Questions & Answers about عيون كل القطط زرق.
Why is the adjective for blue زرق here instead of زرقاء?
زرق is the plural form of the color blue, using the فُعْل pattern you are learning now. While non-human plurals like عيون (eyes) usually take a feminine singular adjective like زرقاء, it is also grammatically correct (and common with physical traits) to use the plural adjective.
Why doesn't عيون (eyes) have the prefix الـ (al-) even though the translation says 'the cats' eyes'?
This is a chain possessive structure called an Idafa (meaning 'eyes of all of the cats'). In this structure, the very first word (عيون) never takes الـ. It becomes definite automatically because the final word in the chain (القطط) has it.
How do we know كل means 'all' here instead of 'every'?
The meaning of كل depends on what follows it. Because it is followed by a definite plural noun (القطط), it translates to 'all the'. If it were followed by an indefinite singular noun (كل قطة), it would mean 'every cat'.
If I pronounce the grammatical endings, what case is زرق?
It is in the nominative case because it is the predicate of the sentence (the information being given about the eyes). You would pronounce it with a double damma at the end: زُرْقٌ (zurqun).
Learn عيون كل القطط زرق and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free