Adjective Insertion in Arabic False Ida
Use 'Adjective + al-Noun' to create compound descriptions like 'kind-hearted' or 'blue-eyed' effortlessly.
The Rule in 30 Seconds
- Combines Adjective + Definite Noun.
- Means 'Adjective of Noun' (e.g., 'Big of Heart').
- Second word MUST have 'al-'.
- First word matches the person's gender.
Quick Reference
| Gender/Number | Adjective (Mudaf) | Noun (Mudaf Ilayh) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | kabīr | al-qalb | Big-hearted (Big of heart) |
| Feminine | kabīrat | al-qalb | Big-hearted (for a female) |
| Masculine | ṭawīl | al-qāmah | Tall-statured |
| Feminine | jamīlat | al-wajh | Beautiful-faced |
| Plural (M) | kiṯīrū | al-kalām | Talkative (Many of words) |
| Definite (M) | al-wāsiʿ | al-maʿrifah | The knowledgeable one (The wide of knowledge) |
Exemplos-chave
3 de 9هُوَ رَجُلٌ طَيِّبُ القَلْبِ
He is a good-hearted man.
هِيَ اِمْرَأَةٌ قَوِيَّةُ الشَّخْصِيَّةِ
She is a strong-charactered woman.
أُحِبُّ القَهْوَةَ حُلْوَةَ المَذَاقِ
I like sweet-tasting coffee.
The Mirror Trick
Look at the first word (the adjective) as a mirror. It reflects the gender of the PERSON, not the body part coming next.
Don't Forget Al-
The second word gets lonely without 'al-'. In False Idafa, the second word is ALWAYS definite.
The Rule in 30 Seconds
- Combines Adjective + Definite Noun.
- Means 'Adjective of Noun' (e.g., 'Big of Heart').
- Second word MUST have 'al-'.
- First word matches the person's gender.
Overview
Ever wanted to describe someone as "kind-hearted" or "blue-eyed" in Arabic? You might be thinking, "Do I need a whole sentence for that?" Nope! You can use a special superpower called the "False Iḍāfah" (don't let the name scare you—it’s not lying to you). It’s a slick way to combine an adjective and a noun to create a specific description. It makes your Arabic sound smoother and more sophisticated, even at a beginner level.
How This Grammar Works
In a normal "possession" phrase (True Iḍāfah), you say things like "car of the man." In this "False" version, you aren't talking about ownership. You're talking about a quality. You combine an adjective (like "beautiful") with a specific part of something (like "the face") to say "beautiful of face"—which is how Arabic says "beautiful-faced."
Formation Pattern
- 1It’s a simple 1-2 punch:
- 2The Adjective: This comes first. It looks like a normal adjective (masculine/feminine to match the person you're describing).
- 3The Noun: This comes second. It always has
al-(the) attached to it, and it ends with a Kasra sound (the "i" vowel) because it's technically "owned" by the adjective. - 4Formula:
Adjective+al-Noun (genitive) - 5Example:
kabīr(big) +al-qalb(the heart) =kabīr al-qalb(big-hearted).
When To Use It
Use this when you want to describe a specific feature of a person or object. Instead of saying "He is tall" (general), you might want to say "He is long-haired" (specific feature). It's perfect for:
- Physical descriptions ("green-eyed", "tall-stature")
- Personality traits ("good-mannered", "soft-hearted")
- Describing objects ("fast-paced", "bright-colored")
When Not To Use It
Don't use this for actual ownership! If you want to say "the teacher's book," that's a True Iḍāfah (kitāb al-muʿallim). Do not use an adjective first. Also, don't use this if you just want to stack adjectives like "the big red car"—that's a different rule.
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting the
al-: Beginners often saykabīr qalb. The second word *needs* theal-in this structure. It's the glue holding them together. - Wrong Case: Even though native speakers might swallow the vowel at the end, grammatically the second word should end in "i" (
al-qalbi), not "u" or "a". - Gender Confusion: The adjective (first word) matches the *person*, not the body part! If describing a girl, it's
jamīlat al-wajh(beautiful-faced), even ifwajh(face) is masculine. Think of it like a grammar traffic light: the first word looks at the driver (the person), not the passenger (the face).
Contrast With Similar Patterns
- True Iḍāfah:
sayyārat al-mudīr(The manager's car) → Noun + Noun. Indicates possession. - False Iḍāfah:
sarīʿ al-ghaḍab(Quick to anger) → Adjective + Noun. Indicates description. - Adjective Phrase:
al-rajul al-ṭawīl(The tall man) → Noun + Adjective. Just a standard description.
Quick FAQ
Q. Can I make the whole phrase definite?
A. Yes! You add al- to the FIRST word too. al-rajul al-kabīr al-qalb (The big-hearted man).
Q. Why is it called "False"?
A. Because it looks like a possession phrase (X of Y), but it functions like a giant adjective. It's an impostor, but a useful one!
Reference Table
| Gender/Number | Adjective (Mudaf) | Noun (Mudaf Ilayh) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | kabīr | al-qalb | Big-hearted (Big of heart) |
| Feminine | kabīrat | al-qalb | Big-hearted (for a female) |
| Masculine | ṭawīl | al-qāmah | Tall-statured |
| Feminine | jamīlat | al-wajh | Beautiful-faced |
| Plural (M) | kiṯīrū | al-kalām | Talkative (Many of words) |
| Definite (M) | al-wāsiʿ | al-maʿrifah | The knowledgeable one (The wide of knowledge) |
The Mirror Trick
Look at the first word (the adjective) as a mirror. It reflects the gender of the PERSON, not the body part coming next.
Don't Forget Al-
The second word gets lonely without 'al-'. In False Idafa, the second word is ALWAYS definite.
Polite Speech
Arabs love using this for compliments. calling someone 'Karīm al-aṣl' (Generous of origin/Noble) is a huge compliment!
One Unit
Treat the whole phrase `kabīr al-qalb` as one giant adjective block. Move it around your sentence just like you would move the word `kabīr` alone.
Exemplos
9هُوَ رَجُلٌ طَيِّبُ القَلْبِ
Focus: ṭayyibu al-qalbi
He is a good-hearted man.
Notice 'tayyib' matches 'rajul'.
هِيَ اِمْرَأَةٌ قَوِيَّةُ الشَّخْصِيَّةِ
Focus: qawiyyatu al-shakhṣiyyati
She is a strong-charactered woman.
Feminine marker 'ta-marbuta' on 'qawiyya'.
أُحِبُّ القَهْوَةَ حُلْوَةَ المَذَاقِ
Focus: ḥulwata al-maḏāqi
I like sweet-tasting coffee.
Describing an object (coffee) not a person.
المُدِيرُ صَعْبُ الإِرْضَاءِ
Focus: ṣaʿbu al-irḍāʾi
The manager is hard to please.
Literally 'difficult of satisfying'.
لَا تَكُنْ قَلِيلَ الصَّبْرِ
Focus: qalīla al-ṣabri
Don't be impatient (little of patience).
Used in a negative command.
هَذِهِ قِصَّةٌ قَصِيرَةُ النِّهَايَةِ
Focus: qaṣīratu al-nihāyati
This is a story with a short ending.
Corrected mistake: Adjective must be feminine to match 'story'.
هُوَ كَرِيمُ اليَدِ
Focus: karīmu al-yadi
He is generous (generous of hand).
Corrected mistake: The second word MUST have 'al-'.
رَأَيْتُ الفَتَيَاتِ طَوِيلَاتِ الشَّعْرِ
Focus: ṭawīlāti al-shaʿri
I saw the long-haired girls.
Advanced: Plural feminine agreement.
البِنْتُ الجَمِيلَةُ العَيْنَيْنِ
Focus: al-jamīlatu al-ʿaynayni
The girl with beautiful eyes.
Definite phrase: 'al-' added to the adjective too.
Teste-se
Complete the description for 'a famous man' (famous of name).
Huwa rajulun ___ al-ismi. (He is a man famous of name)
We need the adjective without 'al-' because the phrase is indefinite here, and it ends in 'u' (nominative) to match 'rajulun'.
Select the correct second half for 'broken-hearted'.
maksūr ___
In False Iḍāfah, the second word (the noun part) MUST have 'al-' attached to it.
Make the adjective agree with 'Hiya' (She).
Hiya ___ al-lisāni. (She is sharp-tongued)
The adjective must be feminine (ending in ta-marbuta) to match 'Hiya' (She).
🎉 Pontuação: /3
Recursos visuais
True vs False Idafa
Building the Phrase
Is it a description?
Is the second word a body part/trait?
Add 'al-' to second word?
Common Uses
Personality
- • Wāsiʿ al-afuq (Broad-minded)
- • Ṭayyib al-qalb (Kind-hearted)
Appearance
- • Azraq al-ʿayn (Blue-eyed)
- • Aswad al-shaʿr (Black-haired)
Perguntas frequentes
20 perguntasAbsolutely! You can say sarīʿat al-taḥḍīr (quick to prepare) for a meal, or ʿālī al-jawdah (high quality) for a product. It works for anything with traits.
If you say kabīr qalb instead of kabīr al-qalb, it sounds grammatically broken, like saying 'big of heart' without the 'of'. It might be understood, but it sounds like 'broken Arabic'.
Yes, grammatically speaking. Because it follows a noun/adjective in an Idafa structure, it's always genitive (Majrur). So al-qalbi, al-wajhi, etc.
You only pluralize the FIRST word! The second word stays singular. Rijāl ṭayyibū al-qalb (Men good of heart). The heart stays singular because each man has one heart.
It is standard Arabic (Fusha) and very commonly used in media, news, and polite conversation. Dialects simplify it, but this structure is universally understood.
Yes, if you are talking about a specific person. Al-rajul al-ṭayyib al-qalb (The good-hearted man). If the man is definite, the adjective matches him.
Precision. Jamīl just means beautiful. Jamīl al-ṣawt specifically means 'beautiful of voice'. It focuses the adjective on one trait.
Usually no. It's a tight 1+1 link. Adjective + Noun. If you need more detail, you usually start a new sentence.
In strict grammar, yes. In conversation, you often pause at the end. So Kabīr al-qalb is fine in speech, but know that al-qalbi is the underlying grammar.
Because the first word is an adjective, not a noun. In 'Real' Idafa, you can't describe the first word directly with the second. Here, the first word IS a description.
You say maksūr al-qalb (Broken of the heart).
No, just an attribute. It can be abstract like qawī al-īmān (strong of faith) or qalīl al-ḥaẓ (little of luck = unlucky).
Yes! Aḥmar al-wajh (Red of face = blushing). Colors work great here.
It means 'talkative'. It can be a neutral observation or a polite way to say someone talks too much, depending on your tone!
In Arabic we say qaṣīr al-amad (short of the period/duration).
That changes the meaning! Al-qalb al-kabīr means 'The big heart' (Noun + Adjective). Kabīr al-qalb means 'Big-hearted' (Compound Adjective).
Yes, extensively. It's a very classical and elegant structure.
It doesn't matter for the adjective! The adjective matches the OWNER, not the trait. Huwa ḥasan al-sīrah (He is good of biography/reputation). Ḥasan is masculine because He is masculine, even though Sīrah is feminine.
The concept is easy (Adjective + The Noun), but remembering to match the gender to the person (not the noun) takes practice.
Sābiq al-indhār (Previous of warning = premeditated), Majhūl al-huwiyyah (Unknown of identity = anonymous).
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