Core
Recognise masculine ـِيٌّ and feminine ـِيَّةٌ nisba endings.
A
Why this matters لِمَاذَا هَذَا مُهِمٌّ؟
Adjective control affects the accuracy of descriptions in every Cambridge topic: people, clothes, homes, school, travel, weather, work and opinions.
Develop
Form common nationality, regional and subject adjectives.
Stretch
Apply spelling adjustments and case endings in longer phrases.
B
Diagnostic start
Try this short check before reading the explanations. Incorrect answers are information, not failure.
🔎 Entry Check
0/51. Choose feminine of مِصْرِيٌّ
Nisba feminine has يّة.
2. Complete طَالِبٌ ...
Masculine singular nisba.
3. Complete مُوسِيقَى ...
Music is feminine.
4. Choose “the northern region”
Gender and definiteness agree.
5. Which principle best supports this lesson?
The noun controls adjective agreement.
1
Learn the system step by step
Read one explanation, study the worked examples, then pause for the mini-check.
1. The core ending
A nisba adjective links a person or thing to a place, field, material or concept. The masculine ending is usually ـِيٌّ with a doubled yāʾ; the feminine is ـِيَّةٌ.
مِصْرِيٌّ / مِصْرِيَّةٌ
عَرَبِيٌّ / عَرَبِيَّةٌ
شَمَالِيٌّ / شَمَالِيَّةٌ
مُوسِيقِيٌّ / مُوسِيقِيَّةٌ
عَرَبِيٌّ / عَرَبِيَّةٌ
شَمَالِيٌّ / شَمَالِيَّةٌ
مُوسِيقِيٌّ / مُوسِيقِيَّةٌ
2. Agreement and meaning
The nisba adjective behaves like other adjectives: it follows and agrees with its noun.
طَالِبٌ مِصْرِيٌّ
طَالِبَةٌ مِصْرِيَّةٌ
مُوسِيقَى عَرَبِيَّةٌ
مَنْطِقَةٌ شَمَالِيَّةٌ
طَالِبَةٌ مِصْرِيَّةٌ
مُوسِيقَى عَرَبِيَّةٌ
مَنْطِقَةٌ شَمَالِيَّةٌ
3. Spelling awareness
Some source nouns change slightly before the nisba ending, so frequent forms should be learned as whole words. Always preserve the shadda on the nisba yāʾ in fully supported teaching forms.
لُبْنَانُ ← لُبْنَانِيٌّ
سُورِيَا ← سُورِيٌّ
فَرَنْسَا ← فَرَنْسِيٌّ
سُورِيَا ← سُورِيٌّ
فَرَنْسَا ← فَرَنْسِيٌّ
High-frequency model bank
- طَالِبٌ مِصْرِيٌّ
- طَالِبَةٌ سُورِيَّةٌ
- مُوسِيقَى عَرَبِيَّةٌ
- الْمَنْطِقَةُ الشَّمَالِيَّةُ
Misconception clinic
- Writing one plain ي without the nisba shadda in fully vowelled teaching forms.
- Forgetting feminine agreement ـيّة.
- Assuming every country name takes the ending without spelling adjustment.
2
Guided practice and transformation
Do not only recognise the answer. Say what changed and why.
🧩 Guided check
0/41. Choose feminine of مِصْرِيٌّ
Nisba feminine has يّة.
2. Complete طَالِبٌ ...
Masculine singular nisba.
3. Complete مُوسِيقَى ...
Music is feminine.
4. Choose “the northern region”
Gender and definiteness agree.
Transformation drill
- Copy each model from the lesson.
- Change the noun’s gender, number or definiteness as appropriate.
- Change every adjective feature controlled by that noun.
- Translate the new phrase or sentence accurately.
- Explain one change using the grammar vocabulary from this lesson.
🎯 Pattern game
Replay the four patterns twice; the order changes each round.
Press Start.
3
Apply through four skills
📖 Reading and noticing
فِي مَدِينَتِي أَمَاكِنُ جَمِيلَةٌ وَشَوَارِعُ وَاسِعَةٌ. هَذِهِ الْمَدْرَسَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ قَرِيبَةٌ، وَذَلِكَ الْمَتْحَفُ الْقَدِيمُ مُثِيرٌ لِلِاهْتِمَامِ.
Underline each adjective, draw an arrow to its noun, and label the agreement feature that made the form correct.
🎧 Listening without audio
Ask a partner or teacher to read the model paragraph twice. First record the nouns; second record the adjectives. Reconstruct the correct pairs and explain the agreement.
🗣️ Speaking
Describe two people, places or objects for 45–60 seconds. Include at least six accurate adjective structures from this lesson.
🛠️ Editing clinic
Write four deliberately incorrect adjective phrases, exchange them with a partner, then correct and explain every error.
✍️ Extended writing workshop
Write 90–120 words describing a person, place, object or experience. Include at least eight target adjective structures from this lesson and underline them after writing.
Quality check: identify the head noun first, then check gender, number, definiteness and any lesson-specific form.
Create a labelled grammar map or handwritten draft. Connect every adjective to its noun.
Complete the task on paper. Underline the target forms and annotate the rule used.
✓
Final mastery check اِخْتِبَارُ الْإِتْقَانِ
Complete this without reopening the teaching cards.
⭐ Mastery Check
0/81. Choose feminine of مِصْرِيٌّ
Nisba feminine has يّة.
2. Complete طَالِبٌ ...
Masculine singular nisba.
3. Complete مُوسِيقَى ...
Music is feminine.
4. Choose “the northern region”
Gender and definiteness agree.
5. Choose feminine of مِصْرِيٌّ
Nisba feminine has يّة.
6. Complete طَالِبٌ ...
Masculine singular nisba.
7. Complete مُوسِيقَى ...
Music is feminine.
8. Choose “the northern region”
Gender and definiteness agree.
Interpret your result
Below 70%: revisit the misconception clinic and guided check. 70–89%: replay the transformation game and improve one paragraph. 90–100%: continue, then complete a spaced retrieval check in 3–7 days.