شاشة الحاسوب في المكتب كبيرة، لكن شاشة هاتفي صغيرة.

The computer screen in the office is big, but my phone screen is small.

Breakdown of شاشة الحاسوب في المكتب كبيرة، لكن شاشة هاتفي صغيرة.

• صغير: small
• في: in
• ي: my
• كبير: big

Questions & Answers about شاشة الحاسوب في المكتب كبيرة، لكن شاشة هاتفي صغيرة.

Why isn’t there a word for is in this sentence?

In Arabic, the present tense often uses a nominal sentence, so there is usually no separate word for is.

So:

• شاشة الحاسوب في المكتب كبيرة literally = The computer screen in the office big
• natural English = The computer screen in the office is big

The same is true for:

• شاشة هاتفي صغيرة = My phone screen is small

If you wanted was or will be, Arabic would normally use a verb such as كان or سيكون.

Why are كبيرة and صغيرة feminine?

Because شاشة is a feminine singular noun.

A very common sign of a feminine noun in Arabic is the ending ة (tāʾ marbūṭa), and شاشة has that ending.

Arabic adjectives and predicate adjectives must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• usually definiteness when they are regular attributive adjectives

So:

• شاشة ... كبيرة = screen ... big (feminine singular)
• شاشة ... صغيرة = screen ... small (feminine singular)

If the noun were masculine, you would expect:

• كبير
• صغير

instead.