Learn with Aymen
Phrases What it costs Book
الصفات
Words

Adjectives in Algerian Arabic

Big, small, beautiful, expensive, and their feminine forms.

Algerian adjectives change for gender, and the change is nearly always the same: add ة for the feminine. مليح becomes مليحة, كبير becomes كبيرة. Once you have that, most of this page follows automatically.

A few words here are worth more than their translation suggests. غاية means great and is heard constantly. عيّان officially means bad, but Algerians use it for tired, unwell and disappointing too, and which one it means comes entirely from the situation.

10 words to start with

كبير / صغير
kbir / ṣghir
Big / small
مليح
mliḥ
Good

The everyday word for good: مليح بزّاف mliḥ bezzaf, very good.

ماشي مليح
mashi mliḥ
Not good, bad
شباب / شبّة
shbab / shabba
Handsome / beautiful

You will also hear زين zin.

زينة
zina
Pretty (f)
مزعوق
mez3uq
Ugly
جديد / قديم
jdid / qdim
New / old
طويل / قصير
ṭwil / qṣir
Long, tall / short
سخون / بارد
skhun / bared
Hot / cold
ثقيل / خفيف
tqil / khfif
Heavy / light

There are 8 more in this theme

The whole library is searchable, sorted by level, and yours to save from. Beginner level is free.

Make a free account Already have an account?