22 Grammar: the nisba adjective

Certain classes of nouns, chiefly, the names of places, languages, and tribal names, employ a grammatical structure known as the “nisba” adjective.

It entails:  Adding an ending (-ii) to a place-name to make it an adjective.  Thus the word for Egypt, “maSr” becomes “maSrii” (“Egyptian).   Similiar to the English equivalent, “maSrii” can an adjective or describe a person as in the sentences “an Egyptian book” (kitaab masrii) or “I am an Eygptian” (ana masrii).

When masculine, the nisba adjective sounds like “-ii”  ّي  ; when feminine, it sounds like “iyya” (يّة).

Notes:

i.  if the proper name ends in an “a” sound, to form the nisba adjective, you take off the “a” sound, and then add the “-ii” ending.  Thus Amriika becomes Amriikii

ii. if the proper name has a definite article (“al-“), remove it to form the nisba.  Thus “al-Imaraat” bcomes “Imaraatii”.