A name for adjectives you know
From your first lessons you have used جميل, كبير, سعيد, صعب and عطشان. Arabic grammar calls this class الصفة المشبهة, the adjective that resembles the participle: it names a quality or a state that someone or something has, not an action they do. The state need not last forever: عطشان is thirsty now, but it still says what you are, not what you do.
Quality or action
The active participle is tied to an action: كاتب is writing, or the one who writes; ذاهب is going. The صفة مشبهة says what someone is, whatever they are doing: كريم is generous by nature.
| This generous man is going to the mosque. | هذا الرجل الكريم ذاهب إلى المسجد.hâdhâ ar-rajulu al-karîmu dhâhibun ilâ al-masjidi |
The patterns
The Form I active participle is always فاعل. The صفة مشبهة has many patterns, so you learn each adjective with its own.
| pattern | examples |
|---|---|
| فَعِيل | جميل، كبير، كريم، شريف(sharîf) |
| فَعِل | فَرِح، قَلِق |
| فَعْل | صَعْب، سَهْل، ضَخْم |
| فَعَل | حَسَن |
| فَعَال، فُعَال | جبان(jabân)، شُجاع |
| فَعْلان | عطشان، غضبان |
| أَفْعَل | أحمر، أحمق، أصم |
Colors, defects and bodily features take أَفْعَل, with a feminine on فَعْلاء: أحمر, حمراء. Like عطشان (feminine عطشى), it takes no tanween, so no alif in the accusative.
| My sister wore a beautiful red dress. | لبست أختي فستانا أحمر جميلا.labisat ukhti fustânan ahmara jamîlan. |
Intensive or quality?
Earlier lessons called فَعِيل and فَعِل intensive forms. Both readings exist. When the adjective strengthens an action, as سميع who hears everything does for سمع, it is an intensive (صيغة مبالغة). When it names a quality, like بخيل, نبيل or فَرِح, grammarians call it الصفة المشبهة. The form is the same; the meaning decides.
With a noun after it
These are the adjectives behind طويل القامة: they take a definite noun that says where the quality lies.
| My grandfather was of noble character. | كان جدي كريم الأخلاق.kâna jaddî karîma l-akhlâq. |
