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This lesson introduces vocabulary for common metals, elements, and raw materials, and shows you how to describe what everyday objects are made of.

### Comparing Materials

When comparing the qualities of different materials, Arabic uses a specific comparative pattern. Words follow the shape أفعل and are followed by the preposition من (than). For example, to say that "lead" (رصاص) is heavier than "steel" (فولاذ), we use أثقل (heavier).

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### Exclamations

You can use this exact same أفعل pattern to make exclamations. By placing the word ما before it, the meaning shifts to "How [adjective]!". For instance, ما أثقل translates to "How heavy!".

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### Saying "Made Of" with من

When you want to state that an object is made out of a certain material, such as "aluminum" (ألمنيوم) or "leather" (جلد), you can simply use the preposition من (from) immediately before the material.

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### Raw Materials and Processing

As you discuss industry, you will use words like the verb "to smelt" (صهر) and locations like a "mine" (منجم). You will also frequently see the word خام (raw), which acts as an adjective to describe unprocessed metals and materials.

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### Saying "Made Of" with an Idafa

Another very common way to state what something is made of is by using an *Idafa* (possession) structure. Instead of using من, you simply place the object noun directly before the material noun. It acts like saying "an object of [material]". 

Notice how this works below with an "ingot" (سبيكة) made of silver or "bronze" (برونز).

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Metals & Raw Materials

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

interrogative

noun

numeral

particle

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite article and locatives (الـ)

Basic noun gender (ة)

Sun and moon letters

Singular subject pronouns (أنا، أنت، هو، هي)

Indefinite nouns and nominal sentences (ـٌ)

Demonstrative pronouns for 'this' (هذا / هذه)

Separate prepositions (في، من، إلى، على)

Attributive adjectives

Predicative adjectives

Yes/No questions (هل، أ)

Basic questions (من، ما، أين)

Singular possessive pronouns (ـي، ـك، ـه، ـها)

Plural subject pronouns (نحن، أنتم، هم)

Plural possessive pronouns (ـنا، ـكم، ـهم)

Noun possession

Attached prepositions (بـ، لـ، كـ)

Pronouns with prepositions

Having and possessing (عند، لـ، مع)

Regular plural nouns (ـون، ـين، ـات)

Broken plurals

Dual nouns (ـان / ـين)

Plural and distant demonstratives (هؤلاء، ذلك، تلك)

Non-human plural agreement

Present tense singular verbs

Verbal sentences (VSO)

Present tense plural verbs

Topicalized sentences (SVO)

The indefinite accusative case (ـاً)

Verb object pronouns (-ني، -ك، -ه)

Present tense negation (لا)

Question words with verbs (متى، كيف...)

Adverbs of time and place

The future tense (سـ / سوف)

Intentions and desires (أن)

Negating states and possession (ليس)

Past tense singular suffixes

Past tense plural suffixes

Negating past events (ما)

Singular commands

Numbers 1 to 10

Number agreement for 1 and 2 (واحد، اثنان)

Asking how many (كم)

Numbers 3 to 10 (ثلاثة إلى عشرة)

Ordinal numbers 1 to 10 (الأول، الثاني)

Basic conjunctions (فـ، أو، لكن)

Ordering at a café (واحد، اثنان)

Food and drink with conjunctions (و، ف، أو، لكن)

There is and there are (هناك / ليس هناك)

Direct address (يا)

Giving reasons (لأنّ)

Relative pronouns (الذي / التي)

Quantifiers (كل / بعض)

The past tense of 'to be' (كان)

Past possession

Numbers 11 to 19 and tens to 80

Telling time (الساعة)

This book vs this is a book (هذا الكتاب، هذا كتاب)

Greetings (مرحبا، السلام عليكم)

How are you? and goodbye (كيف حالك، مع السلامة)

Nationalities (مصري، مصرية)

Roots and patterns (كتب، كتاب، مكتب)

Politeness (من فضلك، آسف)

Complex possession chains

Colors and traits (أفعل / فعلاء)

Plural colors and traits (فُعْل)

Comparative adjectives (أفعل من)

Superlative adjectives (أفعل)

Adverbs of manner (ـاً)

The nominative case (ـُ)

The genitive case (ـِ)

The accusative case (ـَ)

Dual noun cases (ـان / ـين)

Masculine plurals and 'the best of' (أفضل النجارين)

Emphasizing sentences (إنّ)

Connecting clauses (أنّ)

Reporting speech (قال إنّ)

Expressing contrast (لكنّ)

Comparison and probability (كأنّ, لعلّ)

Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Plural relative pronouns (الذين, اللواتي)

Past habits (كان + present)

Ongoing actions (ما زال)

Masculine plurals online (مبرمجون، مؤثرون)

Perfective past (قد)

Probability (قد)

The subjunctive mood (أن)

Question	Answer
lead	رصاصraSâS
steel	فولاذfûlâdh
Lead is heavier than steel.	الرصاص أثقل من الفولاذ.ar-raṣâṣu athqalu mina l-fûlâdhi.
tin	قصديرqasdîr
Lead is heavier than tin.	الرصاص أثقل من القصدير.ar-raṣâṣu athqalu mina al-qaṣdîri.
How heavy is this lead!	ما أثقل هذا الرصاص!mâ athqala hâdhâ r-rasâsa!
to smelt	صهرsahara
aluminum	ألمنيومaluminyum
The female engineer smelted the aluminum and the tin.	صهرت المهندسة الألمنيوم والقصدير.saharati-l-muhandisatu-l-alumniyûma wa-l-qasdîra
The worker smelted the steel in the factory.	صهر العامل الفولاذ في المصنع.sahara al-âmilu al-fûlâdha fî al-masnai
This plane is made of aluminum.	هذه الطائرة من الألمنيوم.hâdhihi t-tâ'iratu mina l-aluminyûmi
raw	خامkhâmun
mine	منجمmanjam
We extracted the raw metal from the mine.	استخرجنا المعدن الخام من المنجم.istakhrajnâ al-ma'dina al-khâma mina al-manjami.
The factory consumed the raw material.	استهلك المصنع المادة الخام.istahlaka al-maṣnaʿu al-mâddata al-khâma
leather	جلدjild
How beautiful this leather coat is!	ما أجمل هذا المعطف من الجلد!mâ ajmala hâdhâ al-mi'tafa mina al-jildi!
The female seller sold a leather bag.	باعت البائعة حقيبة من الجلد.bâ'atil-bâ'i'atu ḥaqîbatan minal-jildi
ingot	سبيكةsabîka
The thief stole a silver ingot.	سرق اللص سبيكة فضة.saraqa l-lissu sabikata fiddah
bronze	برونزburûnz
We found bronze ingots in the mine.	وجدنا سبائك برونز في المنجم.wajadnâ sabâ'ika brûnz fî al-manjami.
The ancient statue is made of bronze.	التمثال القديم من البرونز.at-timthâlu l-qadîmu mina l-burûnzi
Steel is older than aluminum.	الفولاذ أقدم من الألمنيوم.al-fûlâdhu aqdamu mina l-alumniyûm
Bronze is heavier than glass.	البرونز أثقل من الزجاج.al-burûnzu athqalu mina z-zujâji
How heavy this ingot is!	ما أثقل هذه السبيكة!mâ athqala hâdhihi s-sabîkah
How old this mine is!	ما أقدم هذا المنجم!mâ aqdama hâdhâ al-manjama