Nominal sentences do NOT contain a verb. They consist of a subject and a description. For example:
Note how there is no verb 'to be' in Arabic present tense.
Building Nominal Sentences:
| the house | البيت |
| the house is big (literally, 'the house big') | البيت كبير |
| the big house [is]... (literally, 'the big the house') | الـبيت الـكبير |
| the big house is new | البيت الكبير جديد |
Adjective Agreement:
Adjectives change to match the noun's gender (masculine / feminine) and number (singular / plural). The example below uses 'سيارة' (car) which is a feminine noun. Note how most feminine nouns end with the letter ـة (taa marbuta).
| the car is big (literally, 'the car big') | السيارة كبيرة |
| the big car is new | السيارة الكبيرة جديدة |
Adjective agreement with plural nouns depends on whether the noun is human or non-human.
| Human Plural Nouns | |
| the boys are tall (literally, 'the boys talls') | الولاد طوال |
| the girls are smart (literally, 'the girls smarts') | البنات ذكيات | Non-Human Plural Nouns |
| the books are heavy | الكتب ثقيلة |
| the cars are new | السيارات جديدة |
Negation in Sentences:
Negation in MSA can vary for gender / number. However, Iraqi Arabic only uses two particles in negation: 'ما' (verbal negation) and 'مو' (nominal negation). These remain independent of gender / number.
| he did not eat | هو ما أكل |
| the car is not new | السيارة مو جديدة |
'To Be' in Past and Future Tenses:
While this page focuses on nominal sentences (sentences without a verb), this structure only applies in the present tense.