Understanding Adjective and Noun Agreement in Arabic

The Role of Adjectives in Arabic

In Arabic, adjectives are used to describe nouns, just like in English. However, they must match the gender, number, and definiteness of the noun they describe. This harmony between an adjective and its noun is known as "agreement".

Gender Agreement

Arabic nouns can be masculine or feminine, and the adjective must reflect this gender. Typically, a feminine adjective is formed by adding the suffix -ة to a masculine adjective.

Number Agreement

Arabic adjectives must also agree in number with the noun they modify. If the noun is singular, the adjective must be singular. For plural nouns, the adjective is plural as well.

Definiteness Agreement

If a noun is definite (e.g., "the car"), its adjective must also be definite. This is usually indicated by the presence of the article ال.

Case Agreement

Adjectives in Arabic agree with the noun in grammatical case. This affects the end of the word, similar to the case endings that occur with nouns.

Examples of Case Concord

Consider how the adjective changes in the genitive case: