تاء مربوطة (ة), gender patterns and exceptions
Can identify gender and apply agreement to adjectives
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
طالِب / طالِبَة
student (m) / student (f)
بِنْت جَميلَة
a beautiful girl
الشَّمْسُ جَميلَة
The sun is beautiful
وَلَد طَويل
a tall boy
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Arabic has two genders: masculine (مذكر) and feminine (مؤنث). The main feminine marker is تاء مربوطة (ة):
| Masculine | Feminine | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| طالِب | طالِبَة | student |
| مُدَرِّس | مُدَرِّسَة | teacher |
| كَبير | كَبيرَة | big |
Natural feminines (no ة needed): أُم (mother), بِنْت (girl), أُخْت (sister). Exceptions: some words ending in ة are masculine (خَليفَة = caliph), and some without ة are feminine (شَمْس = sun, أرْض = earth, حَرْب = war).
Adjectives MUST agree in gender with the noun they describe: وَلَد كَبير (big boy) vs. بِنْت كَبيرَة (big girl).
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesAdjective does not agree in gender with its noun
Feminine noun → add ة to adjective. Masculine → no ة.
Treated an exception word as the wrong gender
Some words like شمس, أرض are feminine without ة — memorize these
طالِب / طالِبَة
student (m) / student (f)
Adding ة to طالب creates the feminine form طالبة.
بِنْت جَميلَة
a beautiful girl
بنت is naturally feminine — the adjective جميل adds ة to agree: جميلة.
الشَّمْسُ جَميلَة
The sun is beautiful
شمس has no ة but is feminine — adjective must still be feminine: جميلة.
وَلَد طَويل
a tall boy
ولد is masculine — adjective طويل stays masculine (no ة).
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises