The adjective: the definition behind and the feminine taa
Here the adjective stands AFTER the noun: كريم — generous, رجل كريم — a man generous. There is no linking verb, and the two-member "a man generous" is the normal word order, not poetry. For example: “الجار بخيل والضيف كريم” — The neighbor is stingy, and the guest is generous. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Here the adjective stands AFTER the noun: كريم (кариим) — generous, رجل كريم (раджуль кариим) — a man generous. There is no linking verb, and the two-member "a man generous" is the normal word order, not poetry.
The adjective agrees in gender with a tail: the masculine holds the form as it is, the feminine sets ة. So مجتهد (муджтахид) — hardworking, and مجتهدة — hardworking (f.). Exceptions like "mumtaaz" — excellent — need no such rebuild: feature words with one shape for both genders simply do not change.
Half of the adjectives here are participles: muʿtaad, mustaʿmal, muhtamm. The test is simple: if you can ask the word "which one?" — it is a participle; if "what kind?" — an adjective. In one row they stand by themselves, and the translation picks what to take.
Table
| who/what | adjective | feminine | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| الأب | صبور | صبورة | patient (m./f.) |
| الولد | عنيد | عنيدة | stubborn (m./f.) |
| المعلم | مجتهد | مجتهدة | hardworking (m./f.) |
| الجار | مألوف | مألوفة | familiar (m./f.) |
| الرد | فظ | فظة | rude (m./f.) |
| العمل | جدي | جدية | serious (m./f.) |
| الضيف | مؤدب | مؤدبة | well-mannered (m./f.) |
| المأكولات | ممل | مملة | boring (m./f.) |
By example
- الجار بخيل والضيف كريمаль-джяр бахииль ва-д-дайф кариимThe neighbor is stingy, and the guest is generous
- الأم صبورة والأب متواضعаль-умм сабуура ва-ль-аб мутаваадиʿMum is patient, and dad is modest
- سيارة مستعملة من جار موثوقсаййаара мустаʿмала мин джяр маусуукA used car from a reliable neighbor
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
Feminine adjectives ta marbuta in Arabic?
The adjective agrees in gender with a tail: the masculine holds the form as it is, the feminine sets ة. So مجتهد — hardworking, and مجتهدة — hardworking (f.) Exceptions like "mumtaaz" — excellent — need no such rebuild: feature words with one shape for both genders simply do not change.
Adjective after the noun in Arabic?
Here the adjective stands AFTER the noun: كريم — generous, رجل كريم — a man generous. There is no linking verb, and the two-member "a man generous" is the normal word order, not poetry.
Does the adjective agree in gender in Arabic?
The adjective agrees in gender with a tail: the masculine holds the form as it is, the feminine sets ة. So مجتهد — hardworking, and مجتهدة — hardworking (f.) Exceptions like "mumtaaz" — excellent — need no such rebuild: feature words with one shape for both genders simply do not change.
Adjective vs participle in Arabic?
Half of the adjectives here are participles: muʿtaad, mustaʿmal, muhtamm. The test is simple: if you can ask the word "which one?" — it is a participle; if "what kind?" — an adjective. In one row they stand by themselves, and the translation picks what to take.
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“الجار بخيل والضيف كريم” (аль-джяр бахииль ва-д-дайф кариим) — The neighbor is stingy, and the guest is generous. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.