الشقة الجديدة هادئة، لكن الشارع ليس هادئا.

The new apartment is quiet, but the street is not quiet.

Breakdown of الشقة الجديدة هادئة، لكن الشارع ليس هادئا.

• جديد: new
• لكن: but
• ليس: to not be
• الشارع: street

Questions & Answers about الشقة الجديدة هادئة، لكن الشارع ليس هادئا.

Why is there no word for is in الشقة الجديدة هادئة?

In Arabic, the present-tense verb to be is usually left out in simple statements.

So:

• الشقة الجديدة هادئة literally looks like the apartment the-new quiet
• but it means The new apartment is quiet

This kind of sentence is often called a nominal sentence.

If you want past or future, Arabic does use a verb, for example forms of كان. For present-time negation, Arabic commonly uses ليس, which is what you see in the second clause.

Why does الجديدة come after الشقة?

Because Arabic adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

So:

• الشقة الجديدة = the new apartment
• literally: the apartment the-new

This is the normal Arabic order: noun + adjective.

Why do both الشقة and الجديدة have الـ?

Because adjectives in Arabic agree with the noun in definiteness as well as gender and number.

So:

• الشقة الجديدة = the new apartment
• شقة جديدة = a new apartment

If the noun is definite, the adjective must also be definite.