أرى قطة سوداء.

A careful full pronunciation in Modern Standard Arabic is:

ʾarā qiṭṭatan sawdāʾa

A simpler learner-friendly version is:

a-rā qiṭ-ta-tan saw-dā-a

A few notes:

• أرى = ʾarā
• قطة = qiṭṭah or, with the case ending pronounced, qiṭṭatan
• سوداء = sawdāʾ or, with the case ending pronounced, sawdāʾa

In normal reading, short vowels and case endings are often not fully pronounced unless the text is being read carefully.

Because Arabic verbs already show the subject.

In أرى, the verb form itself means I see. So Arabic does not need a separate pronoun like أنا here.

• أرى = I see
• أنا أرى = I see too, but with extra emphasis on I

So the pronoun is built into the verb.

The sentence begins with the verb:

• أرى = I see
• قطة = a cat
• سوداء = black

So the structure is:

verb + object + adjective

More grammatically, the sentence is:

• أرى = verb
• hidden subject = I
• قطة = direct object
• سوداء = adjective describing قطة

This is very natural in Arabic.

Because adjectives normally come after the noun in Arabic.

So:

• قطة سوداء = a black cat
• literally: cat black

This is the normal Arabic order, unlike English, where adjectives usually come before the noun.

Because it describes قطة, and قطة is a feminine noun.

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

• gender
• number
• definiteness
• case

Since قطة is feminine singular, the adjective must also be feminine singular:

• masculine: أسود = black
• feminine: سوداء = black

So you say:

• قطة سوداء = a black cat

not:

• قطة أسود

A big clue is the final ة (called tāʾ marbūṭa).

Many feminine nouns in Arabic end in ة, and قطة is one of them.

So:

• قطة = cat, feminine singular

When reading it by itself, the ending usually sounds like -a(h), so qiṭṭa(h). In connected grammar, especially with case endings, that ة can sound like t, which is why a fully vocalized form may be pronounced qiṭṭatan.

Arabic does not have a separate word for a/an.

Indefiniteness is usually shown by the absence of الـ (al-), the definite article.

So:

• قطة = a cat
• القطة = the cat

Likewise:

• سوداء = black, matching an indefinite noun here
• السوداء = the black one / black, definite

Because the sentence means a black cat, both the noun and adjective are indefinite.

Because the phrase is indefinite: a black cat, not the black cat.

In Arabic, if the noun is indefinite, the adjective must also be indefinite.

So:

• قطة سوداء = a black cat
• القطة السوداء = the black cat

This matching is very important in Arabic adjectives.

In fully vocalized formal Arabic, yes.

The fully vocalized sentence would normally be:

أرى قِطَّةً سَوْدَاءَ

Why?

• قطة is the direct object of أرى, so it is in the accusative case
• سوداء is an adjective describing قطة, so it matches it in the accusative

That is why you get:

• قطةً
• سوداءَ

However, in most everyday printed Arabic, short vowels and case endings are omitted, so you often see simply:

أرى قطة سوداء

Because black has an irregular-looking masculine/feminine pair:

• masculine: أسود
• feminine: سوداء

This is a common adjective pattern for colors and some physical traits.

So the feminine is not made by simply adding ة. Instead, it changes form.

That is why black cat is:

• قطة سوداء

while black book would be:

• كتاب أسود

The last letter is ى, called alif maqṣūra. Here it represents a final long ā sound.

So أرى is pronounced ʾarā, not ʾaray.

This happens because the verb comes from the root of رأى (to see), and this verb has some irregular behavior.

For a learner, the main thing to remember is:

• أرى = I see

and it ends in a long ā sound.

أرى means I see.

Its dictionary form is:

رأى = to see

This verb is somewhat irregular, so its forms do not always look exactly how a beginner might expect.

For this sentence, the important form is:

• أرى = I see

Other useful forms include:

• يرى = he sees
• ترى = she sees / you see (depending on context)

Yes, you can.

• أرى قطة سوداء = I see a black cat
• أنا أرى قطة سوداء = I see a black cat

The version with أنا is more explicit and may add emphasis or clarity. But in many cases, أنا is unnecessary because أرى already tells you the subject is I.

Usually, no.

Most Arabic text is written without full short vowels, so you will commonly see:

أرى قطة سوداء

A fully vocalized version for learners might be:

أَرَى قِطَّةً سَوْدَاءَ

Both represent the same sentence. The unvocalized version is what you are much more likely to encounter in ordinary books, articles, and signs.

In many contexts, قطة can simply mean cat in general, especially for learners and basic sentences.

More literally, it is grammatically feminine, and in some contexts it can refer specifically to a female cat. But very often it is also used in a broad, ordinary sense for cat.

For the sentence أرى قطة سوداء, the natural meaning is simply:

I see a black cat.

You would make both the noun and the adjective definite:

• القطة السوداء

So:

• قطة سوداء = a black cat
• القطة السوداء = the black cat

This is an important rule: when a noun is definite, its adjective must also be definite.