Definiteness/Indefiniteness.

 

•  Definiteness in Arabic. As you might have noticed in the phrases in point #11 above, adjectives in Arabic usually follow nouns and agree with them in terms of number, gender, case, and definiteness/indefiniteness.

   

       a. small book               کتابٌ صغيرٌ

                            b. the small book         الکتابُ صغيرٌ

Definiteness in Arabic (Revisited). You should know by

now that a noun or an adjective in Arabic is made definite by one of the following methods:

         

                    a. a definite article

            
                    b. following the vocative particle

         
                    c. a possessive pronoun

                    d. by relating it to a definite noun in Idaafa structure

      If an adjective completely agrees with its noun in every aspect, then you have a phrase, as in examples (a) and (b) below. However, if a noun (subject) is definite and its adjective (predicate) is indefinite you have a sentence, as in (c).

                     (a) a new house                 بيتٌ جديدٌ

                     (b) the new house          البيتُ الجديدُ

                     (c) The house is newالبيتُ جديدٌ       

A Hundred and One Rules !

                                                Mohammed Jiyad