هذا قارب صغير.

• هذا = this
• قارب = boat
• صغير = small

So the whole sentence means This is a small boat.

In Arabic, present-tense sentences like This is a small boat usually do not use a separate word for is.

So Arabic says:

• هذا قارب صغير
• literally: this small boat
• naturally: This is a small boat

This is very normal in Arabic. If you wanted a past or future meaning, then Arabic would use other words.

In Arabic, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• قارب صغير = a small boat
• literally: boat small

This is the regular word order in Arabic:

• noun first
• adjective second

هذا is the demonstrative for a masculine singular noun: this هذه is for a feminine singular noun: this

The noun قارب is grammatically masculine, so Arabic uses هذا:

• هذا قارب صغير = This is a small boat

If the noun were feminine, you would use هذه instead.

Because صغير has to match قارب.

In Arabic, adjectives agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

Since قارب is:

• masculine
• singular
• indefinite

the adjective must also be:

• masculine
• singular
• indefinite

So you get:

• قارب صغير = a small boat

If the noun were feminine, the adjective would usually become صغيرة.

Because the phrase is indefinite: a small boat, not the small boat.

• قارب صغير = a small boat
• القارب الصغير = the small boat

So in هذا قارب صغير, the speaker is identifying something as a small boat.

This is an important difference:

• هذا قارب صغير = This is a small boat
• هذا القارب الصغير = This small boat
• هذا القاربُ صغيرٌ = This boat is small

Normally, هذا قارب صغير means This is a small boat.

If you want to say This boat is small, Arabic usually makes boat definite:

• هذا القاربُ صغيرٌ

That means:

• هذا القارب = this boat
• صغير = is small

So the presence or absence of ال helps show the difference.

A careful MSA pronunciation is:

• hādhā qāribun ṣaghīrun

In normal unvowelled writing, the short endings are usually not written, so you will often just see:

• هذا قارب صغير

A few pronunciation notes:

• ذ in هذا sounds like the th in this
• ق in قارب is a deep q sound, farther back than English k
• ص in صغير is an emphatic s

In pause, many speakers would pronounce it more like:

• hādhā qārib ṣaghīr

In fully vocalized MSA, it is:

• هٰذا قاربٌ صغيرٌ

Both قاربٌ and صغيرٌ take -un because they are:

• indefinite
• nominative

In everyday writing, these endings are usually omitted, which is why learners often see:

• هذا قارب صغير

So the sentence without endings is completely normal in ordinary text.