How to Say “Somewhat,” “A Little,” and “A Bit” in Arabic: بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Imagine you taste a cup of coffee. It is not extremely bitter, but it is more bitter than you expected.

In English, you might say:

“This coffee is a little bitter.”

In Modern Standard Arabic, you can express this idea with:

بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
baʿḍa al-šayʾi
somewhat / a little / a bit

For example:

هَذِهِ الْقَهْوَةُ مُرَّةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This coffee is a bit bitter.

The useful pattern is simple:

Subject + adjective + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Once you understand this pattern, you can use it to describe food, weather, prices, clothes, places, work, movies, and many other parts of everyday life.

1. The Arabic Expression: It's Just "A Little"

Imagine you're trying a new coffee, and it's not too bitter, but definitely a bit bitter. Or maybe the weather is cool, but not freezing – just "somewhat" cold. This is where our phrase comes in handy!

The Arabic expression we're focusing on is:

بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
baʿḍa ash-shayʾ
"somewhat," "a little," or "a bit"

2. What Does بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ Mean?

Consider these two descriptions:

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ.
This movie is long.

Now add بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ:

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This movie is a bit long.

The second sentence make a description softer or less extreme.

You are not saying that the movie is very long. You are saying that it is long to some degree.

Compare:

طَوِيلٌ
long

طَوِيلٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
somewhat long / a bit long

Another example:

الْقَهْوَةُ بَارِدَةٌ.
The coffee is cold.

الْقَهْوَةُ بَارِدَةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
The coffee is a little cold.

This makes بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ useful when you want to make a description softer or less extreme.

3. How the Expression Is Built

Look at:

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ غَالٍ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This book is somewhat expensive.

We can divide the sentence into three main parts.

Part 1: The Subject

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ
this book

This tells us what we are describing.

In Arabic grammar, the main noun or topic at the beginning of this type of sentence is called:

مُبْتَدَأٌ — subject/topic of a nominal sentence

For beginner purposes, you can simply think of it as:

the person or thing being described

Part 2: The Adjective

غَالٍ
expensive

This tells us something about the book.

In this sentence, the adjective functions as the information we are giving about the subject.

This part is called:

خَبَرٌ — predicate

You do not need to memorize the grammatical term immediately.

The important point is:

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ غَالٍ.
This book is expensive.

Part 3: بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
somewhat / a little / a bit

This modifies the degree of the adjective.

So:

غَالٍ
expensive

becomes:

غَالٍ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
somewhat expensive

The complete sentence is:

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ غَالٍ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This book is somewhat expensive.

4. The Grammar Behind the Pattern

You only need a few grammar points to start using this pattern correctly.

Arabic Does Not Need “Is” or “Are” Here

English says:

The coffee is bitter.

Modern Standard Arabic normally does not use a separate word equivalent to “is” in a simple present-tense nominal sentence.

So:

الْقَهْوَةُ مُرَّةٌ.
The coffee is bitter.

English adds “is” in the translation because English grammar requires it.

The same applies to:

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ.
This movie is long.

الْمَطْعَمُ بَعِيدٌ.
The restaurant is far.

4a. The Adjective Must Match the Subject

Arabic distinguishes between masculine and feminine forms.

For example:

الْفِلْمُ
the movie — masculine

Therefore:

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ.
This movie is long.

But:

الْقَهْوَةُ
the coffee — grammatically feminine

Therefore:

هَذِهِ الْقَهْوَةُ مُرَّةٌ.
This coffee is bitter.

Notice:

طَوِيلٌ — long, masculine

مُرَّةٌ — bitter, feminine

Key Point for Beginners: You don't need to change بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ for gender or number. It stays the same, no matter if the thing you're describing is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural.

Learn بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ as One Chunk

For A1–A2 level learners, it is most useful to learn:

بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

as one fixed expression meaning:

somewhat / a little / a bit

Pay attention to the vowel markings:

بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Not:

بَعْضُ الشَّيْءِ

in the target pattern taught in this lesson.

Key Point for Beginners: For now, you do not need an advanced grammatical analysis of why the ending appears this way. Focus first on recognizing and using the complete expression accurately.

5. The Reusable Sentence Pattern

The basic pattern is:

[Noun / Subject] + [Adjective] + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
(note: read from left to right)

For example:

الْقَهْوَةُ + بَارِدَةٌ + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
(note: read from left to right)

The coffee + cold + a little

Natural English:

The coffee is a little cold.

Another example:

هَذَا الدَّرْسُ + صَعْبٌ + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

This lesson + difficult + somewhat

Natural English:

This lesson is somewhat difficult.

For beginner learning, remember this simple formula:

Thing or person + adjective + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
(note: read from left to right)

You can keep the structure and change the vocabulary.

6. Simple Sentence Examples Using بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Start by looking for the same repeated pattern.

Example 1 — Coffee

هَذِهِ الْقَهْوَةُ مُرَّةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This coffee is a bit bitter.

Pattern:

هَذِهِ الْقَهْوَةُ → this coffee
مُرَّةٌ → bitter
بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ → a bit

Example 2 — Weather

الْجَوُّ بَارِدٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ اللَّيْلَةَ.
or اللَّيْلَةُ بَارِدَةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
The weather is a little cold tonight.

The core pattern remains:

الْجَوُّ + بَارِدٌ + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Then we add:

اللَّيْلَةَ
tonight

Example 3 — A Movie

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This movie is a bit long.

Pattern:

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ + طَوِيلٌ + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Example 4 — A Car

سَيَّارَتِي قَدِيمَةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
My car is somewhat old.

Useful word:

سَيَّارَتِي
my car

Because سَيَّارَةٌ is feminine, we use:

قَدِيمَةٌ
old — feminine

Example 5 — A Problem

هَذِهِ الْمُشْكِلَةُ صَعْبَةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This problem is a bit difficult.

Notice the feminine agreement:

هَذِهِ الْمُشْكِلَةُ
this problem

صَعْبَةٌ
difficult — feminine

7. More Sentence Examples

Now we can keep the same core pattern while adding slightly more information.

Example 6 — Music

صَوْتُ الْمُوسِيقَى عَالٍ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
The music is somewhat loud.

Literally, صَوْتُ الْمُوسِيقَى means “the sound of the music.”

The everyday English translation “The music is somewhat loud” is more natural.

Example 7 — Being Busy

هُوَ مَشْغُولٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ الْيَوْمَ.
He is a bit busy today.

The core description is:

هُوَ مَشْغُولٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
He is a bit busy.

Then we add:

الْيَوْمَ
today

Example 8 — Clothing

هَذَا الْحِذَاءُ ضَيِّقٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This shoe is somewhat tight.

This is useful when shopping for clothes or shoes.

Pattern:

هَذَا الْحِذَاءُ + ضَيِّقٌ + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Example 9 — Location

الْمَطْعَمُ بَعِيدٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ عَنِ الْمَنْزِلِ.
The restaurant is a bit far from home.

Here, the basic description is:

الْمَطْعَمُ بَعِيدٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
The restaurant is a bit far.

Then:

عَنِ الْمَنْزِلِ
from home

adds the point of reference.

Example 10 — Speech

كَلَامُهُ سَرِيعٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
His speech is somewhat fast.

This could be useful when describing how someone speaks.

The expression does not change:

سَرِيعٌ + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

8. Common Mistakes English Speakers Should Avoid

Mistake 1 — Putting بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ Before the Adjective

English says:

somewhat expensive

The word somewhat comes before the adjective.

This may tempt an English speaker to copy the same order into Arabic.

For this target pattern, learn the Arabic order as:

غَالٍ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
somewhat expensive

Not as an English word-for-word sequence.

Think:

adjective first → بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ second

Mistake 2 — Forgetting Gender Agreement

Incorrect:

هَذِهِ الْقَهْوَةُ مُرٌّ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

Correct:

هَذِهِ الْقَهْوَةُ مُرَّةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This coffee is a bit bitter.

Because الْقَهْوَةُ is grammatically feminine, its adjective is also feminine:

مُرَّةٌ

Mistake 3 — Making the Predicate Adjective Definite

Compare these carefully:

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ.
This movie is long.

Here, طَوِيلٌ tells us something about the movie.

But:

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ الطَّوِيلُ
this long movie

Here, الطَّوِيلُ is part of the noun phrase describing which movie we mean.

For the sentence pattern in this lesson, use:

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This movie is a bit long.

Mistake 4 — Confusing بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ with “Very”

Compare:

الطَّعَامُ حَارٌّ جِدًّا.
The food is very spicy.

and:

الطَّعَامُ حَارٌّ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
The food is a little spicy.

These do not express the same degree.

جِدًّا strengthens the description.

بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ softens or limits it.

9. Real-Life Dialogues

Dialogue 1 — At a Coffee Shop

A: كَيْفَ الْقَهْوَةُ؟
How is the coffee?

B: هِيَ مُرَّةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ، وَلَكِنَّهَا جَيِّدَةٌ.
It is a bit bitter, but it is good.

Dialogue 2 — Talking About a Movie

A: هَلِ الْفِلْمُ جَيِّدٌ؟
Is the movie good?

B: نَعَمْ، وَلَكِنَّهُ طَوِيلٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
Yes, but it is a bit long.

Dialogue 3 — Asking About a Restaurant

A: هَلِ الْمَطْعَمُ قَرِيبٌ مِنْ هُنَا؟
Is the restaurant near here?

B: لَا، هُوَ بَعِيدٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
No, it is a little far.

Dialogue 4: Talking About Homework

A: هَلِ الْوَاجِبُ الْمَنْزِلِيُّ سَهْلٌ؟
Is the homework easy?

B: لَا، هُوَ صَعْبٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
No, it's somewhat difficult.

10. Practice

Practice 1 — Recognize the Meaning

Choose the best English meaning.

1.

هَذَا الطَّعَامُ حَارٌّ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

A. This food is very spicy.
B. This food is a little spicy.
C. This food is not spicy.

Answer: B — This food is a little spicy.

2.

الْقَهْوَةُ بَارِدَةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

A. The coffee is a little cold.
B. The coffee is very hot.
C. The coffee is ready.

Answer: A — The coffee is a little cold.

Practice 2 — Complete the Pattern

Add بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ to complete each sentence.

1.

هَذِهِ الْغُرْفَةُ صَغِيرَةٌ ____________.

This room is somewhat small.

Answer:

هَذِهِ الْغُرْفَةُ صَغِيرَةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

2.

الطَّرِيقُ مُزْدَحِمٌ ____________.

The road is a little busy.

Answer:

الطَّرِيقُ مُزْدَحِمٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

Practice 3 — Choose the Correct Form

1. You are describing a shoe.

Which sentence is correct?

A. هَذَا الْحِذَاءُ ضَيِّقَةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

B. هَذَا الْحِذَاءُ ضَيِّقٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

Answer: B

هَذَا الْحِذَاءُ ضَيِّقٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This shoe is a little tight.

الْحِذَاءُ is masculine, so we use ضَيِّقٌ.

2. You are describing a movie.

Which sentence is correct?

A. هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

B. هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلَةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

Answer: A

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This movie is somewhat long.

Practice 4 — Build the Sentence

Put the Arabic words in the correct order.

1.

مُرْتَفِعٌ / صَوْتُ التِّلْفَازِ / بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Answer:

صَوْتُ التِّلْفَازِ مُرْتَفِعٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
The TV is a little loud.

2.

بَارِدٌ / بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ / الْمَاءُ

Answer:

الْمَاءُ بَارِدٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
The water is a little cold.

Practice 5 — Translate into Arabic

Use بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

1.

This lesson is somewhat difficult.

Answer:

هَذَا الدَّرْسُ صَعْبٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

2.

The hotel is a little far from the airport.

Answer:

الْفُنْدُقُ بَعِيدٌ عَنِ الْمَطَارِ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.

Practice 6 — Personalize the Pattern

Now make sentences about your own life.

Use:

[Subject] + [Adjective] + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Food

Choose a food or drink and describe it.

Possible adjectives:

حَارٌّ / حَارَّةٌ
hot / spicy

بَارِدٌ / بَارِدَةٌ
cold

مُرٌّ / مُرَّةٌ
bitter

Example:

الْقَهْوَةُ مُرَّةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
The coffee is a little bitter.

Weather

Describe today’s weather.

Possible adjectives:

حَارٌّ
hot

بَارِدٌ
cold

Example:

الْجَوُّ حَارٌّ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
The weather is a little hot.

Your Home

Describe a room in your home.

Possible adjectives:

صَغِيرٌ / صَغِيرَةٌ
small

كَبِيرٌ / كَبِيرَةٌ
big

Example:

غُرْفَتِي صَغِيرَةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
My room is somewhat small.

Work or Study

Describe your work, class, or lesson.

Possible adjectives:

صَعْبٌ / صَعْبَةٌ
difficult

سَهْلٌ / سَهْلَةٌ
easy

Example:

هَذَا الدَّرْسُ صَعْبٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This lesson is somewhat difficult.

11. Use the Pattern in Your Own Sentences

Try completing these five sentences with information that is true for you.

1.

الْجَوُّ الْيَوْمَ ______ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
The weather today is somewhat ______.

2.

قَهْوَتِي ______ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
My coffee is somewhat ______.

3.

غُرْفَتِي ______ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
My room is somewhat ______.

4.

عَمَلِي ______ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
My work is somewhat ______.

5.

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ ______ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This movie is somewhat ______.

The goal is not to memorize ten finished sentences.

The goal is to make the structure reusable:

Subject + adjective + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

12. Quick Review

What does بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ mean?

بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
somewhat / a little / a bit

Where does it normally appear in the pattern taught here?

After the adjective:

صَعْبٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
somewhat difficult

بَارِدٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
a little cold

غَالٍ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ
a bit expensive

What is the reusable structure?

[Subject] + [Adjective] + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Example:

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ غَالٍ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This book is somewhat expensive.

Do you need an Arabic word for “is” in this type of present-tense sentence?

No.

Arabic:

الْقَهْوَةُ بَارِدَةٌ.

English:

The coffee is cold.

Does the adjective need to agree with the noun?

Yes.

Masculine:

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ.
This movie is long.

Feminine:

هَذِهِ الْمُشْكِلَةُ صَعْبَةٌ.
This problem is difficult.

Then simply add:

بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Conclusion

To express “somewhat,” “a little,” or “a bit” with an adjective in Modern Standard Arabic, a useful pattern is:

[Subject] + [Adjective] + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

For example:

هَذِهِ الْقَهْوَةُ مُرَّةٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This coffee is a bit bitter.

هَذَا الْفِلْمُ طَوِيلٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ.
This movie is a bit long.

الْمَطْعَمُ بَعِيدٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ عَنِ الْمَنْزِلِ.
The restaurant is a bit far from home.

هُوَ مَشْغُولٌ بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ الْيَوْمَ.
He is a bit busy today.

Instead of memorizing every sentence separately, remember the reusable pattern:

adjective + بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ

Once you can recognize that pattern, you can use it with many familiar adjectives to describe everyday situations more precisely.

Vocabulary List

Useful Expression

expression — بَعْضَ الشَّيْءِ: somewhat; a little; a bit

Nouns

الْقَهْوَةُ: coffee

الْجَوُّ: weather

الْفِلْمُ: movie / film

سَيَّارَةٌ: car

مُشْكِلَةٌ: problem

صَوْتٌ: sound / voice

الْمُوسِيقَى: music

حِذَاءٌ: shoe

مَطْعَمٌ: restaurant

مَنْزِلٌ: home / house

طَعَامٌ: food

غُرْفَةٌ: room

طَرِيقٌ: road

تِلْفَازٌ: television / TV

مَاءٌ: water

دَرْسٌ: lesson

فُنْدُقٌ: hotel

مَطَارٌ: airport

Adjectives

مُرٌّ / مُرَّةٌ: bitter

بَارِدٌ / بَارِدَةٌ: cold

طَوِيلٌ / طَوِيلَةٌ: long

قَدِيمٌ / قَدِيمَةٌ: old

صَعْبٌ / صَعْبَةٌ: difficult

عَالٍ / عَالِيَةٌ: high / loud

مَشْغُولٌ / مَشْغُولَةٌ: busy

ضَيِّقٌ / ضَيِّقَةٌ: tight / narrow

بَعِيدٌ / بَعِيدَةٌ: far

سَرِيعٌ / سَرِيعَةٌ: fast

حَارٌّ / حَارَّةٌ: hot / spicy

صَغِيرٌ / صَغِيرَةٌ: small

مُزْدَحِمٌ / مُزْدَحِمَةٌ: busy / crowded

مُرْتَفِعٌ / مُرْتَفِعَةٌ: high / loud