One noun phrase
الْمَدْرَسَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ
the new school. Both words are definite, so the adjective identifies which school.
A
Why this matters لِمَاذَا تَهُمُّ الْمُطَابَقَةُ؟
A missing or unnecessary article can change the grammatical relationship between two words. Accurate agreement makes descriptions clear in every Cambridge topic area.
One complete sentence
الْمَدْرَسَةُ جَدِيدَةٌ.
The school is new. The noun is definite, but the predicate adjective is indefinite.
A frequent error
✗ مَدْرَسَةٌ الْجَدِيدَةُ
The noun and its describing adjective cannot disagree randomly in definiteness.
Mastery question: Is the adjective attached to the noun inside one phrase, or is it saying something new about the noun as the predicate of a sentence?
B
Choose your route اِخْتَرْ مَسَارَكَ
Secure Core before moving to longer phrases. Stretch introduces case endings only after the central meaning is clear.
Match the essentials
- Recognise definite and indefinite noun phrases.
- Match masculine and feminine forms.
- Distinguish a phrase from a sentence.
Extend descriptions
- Use demonstratives accurately.
- Handle human and non-human plurals.
- Stack two or three adjectives naturally.
Track the whole system
- Recognise nouns definite without الـ.
- Identify which noun an adjective modifies in idāfa.
- Notice matching case endings.
C
Diagnostic starter اِخْتِبَارُ الْبِدَايَةِ
Do not study the answers first. The explanations after each choice reveal exactly which agreement decision is secure.
🔎 Agreement Entry Check
0/61. Choose “a small house”.
Both noun and attributive adjective are indefinite.
2. Choose “the small house”.
Both words are definite because they form one noun phrase.
3. Choose “The house is small.”
The definite noun is the subject; the indefinite adjective is the predicate.
4. Choose “the new car”.
سَيَّارَة is feminine, so its adjective is feminine and equally definite.
5. Which adjective correctly describes the non-human plural الْكُتُبُ?
A non-human plural normally takes a feminine singular adjective.
6. Which means “my new book”?
The suffix makes كِتَابِي definite; its attributive adjective therefore takes الـ.
1
The four agreement decisions أَرْبَعَةُ أَوْجُهٍ لِلْمُطَابَقَةِ
An Arabic adjective normally follows its noun and reflects key information about it. Learn the decisions separately, then combine them.
1 · Gender الْجِنْسُ
وَلَدٌ مُجْتَهِدٌ · بِنْتٌ مُجْتَهِدَةٌ
The adjective changes to masculine or feminine according to the noun it describes.
2 · Number الْعَدَدُ
طَالِبٌ مُجْتَهِدٌ · طَالِبَانِ مُجْتَهِدَانِ · طُلَّابٌ مُجْتَهِدُونَ
For human nouns, the adjective normally matches singular, dual or plural number.
3 · Definiteness التَّعْرِيفُ
كِتَابٌ مُفِيدٌ · الْكِتَابُ الْمُفِيدُ
Inside an attributive phrase, an indefinite noun takes an indefinite adjective; a definite noun takes a definite adjective.
4 · Case الْإِعْرَابُ — Stretch
الْبَيْتُ الْكَبِيرُ · رَأَيْتُ الْبَيْتَ الْكَبِيرَ · فِي الْبَيْتِ الْكَبِيرِ
When final endings are shown, noun and adjective also share nominative, accusative or genitive case.
Order of thought: identify the noun → decide its meaning and form → make the adjective copy the relevant features.
| Meaning | Noun | Adjective | What matches? |
|---|---|---|---|
| a tall boy | وَلَدٌ | طَوِيلٌ | masculine, singular, indefinite |
| the tall girl | الْبِنْتُ | الطَّوِيلَةُ | feminine, singular, definite |
| two useful books | كِتَابَانِ | مُفِيدَانِ | masculine, dual, indefinite |
| the hardworking female students | الطَّالِبَاتُ | الْمُجْتَهِدَاتُ | feminine, human plural, definite |
🧩 Mini-check 1 — Make Every Feature Match
0/51. Complete: مَدْرَسَةٌ ...
The noun is feminine, singular and indefinite.
2. Complete: الْمُعَلِّمُ ...
Inside one phrase, a masculine definite noun takes a masculine definite adjective.
3. Complete: طَالِبَتَانِ ...
The noun is feminine dual and indefinite, so the adjective matches all three features.
4. Complete after فِي: فِي الْفَصْلِ ...
Stretch: فِي makes the noun genitive, and the adjective shares the genitive ending.
5. Which is internally inconsistent?
طَالِب is masculine but مُجْتَهِدَة is feminine.
2
Phrase or complete sentence? تَرْكِيبٌ أَمْ جُمْلَةٌ؟
Definiteness is the key signal. English often relies on word order and “is”; Arabic can create the contrast without writing a present-tense verb “to be”.
Indefinite phrase
بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ
a large house. The adjective is part of the noun phrase.
Definite phrase
الْبَيْتُ الْكَبِيرُ
the large house. Both words are definite.
Nominal sentence
الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ.
The house is large. The indefinite adjective tells us something new about the definite subject.
Do not use punctuation as your only clue. First analyse definiteness. A phrase may appear inside a longer sentence, and an unpunctuated exercise may still contain a complete clause.
More than one adjective
بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ وَجَمِيلٌ
→
a large and beautiful house
both adjectives are masculine, singular and indefinite
both adjectives are masculine, singular and indefinite
الْمَدْرَسَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ الْكَبِيرَةُ
→
the large new school
each adjective matches the feminine definite noun
each adjective matches the feminine definite noun
الْمَدْرَسَةُ جَدِيدَةٌ وَكَبِيرَةٌ.
→
The school is new and large.
both predicate adjectives remain indefinite
both predicate adjectives remain indefinite
⚖️ Mini-check 2 — Phrase or Sentence?
0/51. الْمَطْعَمُ الْجَدِيدُ
Both words are definite, so they form one definite noun phrase.
2. الْمَطْعَمُ جَدِيدٌ.
Definite subject + indefinite predicate adjective forms a nominal sentence.
3. مَطْعَمٌ جَدِيدٌ
Both words are indefinite and form an indefinite noun phrase.
4. Choose “the clean, quiet room”.
Every attributive adjective matches the definite feminine noun.
5. Choose “The room is clean and quiet.”
The two indefinite adjectives act as coordinated predicates.
🎮 Game 1 — Phrase-or-Sentence Switch
Classify each Arabic expression, then use the explanation to identify the definiteness signal.
Press Start.
3
Demonstratives change the pattern أَسْمَاءُ الْإِشَارَةِ وَالتَّعْرِيفُ
The same demonstrative can introduce a sentence or point to a definite noun. Watch what follows it.
Demonstrative + indefinite noun
هَذَا بَيْتٌ.
This is a house. The noun is the indefinite predicate.
هَذِهِ مَدْرَسَةٌ.
This is a school.
Demonstrative + definite noun
هَذَا الْبَيْتُ
this house. The demonstrative points to a particular noun, which takes الـ.
هَذِهِ الْمَدْرَسَةُ
this school.
Demonstrative phrase + attributive adjective
هَذَا الْبَيْتُ الْكَبِيرُ
this large house. The adjective is inside the definite noun phrase.
Demonstrative phrase + predicate adjective
هَذَا الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ.
This house is large. The adjective tells us something new and remains indefinite.
Three-step reading strategy: find the demonstrative → check whether the noun has الـ → check whether the following adjective also has الـ.
👉 Mini-check 3 — This Is… or This Noun?
0/51. Translate: هَذَا كِتَابٌ.
The noun is indefinite, so it is the predicate: This is a book.
2. Translate: هَذَا الْكِتَابُ
The definite noun forms a demonstrative noun phrase: this book.
3. Choose “this useful book”.
The noun and attributive adjective are both definite.
4. Choose “This book is useful.”
هَذَا الْكِتَابُ is the subject phrase; مُفِيدٌ is the indefinite predicate.
5. Choose “This is a beautiful city.”
The whole indefinite noun phrase مَدِينَةٌ جَمِيلَةٌ acts as the predicate.
4
Human and non-human plurals جُمُوعُ الْعَاقِلِ وَغَيْرِ الْعَاقِلِ
Definiteness still matches, but number agreement depends on whether the plural refers to people or non-human things.
Masculine human plural
طُلَّابٌ مُجْتَهِدُونَ
a group of hardworking male or mixed students
الطُّلَّابُ الْمُجْتَهِدُونَ
the hardworking students
Feminine human plural
طَالِبَاتٌ مُجْتَهِدَاتٌ
hardworking female students
الطَّالِبَاتُ الْمُجْتَهِدَاتُ
the hardworking female students
Non-human plural
كُتُبٌ جَدِيدَةٌ
new books
الْكُتُبُ الْجَدِيدَةُ
the new books — feminine singular adjective
Do not confuse form with meaning. A broken plural such as أَطْفَالٌ refers to humans, so it can take a plural human adjective: أَطْفَالٌ صِغَارٌ. A plural such as مَدَارِسُ refers to things, so it normally takes feminine singular agreement: مَدَارِسُ كَبِيرَةٌ.
| Plural noun | Type | Correct adjective | Complete phrase |
|---|---|---|---|
| الْمُعَلِّمُونَ | human masculine/mixed | الْمَاهِرُونَ | الْمُعَلِّمُونَ الْمَاهِرُونَ |
| الْمُعَلِّمَاتُ | human feminine | الْمَاهِرَاتُ | الْمُعَلِّمَاتُ الْمَاهِرَاتُ |
| السَّيَّارَاتُ | non-human | السَّرِيعَةُ | السَّيَّارَاتُ السَّرِيعَةُ |
| الْمَدَارِسُ | non-human | الْحَدِيثَةُ | الْمَدَارِسُ الْحَدِيثَةُ |
👥 Mini-check 4 — Plural Agreement
0/51. Complete: الْأَوْلَادُ ...
أَوْلَاد refers to humans, so a common plural adjective is used.
2. Complete: الْبَنَاتُ ...
A feminine human plural takes a feminine plural adjective.
3. Complete: الْحَقَائِبُ ...
Non-human plural حَقَائِب takes a feminine singular adjective.
4. Choose “new schools”.
Non-human plural + feminine singular adjective.
5. Choose “the famous athletes” for a male or mixed group.
Both noun and adjective are masculine human plural and definite.
5
A noun can be definite without الـ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِغَيْرِ «الـ»
The adjective matches the noun’s grammatical definiteness, not merely the letters visible at its beginning.
Possessive suffix
كِتَابِي الْجَدِيدُ
my new book. The suffix ـي makes the noun specific and definite, so the attributive adjective takes الـ.
كِتَابِي جَدِيدٌ.
My book is new. Predicate adjective: indefinite.
Proper name
مَرْيَمُ الْمُجْتَهِدَةُ
hardworking Maryam / Maryam the hardworking. A name is definite by identity.
مَرْيَمُ مُجْتَهِدَةٌ.
Maryam is hardworking.
Idāfa phrase
بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ الْكَبِيرُ
the school’s large door. The whole idāfa is definite because its final noun is definite; الْكَبِيرُ describes masculine بَابُ.
Which noun does the adjective describe?
بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ الْجَدِيدُ
the school’s new door. Masculine الْجَدِيدُ points back to بَابُ.
بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ الْجَدِيدَةِ
the door of the new school. Feminine الْجَدِيدَةِ describes الْمَدْرَسَةِ.
Stretch insight: gender helps here, and the final case ending confirms the relationship. An adjective describing the first noun shares its case; an adjective describing the second noun is genitive with that noun.
🔗 Mini-check 5 — Definiteness Without the Article
0/51. Choose “our large house”.
The suffix makes بَيْتُنَا definite; the attributive adjective takes الـ.
2. Choose “Our house is large.”
The predicate adjective is indefinite.
3. Choose “kind Layla / Layla the kind”.
The definite attributive adjective describes the proper name.
4. Translate: لَيْلَى طَيِّبَةٌ.
The indefinite adjective is the predicate of the sentence.
5. Which means “the school’s new door”?
Masculine الْجَدِيدُ describes masculine بَابُ; the first idāfa noun does not take الـ.
🏗️ Game 2 — Agreement Architect
Build ten accurate noun phrases by selecting the adjective that matches the noun in every required feature.
Press Start.
6
Apply agreement across the four skills طَبِّقِ الْمُطَابَقَةَ فِي الْمَهَارَاتِ الْأَرْبَعِ
Grammar mastery becomes useful when it improves understanding and communication, not only isolated selection.
📖 Reading workshop — A new school
هَذِهِ مَدْرَسَتِي الْجَدِيدَةُ. الْمَدْرَسَةُ كَبِيرَةٌ وَحَدِيثَةٌ. فِيهَا فُصُولٌ وَاسِعَةٌ وَمَكْتَبَةٌ هَادِئَةٌ. أُحِبُّ الْمُعَلِّمَاتِ الْمُتَعَاوِنَاتِ، وَأَسْتَعْمِلُ الْحَوَاسِيبَ الْجَدِيدَةَ فِي دَرْسِ التِّقْنِيَةِ. هَذِهِ الْفُصُولُ نَظِيفَةٌ، وَالْمَلْعَبُ الْكَبِيرُ قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمَبْنَى الرَّئِيسِيِّ.
Underline complete noun phrases once and predicate adjectives twice before answering.
👂 Listening workshop — Hear the relationship
Read or listen to the script without looking at the options first:
Show listening script
أَسْكُنُ فِي شَقَّةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ، وَلَكِنَّ الشَّقَّةَ مُرِيحَةٌ. غُرْفَتِي الْجَدِيدَةُ مُضِيئَةٌ، وَنَوَافِذُهَا الْكَبِيرَةُ تُطِلُّ عَلَى حَدِيقَةٍ جَمِيلَةٍ. فِي الْحَدِيقَةِ أَشْجَارٌ طَوِيلَةٌ وَزُهُورٌ مُلَوَّنَةٌ.
Listen for whether the adjective identifies the noun or completes a statement about it.
📚 Reading and Listening Evidence
0/61. In the reading, what does مَدْرَسَتِي الْجَدِيدَةُ mean?
The possessive suffix makes the noun definite, and the attributive adjective takes الـ.
2. In the reading, which expression is a complete sentence?
Definite subject + indefinite predicate adjective forms a complete sentence.
3. Why is الْحَوَاسِيبَ followed by الْجَدِيدَةَ?
حَوَاسِيب is a non-human plural, so its adjective is feminine singular.
4. In the listening, شَقَّةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ means:
Both words are indefinite and genitive after فِي.
5. In the listening, الشَّقَّةَ مُرِيحَةٌ means:
The noun is definite; the adjective is an indefinite predicate.
6. What does نَوَافِذُهَا الْكَبِيرَةُ mean?
The suffix makes the plural noun definite; the non-human plural adjective is feminine singular and definite.
🗣️ Speaking studio — Point, identify, describe
- Choose three objects or places.
- Identify each with a demonstrative: هَذَا الْكِتَابُ / هَذِهِ الْغُرْفَةُ.
- Add an attributive adjective: هَذَا الْكِتَابُ الْمُفِيدُ.
- Then make a sentence: هَذَا الْكِتَابُ مُفِيدٌ.
- Extend with a reason or opinion.
✍️ Writing workshop — Describe a place
Write 80–90 words about your school, home, town or an imagined place. Include:
- three definite noun–adjective phrases;
- three nominal sentences with indefinite predicate adjectives;
- one demonstrative contrast;
- one human plural and one non-human plural;
- one noun made definite by a suffix or idāfa.
Paper route: copy the checklist, write your paragraph by hand, underline nouns once and their adjectives twice, then mark the task complete.
7
Common mistakes and how to repair them عِيَادَةُ الْأَخْطَاءِ
A correction is strongest when you can explain the grammatical decision rather than merely replace a word.
Mismatch in definiteness
✗ الْمَدْرَسَةُ جَدِيدَةٌ = “the new school”
Repair: الْمَدْرَسَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ. The original is a sentence: “The school is new.”
Article added to a suffixed noun
✗ الْكِتَابِي الْمُفِيدُ
Repair: كِتَابِي الْمُفِيدُ. A possessive suffix and الـ do not occupy the same noun.
Human agreement copied onto things
✗ الْكُتُبُ الْجَدِيدَاتُ
Repair: الْكُتُبُ الْجَدِيدَةُ. Non-human plurals normally take feminine singular agreement.
Wrong adjective target in idāfa
بَابُ الْمَدْرَسَةِ الْجَدِيدَةِ
This is not automatically wrong: it means “the door of the new school.” To mean “the school’s new door,” use masculine الْجَدِيدُ.
🧑🏫 Game 3 — Agreement Repair Clinic
Diagnose and repair ten errors involving definiteness, gender, number, demonstratives and adjective targets.
Press Start.
Repair language: “The noun is ___, so the adjective must be ___.” / “These words form one phrase, so both are ___.” / “The adjective is a predicate, so it remains ___.”
8
Final mastery check اِخْتِبَارُ الْإِتْقَانِ
The final questions mix the decisions instead of testing them in isolated blocks.
⭐ Definiteness and Agreement Mastery
0/121. Choose “a modern city”.
Indefinite feminine singular noun phrase.
2. Choose “the modern city”.
Both noun and attributive adjective are definite.
3. Choose “The city is modern.”
Definite subject + indefinite predicate adjective.
4. Choose “these hardworking female students”.
The demonstrative points to a definite human feminine plural phrase.
5. Choose “These female students are hardworking.”
The predicate adjective is indefinite but remains feminine plural for people.
6. Complete: الْمَبَانِي ...
مَبَانِي is a non-human plural, so the adjective is feminine singular.
7. Choose “my old car”.
The suffix makes the noun definite, and the attributive adjective is definite.
8. Choose “My car is old.”
The predicate adjective is indefinite.
9. Which means “the hospital’s large entrance”?
Masculine adjective describes masculine مَدْخَل, while the first idāfa noun has no article.
10. After فِي, choose the fully matched form “in the large school”.
Stretch: both noun and attributive adjective are genitive after فِي.
11. What is the best test for phrase versus sentence?
Matching definiteness signals a phrase; definite subject plus indefinite predicate signals a sentence.
12. Which explanation is accurate?
Definiteness can come from more than the visible article.
Now you can… الْآنَ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ...
- make an adjective agree in gender, number and definiteness;
- distinguish a noun phrase from a nominal sentence;
- use demonstratives without changing the intended relationship;
- apply human and non-human plural agreement;
- recognise definite nouns formed by names, suffixes and idāfa;
- explain which noun an adjective describes.
Score guide: 0–7 — revisit Sections 1–3. 8–10 — replay the plural and repair tasks. 11–12 — continue to Articles Lesson 3.
Spaced revisit: in 3–7 days, write three pairs such as الْبَيْتُ الْكَبِيرُ / الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ without opening the lesson.