هذه فتاة.

This is a girl.

Breakdown of هذه فتاة.

• هذه: this
• فتاة: girl; young woman

Questions & Answers about هذه فتاة.

What does هذه mean by itself?

هذه means this when referring to a feminine singular noun.

In هذه فتاة, it points to فتاة and agrees with it in gender:

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

So you use هذه because فتاة is feminine.

Why is هذه feminine?

Because فتاة is a feminine noun, and Arabic demonstratives must agree with the noun they refer to.

So:

• هذه فتاة = This is a girl
• If the noun were masculine, you would use هذا instead:
  • هذا ولد = This is a boy

This kind of agreement is very important in Arabic.

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

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

So Arabic says:

• هذه فتاة Literally: this girl But it means:
• This is a girl

This is normal in Arabic. The verb is is understood.