هذه شطيرة صغيرة.

هذه means this for a feminine noun.

The noun شطيرة is grammatically feminine, so Arabic uses the feminine demonstrative هذه rather than the masculine هذا.

• هذا = this (masculine)
• هذه = this (feminine)

So:

• هذا كتاب = This is a book
• هذه شطيرة = This is a sandwich

A careful MSA pronunciation is:

hādhihi shaṭīratun ṣaghīratun

In normal pause, many speakers would say something closer to:

hādhihi shaṭīra ṣaghīra

A few pronunciation notes:

• هذه = hā-dhi-hi
• ش = sh
• ط is a heavier, emphatic t
• ص is a heavier, emphatic s
• غ is a throaty sound, often unfamiliar to English speakers

If you are learning without full case endings, hādhihi shaṭīra ṣaghīra is a useful practical pronunciation.

In Arabic, the present tense of to be is usually not stated in simple sentences like this.

So Arabic says literally:

هذه شطيرة صغيرة = This a sandwich small

But in natural English, that becomes:

This is a small sandwich

This kind of sentence is called a nominal sentence in Arabic.

If you wanted past tense, Arabic would use a verb:

• كانت هذه شطيرة صغيرة = This was a small sandwich

Because in Arabic, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

So:

• شطيرة صغيرة = a small sandwich
• literally: sandwich small

This is the normal Arabic pattern:

• كتاب كبير = a big book
• سيارة جديدة = a new car
• شطيرة صغيرة = a small sandwich

So even though English says small sandwich, Arabic says sandwich small.

Because both words are feminine singular.

In Arabic, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness
• and in fully vowelled Arabic, also case

Here:

• شطيرة is feminine singular
• صغيرة must match it, so it is also feminine singular

That is why both have the feminine ending ة.

Compare:

• شطيرة صغيرة = a small sandwich
• كتاب صغير = a small book

Since كتاب is masculine, the adjective is صغير, not صغيرة.

Because the phrase means a small sandwich, not the small sandwich.

In Arabic, ال makes a noun or adjective definite.

So:

• شطيرة صغيرة = a small sandwich
• الشطيرة الصغيرة = the small sandwich

In your sentence, the predicate is indefinite:

هذه شطيرة صغيرة = This is a small sandwich

If you said:

هذه الشطيرة الصغيرة

that would mean something more like:

This is the small sandwich / This small sandwich

depending on context.

Because Arabic adjectives match the noun in definiteness as well.

So:

• شطيرة صغيرة = noun indefinite + adjective indefinite
• الشطيرة الصغيرة = noun definite + adjective definite

You cannot normally mix them like this:

• شطيرة الصغيرة ❌
• الشطيرة صغيرة is possible, but then صغيرة is no longer part of the same noun phrase; it is the predicate: The sandwich is small

That is an important difference:

• الشطيرة الصغيرة = the small sandwich
• الشطيرة صغيرة = the sandwich is small

It is a nominal sentence:

• هذه = the subject/topic
• شطيرة صغيرة = the predicate/comment

So the structure is:

هذه + شطيرة صغيرة
This + a small sandwich

More literally:

This is a small sandwich

Inside the predicate, شطيرة is the noun and صغيرة describes it.

So the sentence has two levels:

1. Whole sentence:

   • هذه = subject
   • شطيرة صغيرة = predicate

2. Inside the predicate:

   • شطيرة = noun
   • صغيرة = adjective

Yes. In fully vowelled MSA, this would usually be written:

هذه شطيرةٌ صغيرةٌ

Both شطيرةٌ and صغيرةٌ are in the nominative here.

Why?

Because شطيرة صغيرة is the predicate of the nominal sentence, and the predicate is nominative. The adjective follows the noun and matches it.

However, in most everyday writing, these short vowels and tanwīn are omitted, so you usually see:

هذه شطيرة صغيرة

That is completely normal.

That ending is called tanwīn.

In this sentence:

• شطيرةٌ
• صغيرةٌ

the -un sound marks indefinite nominative in fully pronounced MSA.

So it helps show that the phrase is:

• indefinite: a small sandwich
• nominative: because of its role in the sentence

In pause, those endings are often not pronounced, so learners often hear:

• شطيرة صغيرة

instead of

• شطيرةٌ صغيرةٌ

Both are connected to the same sentence; one is just more fully inflected.

Not normally. The most natural meaning is:

This is a small sandwich

If you want to say:

This sandwich is small

Arabic usually makes the noun definite:

هذه الشطيرة صغيرة

That means:

• هذه الشطيرة = this sandwich
• صغيرة = is small

So compare:

• هذه شطيرة صغيرة = This is a small sandwich
• هذه الشطيرة صغيرة = This sandwich is small

That little ال changes the structure and meaning.

شطيرة is a common Modern Standard Arabic word for sandwich.

Yes, it is treated as feminine, and the ة is a strong clue. Many Arabic nouns ending in ة are feminine.

That is why you get:

• هذه شطيرة
• شطيرة صغيرة

not:

• هذا شطيرة ❌
• شطيرة صغير ❌

The feminine agreement is fully regular here.

Yes. If you change the demonstrative, you change the meaning.

For example:

• هذه شطيرة صغيرة = This is a small sandwich
• تلك شطيرة صغيرة = That is a small sandwich

Since شطيرة is feminine, you use the feminine forms:

• هذه = this (feminine)
• تلك = that (feminine)

A good learner checklist for this sentence is:

1. هذه is feminine, because شطيرة is feminine.
2. Arabic often omits is in the present tense.
3. The adjective comes after the noun:
   • شطيرة صغيرة
4. The adjective agrees with the noun:
   • feminine singular with feminine singular
5. No ال means the phrase is indefinite:
   • a small sandwich, not the small sandwich

So this sentence is a very useful model for many basic Arabic sentences.