
| plastic | بلاستيك | blaastiik | of plastic — min blaastiik |
| leather | جلد | jild | of leather — min jild tabiiʿii |
| wood | الخشب | al-hashab | of wood — min al-hashab |
By example
- الفستان من الحريرфустаан мин аль-хариирThe dress is of silk
- الجهاز من معدن ثقيلаль-джихааз мин маʿадан сакиильThe device is of heavy metal
- حزام من جلد طبيعيхизаам мин джильд табиийA belt of genuine leather
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
Made of in Arabic?
The material is introduced by the preposition min: min suuf — of wool, min khariir — of silk, min blaastiik — of plastic. The preposition has one role both in "from the airport" and "from nuts": origin and material are not split. Everything "made of what" is one "min".
Min for material in Arabic?
The material is introduced by the preposition min: min suuf — of wool, min khariir — of silk, min blaastiik — of plastic. The preposition has one role both in "from the airport" and "from nuts": origin and material are not split. Everything "made of what" is one "min".
How to say made of glass in Arabic?
The material is introduced by the preposition min: min suuf — of wool, min khariir — of silk, min blaastiik — of plastic. The preposition has one role both in "from the airport" and "from nuts": origin and material are not split. Everything "made of what" is one "min".
Arabic nisba adjectives iyy?
There is a second road too: an adjective with the suffix "-iyy": juldiyy — of leather, hashabiyy — of wood. It is shorter, and here it more often stands in a product label than in living speech.
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“الفستان من الحرير” (фустаан мин аль-хариир) — The dress is of silk. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.