كوب القياس قرب وعاء الخلط.

In Modern Standard Arabic, the verb to be is usually not stated in the present tense when you are simply linking a subject with a description or location.

So:

كوب القياس قرب وعاء الخلط

literally looks like:

the measuring cup near the mixing bowl

but it naturally means:

the measuring cup is near the mixing bowl

If you wanted the past tense, you would normally use كان: كان كوبُ القياسِ قربَ وعاءِ الخلطِ = The measuring cup was near the mixing bowl.

This is because كوب القياس is an iḍāfa construction, often called a genitive construction or noun + noun construction.

In an iḍāfa:

• the first noun usually does not take الـ
• the whole phrase becomes definite or indefinite based on the second noun

So:

• كوب القياس = the measuring cup
• وعاء الخلط = the mixing bowl

Even though كوب and وعاء do not have الـ, the whole phrases are definite because القياس and الخلط are definite.

Yes, literally it is something like cup of measuring/measurement, but in natural English we say measuring cup.

Arabic often uses noun + noun structures where English prefers:

• a compound noun
• or an adjective + noun

So:

• كوب القياس = literally cup of measuring → natural English measuring cup
• وعاء الخلط = literally container/bowl of mixing → natural English mixing bowl

This is very common in Arabic vocabulary.

Here قرب means near.

Grammatically, it is often treated as a noun of place/proximity used adverbially, so it functions like near in English.

So:

قرب وعاء الخلط = near the mixing bowl

A very common alternative in Arabic is:

بالقرب من وعاء الخلط

which also means near the mixing bowl.

So both are possible, but قرب by itself is shorter and straightforward.

Because قرب can directly take the following noun in an iḍāfa-like structure.

So Arabic can say:

قرب وعاء الخلط = near the mixing bowl

without needing a separate word for of/from.

But Arabic also very commonly uses:

بالقرب من وعاء الخلط

which is more explicitly like close to or near.

So for a learner:

• قرب وعاء الخلط = correct
• بالقرب من وعاء الخلط = also correct and very common

If fully vowelled in formal grammar, it would be:

كوبُ القياسِ قُرْبَ وعاءِ الخلطِ

Here is why:

• كوبُ = nominative, because it is the subject/topic of the sentence
• القياسِ = genitive, because it is the second part of the iḍāfa
• قُرْبَ = accusative, because it is functioning as an adverbial expression of place
• وعاءِ = genitive, because it is linked to قرب
• الخلطِ = genitive, because it is the second part of another iḍāfa

In normal Arabic writing, these short vowels are usually not written.

This is a very normal Arabic nominal sentence structure:

• كوب القياس = the topic/subject
• قرب وعاء الخلط = the predicate, giving its location

So the structure is basically:

[thing] + [location]

which is similar to English:

The measuring cup is near the mixing bowl.

Arabic can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but this version is neutral and natural.

وعاء is pronounced approximately wi-ʿaaʾ.

A few details:

• وِ = wi
• ع is the Arabic letter ʿayn, a sound English does not have
• اء at the end contains a long aa followed by a hamza stop

A helpful rough pronunciation of the whole sentence is:

kūb al-qiyās qurb wiʿāʾ al-khalṭ

In more fully inflected formal pronunciation, it would be closer to:

kūbu l-qiyāsi qurb(a) wiʿāʾi l-khalṭi

In this sentence, الخلط is definite because it is part of the fixed phrase وعاء الخلط.

Arabic often makes these kinds of tool/object names definite in context, especially when referring to a specific known kitchen item, such as:

• وعاء الخلط = the mixing bowl
• ملعقة التقديم = the serving spoon
• لوح التقطيع = the cutting board

So even if the second noun refers to an action or function, Arabic can still use الـ and treat the whole expression as a definite item.

Yes. A very common alternative is:

كوبُ القياسِ بالقربِ من وعاءِ الخلطِ

This means essentially the same thing: The measuring cup is near the mixing bowl.

For learners, بالقرب من is often easier to recognize because it behaves more like a fixed expression meaning near or close to.

So you may see both:

• قرب وعاء الخلط
• بالقرب من وعاء الخلط

Both are correct.