25.14 Some adjectives having the superlative pattern َأْ َلأ ْف َع ُل
al-
af
alucan also have a feminine superlative form َأْل ُف ْعَلى
al-fu
la ̄, e.g.25.15 The dual and plural of the above superlatives take their numberand gender according to the preceding noun, e.g.
َأ ْط َو ُل ْل َب َنا ِتن َّ ُه ن ْ َلأ ْط َو ُلَّ ُه
hunna
at
̇walu l-
bana ̄ti. They arethe tallest girls.hunna l-
at
̇walu. They are the tallest.Superlative masculine Superlative feminineَأْ َلأ ْكـ َبـ ُر د َو ُل ْل ُك ْب َرىَُّأل
al-
akbaru, the biggest, the greatest
ad-duwalu l-kubra ̄, the great(est)countriesَأْ َلأ ْع َظ ُم َب ِري َطا ْن َيا ْل ُع ْظ َمى
al-
a
d
̄ ̇amu, the greatest barı- t
̇
a ̄nya ̄ l-
ud
̄ ̇ma ̄, Great Britainَأْلـ َوَلـ ُد ْ َلأ ْصـ َغـ ُر صـ ْغـ َرىُّ َأْلـ ِبـ ْنـ ُت لـ
al-waladu l-
as
̇g ̇aru, the smallest boy
al-bintu s
̇-s
̇ug ̇ra ̄, the smallest girlSingular Dual Pluralَأْل َوَل ُد ْ َلأ ْص َغ ُر َأْل َوَل َدا ِن ْ َلأ ْص َغ َرا ِن َأْ َلأ ْو َلا ُد ْ َلأ ْص َغـ ُرو َن
al-waladu l-
as
̇g ̇aru
al-walada ̄ni l-
as
̇g ̇ara ̄ni
al-
awla ̄du l-
as
̇g ̇aru ̄nathe smallest boy the two smallest boys the smallest boysص ْغ َرىُّ ص ْغ َر َيا ِن َأْل ِب ْن ُت لُّ َأْل ِب ْن َتا ِن ل ص ْغ َر َيا ُتُّ َأْلـ َب َنا ُت َأل
al-bintu s
̇-s
̇ug ̇ra ̄
al-binta ̄ni s
̇-s
̇ug ̇raya ̄ni
al-bana ̄tu s
̇-s
̇ug ̇raya ̄tuthe smallest girl the two smallest girls the smallest girlsد ْوَل ُة ْل ُع ْظ َمىَّد ْوَل َتا ِن ْل ُع ْظ َم َيا ِن َألَُّأل د َو ُل ْل ُع ْظ َمىَُّأل
ad-dawlatu l-
ud
̄ ̇ma ̄
ad-dawlata ̄ni l-
ud
̄ ̇maya ̄ni
ad-duwalu l-
ud
̄ ̇ma ̄the greatest country the two greatest countries the greatest countriesَأْلـ َح ْر َبا ِن ْل ُك ْب َر َيا ِن َأْلـ َح ْر ُب ْل ُك ْب َرى َأْلـ ُح ُرو ُب ْل ُك ْب َرى
al-h
̇arbu l-kubra ̄
al-h
̇arba ̄ni l-kubraya ̄ni
al-h
̇uru ̄bu l-kubra ̄the greatest war the two greatest wars the greatest wars187Adjectival
patterns,
relative
adjectives,
comparative