Lesson 22
Diptotes Continued
الممنوع من الصرف تتمة
Further diptote patterns: colour/defect adjectives on the أَفْعَل pattern, verb-pattern nouns, and feminine proper nouns. These categories cover the vast majority of diptotes you will encounter.
Colour Adjectives أَفْعَل / فَعْلَاء Pattern
Masculine (diptote)FeminineMeaning
أَحْمَرحَمْرَاءred
أَخْضَرخَضْرَاءgreen
أَبْيَضبَيْضَاءwhite
أَسْوَدسَوْدَاءblack
أَزْرَقزَرْقَاءblue
أَصْفَرصَفْرَاءyellow
Defect Adjectives on أَفْعَل
Masculine (diptote)FeminineMeaning
أَعْمَىعَمْيَاءblind
أَصَمّصَمَّاءdeaf
أَعْرَجعَرْجَاءlame
اِشْتَرَيْتُ قَلَماً أَحْمَرَ رَأَيْتُ سَيَّارَةً بَيْضَاءَ مَرَرْتُ بِرَجُلٍ أَعْمَى
Ishtaraytu qalaman aḥmara Raʾaytu sayyāratan bayḍāʾa Marartu birajulin aʿmā
I bought a red pen. I saw a white car. I passed by a blind man. (all diptotes: no tanwīn)
الْقَلَمُ الأَحْمَرُ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ هَذِهِ السَّيَّارَةُ الْبَيْضَاءُ جَمِيلَة
Al-qalamu l-aḥmaru ʿalā ṭ-ṭāwilati Hādhihi s-sayyāratu l-bayḍāʾu jamīla
The red pen is on the table. This white car is beautiful. (definite: reverts to kasra)
Sample Dialogue
أ: مَا لَوْنُ سَيَّارَتِكَ؟ ب: سَيَّارَتِي بَيْضَاءُ. أ: وَأَيُّ لَوْنٍ تُحِبُّ؟ ب: أُحِبُّ اللَّوْنَ الأَخْضَرَ.
A: Mā lawnu sayyāratika? B: Sayyāratī bayḍāʾu. A: Wa-ayyu lawni tuḥibb? B: Uḥibbu l-lawna l-akhḍara.
A: What colour is your car? B: My car is white. A: And which colour do you like? B: I like the colour green.
- Colour/defect adjectives on أَفْعَل are diptotes no tanwīn, fatḥa in genitive: بِأَحْمَرَ.
- The feminine form is on فَعْلَاء also a diptote: بَيْضَاء، خَضْرَاء.
- Accusative and genitive look identical for diptotes both use fatḥa (no tanwīn).
- With definite article, the diptote reverts to kasra: الأَحْمَرِ، الأَخْضَرَ (accusative).
- مَا لَوْنُ؟ (mā lawnu = what colour?) very useful question for describing objects.