هذه قطة.

A careful Modern Standard Arabic pronunciation is:

hādhihi qiṭṭatun

In normal pausing speech, the ending is often not fully pronounced, so you will commonly hear:

hādhihi qiṭṭa

A few pronunciation notes:

• هذه = hādhihi
• ق is a deep q sound, not an English k
• ط is an emphatic t
• The ة at the end of قطة is usually pronounced as -a when you stop at the word

So a practical learner pronunciation is:

hādhihi qiṭṭa

هذه means this when referring to a feminine singular noun.

In this sentence, it points to قطة because قطة is feminine.

So:

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

That is why you say:

• هذه قطة = This is a cat
• هذا كتاب = This is a book

Because قطة is a feminine noun.

In Arabic, demonstratives must match the noun they refer to in gender and number. Since قطة is feminine singular, the correct demonstrative is هذه.

If the noun were masculine, you would use هذا instead.

For example:

• هذه قطة = feminine
• هذا كلب = masculine

A very common sign of feminine nouns in Arabic is the ending ة, called tāʾ marbūṭa.

So in قطة, the final ة is a strong clue that the word is feminine.

This ending often sounds like:

• -a when pausing
• -at when the word is followed by grammatical endings or in certain grammatical contexts

So قطة is feminine, and that is why it goes with هذه.

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

So Arabic says:

• هذه قطة
• literally: this cat
• naturally in English: This is a cat

This is very normal in Arabic nominal sentences.

If you want past or future, then Arabic does use a verb, but in the simple present it usually does not.

Because the Arabic structure is different from English.

In هذه قطة, the sentence is made of:

• هذه = the subject, meaning this
• قطة = the predicate, meaning a cat

So Arabic does not need an extra word for is.

Even though the literal word-for-word idea looks like this cat, grammatically it means:

This is a cat.

This is a very common pattern in Arabic.

Because the meaning is This is a cat, not This is the cat.

• قطة = a cat
• القطة = the cat

So:

• هذه قطة = This is a cat
• هذه القطة = This is the cat or this cat

The version with ال makes the noun definite.

The difference is mainly indefinite versus definite.

1. هذه قطة

   • means This is a cat
   • قطة is indefinite

2. هذه القطة

   • means This is the cat or this cat
   • القطة is definite

This can be a little tricky for English speakers, because English uses this in both cases. Arabic makes a clearer distinction through definiteness.

In fully vocalized Modern Standard Arabic, it is:

هٰذِهِ قِطَّةٌ

The ending ٌ is called tanwīn ḍamm, and it marks the noun as:

• indefinite
• and here, in the nominative case

So the full formal pronunciation is:

hādhihi qiṭṭatun

But in normal reading and speech, especially when stopping at the end of the sentence, learners usually say:

hādhihi qiṭṭa

Both are useful to know:

• the full grammatical form
• the practical paused pronunciation

In sentences like this, yes, هذه comes before the noun:

• هذه قطة

When used with a definite noun, it also comes before it:

• هذه القطة = this cat

So unlike some other structures in Arabic, the demonstrative هذه normally comes before the noun it points to.

The masculine version would use هذا instead of هذه.

For example:

• هذا كلب = This is a dog
• هذا كتاب = This is a book

So the pattern is:

• feminine singular: هذه
• masculine singular: هذا

That is one of the first agreement patterns Arabic learners need to memorize.

Usually, no, if you stop at the word.

The final ة in قطة is tāʾ marbūṭa. When you pause, it is normally pronounced as -a, not -t.

So at the end of the sentence, you usually say:

qiṭṭa

Not:

qiṭṭat

However, the t sound can appear in connected or grammatical pronunciation, such as in the full form qiṭṭatun.

So for a beginner, the easiest rule is:

• at a pause: pronounce it as -a
• in full grammatical pronunciation: the t may appear

By itself, هذه قطة is understood as a full sentence: This is a cat.

If you want this cat as a noun phrase, the more usual form is:

هذه القطة

That is because this cat refers to a specific, definite cat, so Arabic normally uses the definite noun.

So:

• هذه قطة = This is a cat
• هذه القطة = this cat / This is the cat