السفينة كبيرة.

The ship is big.

Breakdown of السفينة كبيرة.

• كبير: big
• سفينة: ship

Questions & Answers about السفينة كبيرة.

Why is there no word for is in السفينة كبيرة?

In Levantine Arabic, you usually do not say a separate word for is in simple present-tense sentences like this.

So:

• السفينة كبيرة = The ship is big

This is a very common Arabic pattern: noun + adjective.

If you want another tense, then a verb may appear:

• كانت السفينة كبيرة = The ship was big
• رح تكون السفينة كبيرة = The ship will be big

So the lack of is here is completely normal.

Why is كبيرة feminine and not كبير?

Because السفينة is a feminine noun, and adjectives in Arabic usually agree with the noun in gender.

So:

• السفينة = feminine
• therefore كبيرة = feminine form of big

Compare:

• البيت كبير = The house is big
• السفينة كبيرة = The ship is big

The feminine ending here is the ـة in كبيرة.

Why does السفينة have الـ but كبيرة does not?

This is one of the most important patterns in Arabic.