Page 268 - The Rough Guide Phrasebook - Egyptian Arabic
P. 268

momtāzeen
                   momtāz
                   tabbākheen momtāzeen
                                        excellent chefs
                   	 sing	  plural      excellent
             HOW
                 If  a  plural  noun  refers  to  inanimate  objects,  the  feminine
                 singular form of the adjective must be used (irrespective of the
             THE
                 gender of the noun):
                 	 feminine  byoot kebeera   big houses
                 	 masculine  otobeesāt sareeaa  fast buses
                 A  dual  plural  noun  should  always  be  followed  by  a  plural
                 adjective, for example:
             LANGUAGE
                   a’lamayn kobār   two large pens
                 Irregular Plural Adjectives
                 Many plural adjectives are irregular. here is a list of the most
                 common ones:
             WORKS

                 	 singular	  plural
                   gameel   gomāl       beautiful
                   rekhees   rokhās     cheap
                   nedeef   nodāf       clean
                   aleel    olāl        few
                   kebeer   kobār       large
             ■      A d j e c t i v e s
                   adeem    odām        old (objects,	buildings	etc)
                   ahmar    homr        red
                    soghīyar   soghār   small
                   shedeed   shodād     strong
                 Comparatives and Superlatives
                 The comparative (more expensive, bigger etc) and superla-
                 tive (best, biggest etc) forms of the adjective are the same in
                 Arabic. They do not change according to either gender or
                 number.
                 Some common comparatives and superlatives are as follows:

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