The adjectival patterns / أَنْماط الصِفات

There’s six different adjectival patterns in Arabic which are:

1. The active participle / اِسْم الفاعِل
2. The passive participle / اِسْم المَفْعُول
3. The relative adjective / النِسْبة
4. The elative (comparative and superlative) / اسم التَفْضيل
5. The attributive particle / الصِفة المُشَبَّهة
6. The hyperbolic particle / صِيغة المُبالغة

We already spoke about the active and passive participles in the “augmented forms” part of the Elementary section that’s we’re only going to focus on the four latter right here.

The relative adjective (al-nisba) / النِسْبة

The meanings

The relative adjective is called نِسْبة in Arabic which means ‘relation’. It is generally used to turn a noun into an adjective by adding a يّ or (يّة in the feminine) at the end of the noun (common or proper). It may be compared to English derivational morphemes like ‘-ish, -(i)an, -ese, -i, -ic(al), -al, -ly,’. The relative adjective is to express origin, matter or relation.

Moroccan	مَغْرِبِيّ
historic	تارِيخِيّ
daily	يَوْمِيّ

Rules of use

• If the noun from which the relative adjective is formed ends with a ة or begins with the defining article ال, these disappear:

educative	تَرْبيّة ← تَرْبَويّ
Emirati	الإمارات ← إماراتيّ

• If the noun from which the relative adjective is formed ends in an alif ا/ى
  • Contains a maximum of 4 letters we replace the alif with a و in front of the يّ.

chaotic	فَوضى ← فَوضَويّ
worldly	دُُنيا ← دُنيويّ

• Contains 5+ letters the alif ا disappears

Turkish	تُرْكيا ← تُرْكيّ
technologic	تِكْنولوجيا ← تِكْنولوجيّ

• If the noun from which the relative adjective is formed ends in an alif hamza اء as a feminine marker, the hamza ء is replaced by a و

desertic	صَحْراء ← صَحْراويّ
Oval (egg-shaped)	بَيْضاء ← بَيْضاويّ

• If the noun from which the relative adjective is formed comes from a defective root (3rd root letter) we add a و before the يّ.

past-related	ماضٍ ← ماضَويّ
judicial	قاضٍ ← قاضَويّ

• If the noun from which the relative adjective is formed has only two letters in its root, we add a و before the يّ.

parental	أَب ← أَبَويّ
manual	يَد ← يَدَويّ

• If the noun from which the relative adjective is formed is on the pattern فَعِيلة the ي and the ة disappear.

tribal	قَبِيلة ← قَبَلِيّ
civil/urban	مَدِينة ← مَدَنِيّ

Note: The relative adjective is supposed to be in the singular however daily use made it so that it can also be formed in a plural.

شُعُوبيّ populist	← شُعُوب people	← جَمْع plural	← شَعْب people
كُتُبيّ librarian	← كُتُب books		← كِتاب   book

The elative (comparative and superlative) / اسم التَفْضيل

In Arabic, the concepts of comparative and superlative degrees of an adjective are merged into a single form, the elative (اِسْم التَفْضِيل). This form is expressed by the pattern أَفْعَل in Arabic. This particular pattern is diptote (مَمْنوع مِنْ الصَرْف) which is a notion we’ll cover under the ‘Advanced section’. To simplify, the form cannot have the tanwīn (indefinite ending) or kasra of the genitive case added to it, regardless of its position in the sentence or whether it is definite or indefinite.

bigger	أَكْبَر
larger	أَوْسَع
smaller	أَصْغَر
more (numerous)	أَكْثَر
less (numerous)	أَقَلّ
higher	أَعْلى
lower	أَدْنى
closer	أَقْرَب
more far	أَبْعَد
better	أَحْسَنْ / أَفْضَل
worse	أَسْوَأ

Comparative sentences

The preposition مِنْ ‘from’ is used like the English preposition ‘than’ as a link between the two parts (item compared and object of comparison) of the comparative sentence. The comparative sentence thus has the following structure:

 item compared + elative + مِن + object of comparison

To express a comparison of superiority between two terms, Arabic uses the elative أَفْعَل The 2nd term of the comparison is introduced by the preposition مِنْ

Kareema is bigger than Hamza	كَرِيمةُ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ حَمْرةَ
She’s faster than her competitors	هِيَ أَسْرَعُ مِنْ مُنافِسيها
His room is bigger than mine	غُرْفَتٌهُ أَوْسَعُ مِنْ غُرْفَتِي

Certain words cannot have an elative, those include:

• Participles of augmented forms (الأَوْزان المَزيدة) 
• Adjectives that already have an elative form structure such as the adjectives of color and deformity cannot have an elative (which we’ll cover in the resembling particle section)
• Adjectives that have a root of more than three letters

For those word we’ll use elatives meaning more… (..many / intense / large) followed by the verbal noun of the same root used as a tamyīz (disambiguation) (see the dedicate section). The most used elatives are:

Their company is better organized than ours	شَرِكَتُهُم أَفْضَلُ تَنْظِيمًا مِن شَرِكَتِنا
He is blacker (more black) than his sister	هو أَكْثَرُ سَوادًا مِنْ أُخْتِهِ
My friend’s family is smaller [in number] than mine	أسْرةُ صَديقي أَقَلُّ عَدَدًا مِن أُسْرَتِي

Superlative

The superlative is formed by making the comparative pattern أَفْعَل definite, either with the definite article …ال or with the annexation (إضافة) construction. 

He is the best boxer	هُوَ المُلاكِم الأَفْضَلُ
He’s my youngest son	هو اِبْني الأصْغَرُ
He’s the most knowledgeable man	ِهُوَ أَعْلَمُ الرِجال
My wife is the most beautiful woman	ِزَوْجَتِي أَجْمَلُ النِساء

Some superlatives can also be used in the feminine form following the pattern فُعْلى

The worldly (lowest) life	الحَياة الدُنْيا
Graduate (highest) Studies	الدِراسات العُلْيا
The great[est] powers	القُوَى العُظمى

Superlatives patterns can also be put in the dual and plural forms

They are the best boxers	هُمُ المُلاكِمونَ الأَفْضَلُونَ
They are my two youngest sons	هما اِبْنايَ الأصْغَران
They are my oldest daughters	هُنَّ بَناتي الكُبْرَيات

Note: The two nouns/adjectives خَيْر ‘good(ness)’ and شَرّ ‘evil’ are used as comparatives and superlatives with the meanings ‘better’ and ‘worst’, respectively.

The best people are the most helpful to others (hadith from the Prophet, peace be upon him ﷺ)	خَيْرُ الناسِ أَنْفَعُهُم للناسِ
Worst calamity makes one laugh (saying in Arabic)	شَرُّ البَلِيّة ما يُضْحِكُ

The attributive participle / الصِفة المُشَبّهة

This is an adjective close to participles, sometimes used as a noun. It denotes the attribute of the subject and its inherence to him. The inherent character it conveys is generally what sets it apart from active and passive participles. It relates to the intransitive verb that indicates the acquisition of an attribute or state.

الأَمْثِلة  Examples				الأَوْزان Patterns
يَقِظ wary	فَرِح happy	شَرِس aggressive	سَئِم desperate	فَعِلٌ
صَعْب difficult	سَهْل easy	عَذْب sweet/fresh (water)	ضَخْم huge	فَعْلٌ
صُلْب solid	حُلْو sweet	مُرّ bitter	حُرّ free	فُعْلٌ
		صِفْر	مِلْح salty	فِعْلٌ
		بَطَل hero	حَسَن beautiful	فَعَلٌ
		جواد generous	جَبان coward	فَعالٌ
	هُمام gallant	فُرات fresh/sweet (water)	شُجاع brave	فُعالٌ
بَخيل stingy	كَرِيم generous	قَبيح ugly	جَميل beautiful	فَعِيلٌ
جَيِّد good/well	مَيِّت dead	طَيِّب good/delicious	ضَيِّق narrow	فَيعِلٌ
غَضْبان (م غَضْبى) angry	فَرْحان (م فَرْحى) happy	عَطْشان (م عَطْشى) thirsty	كَسْلان (م كَسْلى) lazy	فَعْلان (م فَعْلى)
أَحْمَق (م حَمْقاء) ج حُمْق foolish	أَعْرَج (عَرْجاء) ج عُرْج lame	أَسْوَد (م سَوداء) ج سُود black	أَحْمَر (حَمْراء) ج حُمْر red	أَفْعَل (م فَعْلاء) ج فُعْل only for colors and deformities (physical and mental)

Note: 

• The patterns فَعَل and فَعال are linked to verbs in the pattern فَعُلَ

الصِفة المُشَبَّهة The attributive participle	فِعْل Verb
حَسَن beautiful	← حَسُنَ   To be beautiful
جَبان coward	← جَبُنَ   To be a coward

• The patterns فَعْلان and أفْعَل are linked to verbs in the pattern فَعِلَ

الصِفة المُشَبَّهة The attributive participle	فِعْل Verb
عَطْشان thirsty	←عَطِشَ    To be thirsty
أَحْمَق foolish	← حَمِقَ   To be foolish

Note 2: Some attributive particles (صِفات مُشَبَّهة) on pattern فَعِيل can adopt the same meaning as the passive participle (المَفْعول). The nuance between the two is that فَعِيل being an attributive particle (صِفات مُشَبَّهة) expresses the idea of a permanent state more deeply.

قَتِيل = مَقْتول

murdered

Note 3: Colors and deformities are built on the same pattern as of elatives (اِسْم التَفْضِيل) on the masculine form (which is أَفْعَل). Nonetheless, the feminine form of colors and deformities is فَعْلاء whereas the feminine of elatives (اِسْم التَفْضِيل) is فُعْلى. Both patterns are diptote (see dedicated section), they cannot bear the tanwīn nor the kasra. 

The hyperbolic participle / صِيغة المُبالغة

Patterns expressing intensity. It denotes the multiplication of the description or event.

الأَمْثِلة  Examples				الأَوْزان Patterns
كَذّاب big lier	رَسّام painter	جَزّار butcher	خَبّاز baker	فَعّالٌ (mainly used for trades and professions)
دَؤوب diligent	شَكور thankful	صَبور patient	عَجوز old	فَعُولٌ
عَليم all-knowing	حَكيم wise	سَميع all-hearing	رَحيم merciful	فَعيلٌ
		رحّالة globetrotter	عَلاّمة  savant	فَعّالةٌ
	قِدِّيس  saint	سِكّير drunkard	صِدّيق veracious	فِعِّيلٌ
	داهية astute	نابغة eminent	داعية proselytizer	فَاعِلةٌ
فَرِح joyful	عَجِل hasty	قَلِق anxious	حَذِر cautious	فَعِلٌ
	طُلَعة nosy	هُمَزة  backbiter	لُمَزة  criticizer	فُعَلة
مِتْلاف destroyer	مِعْطاء generous	مِقْدام intrepid	مِلحاح insistent	مِفْعال
	زِنْديق heretic	صِنْديد Brave	عِرْبيد  bacchic	فِعْلِيل
		جاسوس spy	حاسوب computer	فاعُول

Note: The hyperbolic particles (صِيغة المُبالغة) are usually derived from the triliteral root verbs in form I, but exceptionally, they can be connected to the verbs of the augmented forms and verbs with four root letters.

أَعْطى to give (form IV)	← مِعْطاء generous	← مِفْعال
عَرْبَدَ  to roister (4 root letters)	← عِرْبيد bacchic	← فِعْلِيل

Note 2: The hyperbolic particles (صِيغة المُبالغة) on pattern فَعول have the same meaning as the active participle فاعِل. The nuance between the two is that فَعُول being hyperbolic particles (صِيغة المُبالغة) expresses the idea of a character trait inherent to the subject. Furthermore, it has only one form for both genders feminine and masculine.

صَبُور = صابر

patient