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Learn how Arabic adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, definiteness, and case. Master the rules with clear examples and practice exercises.
One of the most fundamental concepts in Arabic grammar is how adjectives (صِفات - ṣifāt) interact with the nouns they describe. Unlike English, where you simply place an adjective before a noun ("a big house"), Arabic requires adjectives to agree with their nouns in four key areas: gender, number, definiteness, and case.
Mastering noun-adjective agreement will dramatically improve your ability to form natural-sounding Arabic phrases. If you've already explored Arabic sentence structure, this guide is the perfect next step.
The first rule to remember is simple: in Arabic, the adjective comes after the noun it describes. This is the opposite of English word order.
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| كِتابٌ كَبيرٌ | kitābun kabīrun | a big book |
| بِنتٌ جَميلةٌ | bintun jamīlatun | a beautiful girl |
| بَيتٌ قَديمٌ | baytun qadīmun | an old house |
Notice how the adjective sits right after the noun. This is your starting point for every descriptive phrase in Arabic.
Arabic nouns are either masculine (مُذَكَّر - mudhakkar) or feminine (مُؤَنَّث - mu'annath). The adjective must match the gender of the noun.
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| وَلَدٌ طَويلٌ | waladun ṭawīlun | a tall boy |
| قَلَمٌ جَديدٌ | qalamun jadīdun | a new pen |
| كِتابٌ صَغيرٌ | kitābun ṣaghīrun | a small book |
To make most adjectives feminine, add the tā' marbūṭa (ة) ending:
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| بِنتٌ طَويلةٌ | bintun ṭawīlatun | a tall girl |
| سَيّارةٌ جَديدةٌ | sayyāratun jadīdatun | a new car |
| مَدينةٌ صَغيرةٌ | madīnatun ṣaghīratun | a small city |
Tip: Most feminine nouns end in ة (tā' marbūṭa), but some don't — like أُمّ (umm - mother) and شَمس (shams - sun). You'll learn these exceptions naturally over time. Building your Arabic vocabulary will help you recognize noun genders more quickly.
This is where many beginners stumble. The adjective must match whether the noun is definite or indefinite.
When the noun has no definite article الـ (al-), the adjective also appears without الـ:
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| رَجُلٌ كَريمٌ | rajulun karīmun | a generous man |
| غُرفةٌ واسِعةٌ | ghurfatun wāsi'atun | a spacious room |
When the noun has الـ, the adjective must also take الـ:
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| الرَّجُلُ الكَريمُ | ar-rajulu al-karīmu | the generous man |
| الغُرفةُ الواسِعةُ | al-ghurfatu al-wāsi'atu | the spacious room |
| البَيتُ الجَميلُ | al-baytu al-jamīlu | the beautiful house |
What happens when you put الـ on the noun but not on the adjective? You create a complete sentence!
This distinction is crucial. The difference between a phrase and a sentence in Arabic often comes down to whether the adjective carries الـ or not.
Arabic has three number categories: singular (مُفرَد), dual (مُثَنّى), and plural (جَمع). Adjective agreement with number follows specific patterns.
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| مُعَلِّمٌ ماهِرٌ | mu'allimun māhirun | a skilled teacher (m.) |
| مُعَلِّمةٌ ماهِرةٌ | mu'allimatun māhiratun | a skilled teacher (f.) |
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| كِتابانِ جَديدانِ | kitābāni jadīdāni | two new books |
| طالِبَتانِ ذَكيَّتانِ | ṭālibatāni dhakiyyatāni | two smart female students |
Human plurals (sound plurals): The adjective takes the matching plural form.
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| مُعَلِّمونَ ماهِرونَ | mu'allimūna māhirūna | skilled teachers (m.) |
| مُعَلِّماتٌ ماهِراتٌ | mu'allimātun māhirātun | skilled teachers (f.) |
Non-human plurals: This is one of Arabic's most important rules. Non-human plural nouns are treated as feminine singular for adjective agreement.
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| كُتُبٌ جَديدةٌ | kutubun jadīdatun | new books |
| بُيوتٌ كَبيرةٌ | buyūtun kabīratun | big houses |
| سَيّاراتٌ سَريعةٌ | sayyārātun sarī'atun | fast cars |
Notice: كُتُب (kutub - books) is plural, but the adjective جَديدة (jadīda) is feminine singular. This rule applies to all non-human plurals — animals, objects, concepts, and places.
The adjective must also match the grammatical case of the noun. Arabic has three cases:
| Case | Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | الطّالِبُ المُجتَهِدُ | aṭ-ṭālibu al-mujtahidu | the hardworking student (subject) |
| Accusative | رَأَيتُ الطّالِبَ المُجتَهِدَ | ra'aytu aṭ-ṭāliba al-mujtahida | I saw the hardworking student |
| Genitive | مَعَ الطّالِبِ المُجتَهِدِ | ma'a aṭ-ṭālibi al-mujtahidi | with the hardworking student |
Don't worry if case endings feel overwhelming at first. In spoken Arabic, these endings are often dropped. Focus on recognizing them in reading, and they'll become natural with practice.
| Rule | The adjective must match the noun in... |
|---|---|
| 1. Gender | Masculine or feminine |
| 2. Definiteness | With or without الـ |
| 3. Number | Singular, dual, or plural (non-human plurals → feminine singular) |
| 4. Case | Nominative, accusative, or genitive |
Test yourself! Combine the noun and adjective correctly. Answers are below.
Expand your descriptive abilities with these frequently used adjectives. Visit our vocabulary section for more word lists.
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| كَبير / كَبيرة | kabīr / kabīra | big |
| صَغير / صَغيرة | ṣaghīr / ṣaghīra | small |
| جَميل / جَميلة | jamīl / jamīla | beautiful |
| طَويل / طَويلة | ṭawīl / ṭawīla | tall / long |
| قَصير / قَصيرة | qaṣīr / qaṣīra | short |
| سَريع / سَريعة | sarī' / sarī'a | fast |
| بَطيء / بَطيئة | baṭī' / baṭī'a | slow |
| سَهل / سَهلة | sahl / sahla | easy |
| صَعب / صَعبة | ṣa'b / ṣa'ba | difficult |
| لَطيف / لَطيفة | laṭīf / laṭīfa | kind / nice |
Now that you understand noun-adjective agreement, you have a powerful tool for building richer Arabic phrases. Combine this knowledge with what you learned in Arabic sentence structure and start constructing more expressive sentences.
Explore more grammar guides and learning resources on our guides page, and keep building your foundation — one agreement rule at a time!
تَوفيقًا في دِراسَتِكَ! Tawfīqan fī dirāsatika! Good luck in your studies!