Language/Standard-arabic/Vocabulary/Compound-nouns-in-Arabic

Standard Arabic Vocabulary → Arabic adjectives and nouns → Compound nouns in Arabic

As a Standard Arabic language teacher with 20 years of experience, I am excited to introduce you to the world of Arabic compound nouns. In this lesson, you will learn about the structure and usage of compound nouns in Arabic grammar.

What are Arabic Compound Nouns?

Arabic compound nouns or nouns of annexation are created by combining two or more words to form a new meaning. In Arabic, these compound nouns are formed by putting two or more nouns together without the use of any additional elements such as prepositions or conjunctions. The compound noun usually consists of a head noun and a modifier noun.

The Structure of Arabic Compound Nouns

In Arabic, compound nouns are formed by placing the modifier noun before the head noun. The two nouns are then usually written as a single word without any spaces between them. Unlike Arabic sentences, compound nouns do not have any grammatical marks indicating subject or object. The meaning of the new compound noun can usually be correctly interpreted based on the context of the sentence.

Examples of Arabic Compound Nouns

Below are some common examples of Arabic compound nouns:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
مُدَرِّس الْلُغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ	mudarris al-lughah al-'arabiyyah	Arabic language teacher
كِتَابُ الْمَطْبَخِ	kitab al-matbakh	cookbook
مَدِينَةُ الْمَلاَهِيِ	madinah al-malahi	amusement park
سِجْنُ الْكُتَّابِ	sijn al-kuttab	library

Usage of Arabic Compound Nouns

Arabic compound nouns are commonly used in different aspects of daily life in the Arab world, including news headlines, advertising slogans, and street signs. They are also widely used in the fields of science, medicine, and law as a way of creating new vocabulary words.

Building Vocabulary with Arabic Compound Nouns

Learning Arabic compound nouns can be a helpful tool in expanding your vocabulary. By recognizing and understanding the structure of a compound noun, you can easily break it down into its constituent words and identify the meaning of the new word in the sentence. This can be particularly helpful when you come across unfamiliar words while reading or listening to Arabic.

Practice Exercises

To help you practice and reinforce your understanding of Arabic compound nouns, try the exercises below:

1. Write down five compound nouns and their meanings.
2. Complete the sentences with the correct compound noun:

• مَرَضُ الْكُلْيَةِ يُعْدَّ مِنْ أَخْطَرِ أَمْرَاضِ ال____________ (kidney disease is considered one of the most serious ____________ )
• كتاب الطبخ هو _____________ يُحْتَوِي على عدد كبير من الوصفات المميزة. (the cookbook is a _______________ containing many unique recipes.)

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have learned about Arabic compound nouns and their usage. With practice and perseverance, you can easily begin to understand and use compound nouns in your everyday Arabic conversations. Keep practicing, and next time you hear or read an Arabic compound noun, try to break it down and identify its meaning.

Sources

• Arabic grammar
• Arabic compound nouns

Table of Contents - Standard Arabic Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Arabic script

• Arabic vowels
• Arabic consonants
• Basic Arabic phrases

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Nouns and gender in Arabic

• Definite and indefinite articles
• Masculine and feminine nouns

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Verbs and conjugation in Arabic

• Present tense conjugation
• Past tense conjugation
• Future tense conjugation

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Numbers and counting in Arabic

• Cardinal numbers 1-100
• Ordinal numbers

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Everyday Arabic vocabulary

• Greetings and farewells
• Colors
• Days of the week
• Months of the year

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Food and drink vocabulary

• Basic food vocabulary
• Drinks

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Arabic customs and traditions

• Islam and Arabic culture
• Arabic hospitality

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Arabic music and entertainment

• Arabic music genres
• Arabic dance

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Adjectives in Arabic

• Adjective agreement and placement
• Comparative and superlative

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Pronouns in Arabic

• Personal pronouns
• Possessive pronouns

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Prepositions in Arabic

• Basic prepositions
• Prepositions of time and place

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Interrogatives in Arabic

• Question words
• Question formation

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Adverbs in Arabic

• Formation and placement
• Negation

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Transportation vocabulary

• Public transportation
• Asking for directions

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Shopping and money vocabulary

• Money vocabulary
• Shopping vocabulary

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Arabic literature and poetry

• Classical Arabic literature
• Arabic poetry

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Arabic calligraphy and art

• History of Arabic calligraphy
• Arabic art and architecture

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Weather vocabulary

• Basic weather vocabulary
• Talking about the weather

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Conditional sentences in Arabic

• First and second conditional
• Third conditional and mixed conditionals

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Passive voice in Arabic

• Formation and usage
• Differences from the active voice

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Relative clauses in Arabic

• Formation and usage
• Differences from English relative clauses

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Arabic adjectives and nouns

• Common Arabic adjectives
• Compound nouns in Arabic

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Arabic cinema and TV

• Arabic cinema
• Arabic TV

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Arabic fashion and beauty

• Traditional Arabic dress
• Arabic beauty and cosmetics

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Sports and leisure vocabulary

• Popular Arabic sports
• Leisure activities

Related Lessons

• Clothes
• Free Time Activities
• Asking Directions
• Geography
• Tools
• At Home
• How to Write a Good CV
• Feelings and Emotions
• Airport
• Numbers