Language/Bengali/Grammar/Adjectives

Bengali Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Bengali learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be talking about adjectives in Bengali. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They give more information about the noun or pronoun they are describing. Understanding adjectives is crucial for anyone who wants to learn Bengali properly. In this lesson, we will be discussing Bengali adjectives in detail.

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Pronouns, Plurals, Temporal Prepositions & Give your Opinion.

What are Adjectives in Bengali?

Adjectives are known as "Bisheshana" in Bengali. They are used to add more details to a sentence. Adjectives in Bengali usually follow the noun or pronoun they are referring to, unlike in English where they are used before the noun.

Bengali adjectives can also be used to indicate the quantity of the noun or pronoun it is referring to, such as "ekta baalish" (one child), "dudhchini cha er cup" (a cup of spicy tea), etc.

Types of Adjectives in Bengali

Just like in English, there are different types of adjectives in Bengali. Some of them are:

Descriptive Adjectives

These type of adjectives describe the quality or nature of a noun or pronoun. There are many examples of descriptive adjectives in Bengali such as "sundor" (beautiful), "bhishon" (huge), "chhoto" (small), "buro" (old), "nobo" (new), etc.

Example:

• সে আকাশে উড়নার সুন্দর নাচ দেখে। (Se akashe udanar sundor nach dekhe.) - He saw a beautiful dance of flying in the sky.

Quantitative Adjectives

Quantitative adjectives are used to describe the quantity of a noun or pronoun. In Bengali, such adjectives include "ek" (one), "dui" (two), "teen" (three), "chaar" (four), "pach" (five), etc.

Example:

• একটি পিয়াজ আমাদের চরবাগানে লাগবে। (Ekti piyaj amader chorbaganey lagebe.) - We will plant one onion in our kitchen garden.

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to emphasize or identify a particular noun or pronoun. Such adjectives in Bengali include "ei" (this), "ata" (that), "sei" (that) and their plural forms.

Example:

• এই মহল্লাতে আমি ছয়বছর থেকে থাকি। (Ei mohallate ami chhoy bashor theke thaki.) - I have been living in this neighborhood for six years.

Interrogative Adjectives

Interrogative adjectives are used to ask questions about a particular noun or pronoun. In Bengali, such adjectives include "kon" (which), "koto" (how much/how many) and their variations.

Example:

• কোন বিশেষ কারণে তোমরা এখনো ঢুকে না ? (Kon bises kharonae tomra akhono dhuke na?) - For what special reason haven't you entered yet?

How to Use Adjectives in Bengali

Now that you know the different types of adjectives in Bengali, Here are some rules for using Bengali adjectives:

Agreement with Gender

Just like nouns and pronouns, adjectives in Bengali also agree in gender. If the noun or pronoun is male, the adjective should be in masculine gender and if the noun or pronoun is female, the adjective should be in feminine gender. If the noun or pronoun is neutral or common, either masculine or feminine adjectives can be used.

Example:

• একটি সুন্দর মেয়ে (Ekti sundor meye) - A beautiful girl (feminine adjective used)
• একটি সুন্দর ছেলে (Ekti sundor chele) - A beautiful boy (masculine adjective used)

Agreement with the Number

Similar to gender, adjectives in Bengali also agree with the number of the noun or pronoun they modify. If the noun is singular, the adjective should also be singular and if the noun is plural, the adjective should also be in plural.

Example:

• মমতা একটি সুন্দর মেয়ে। (Mamota ekti sundor meye) - Mamata is a beautiful girl. (singular adjective used)
• মমতারা সুন্দর বন্ধু। (Mamotara sundor bondhu) - Mamata's friends are beautiful. (plural adjective used)

Agreement with Cases

In Bengali, there are four cases of nouns: Nominative, Accusative, Dative, and Genitive. Adjectives have to agree with the case of the noun or pronoun they modify.

Example:

• সে আমাদের সম্পর্কে বাড়দিনের উপহার দেবে। (Se amader shomporke barodin er upohar debe) - He will give us a gift on Christmas. (Accusative case of "barodin" requires the use of "er" to agree with the case. The noun "upohar" is singular and the adjective "sundor" is masculine in gender so it agrees with the noun gender and number wise .)

Examples

Here are some examples of adjectives in Bengali:

Bengali	Pronunciation	English
একটি সুন্দর শিশু।	Ekti sundor shishu	A beautiful child.
একটি বড় পাহাড়।	Ekti bor pahar	A big mountain.
আমাদের গাড়ি নতুন।	Amader gari notun	Our car is new.
তুমি ভালবাসো।	Tumi valobasho	You love. (The adjective here is indicating a state, as is common with personal nature adjectives in Bengali)
আমি শীত সময় চটপটিয়া খাব।	Ami shit shomoy chotpotiya khabo	I will eat spicy snacks in winter. (the adjective in this line indicates a state of the food, i.e, that it is spicy.)

Dialogue

Here's a dialogue to see how adjectives are used in context.

• মিলন: তোমার মা কেমন মানুষ? (Milan: Tomar Ma kemon manush? - Milan: What kind of person is your mother?)
• ফাহিম: আমার মা একটি মেধাবী মহিলা এবং অত্যন্ত মধুর মিষ্টি মনের রসালো মানুষ। (Fahim: Amar ma ekti medhabee mohila ebong atyonto modhuor misti moner rassalo manush - Fahim: My mother is an intelligent woman and a very sweet-natured person.)

Conclusion

Adjectives are essential in Bengali and necessary for clear communication in the language. In this lesson, we learned the different types of adjectives and how they can be used in sentences. It is essential to practice using adjectives in Bengali to become fluent. Don't forget to visit Polyglot Club to find native speakers and ask them any questions you may have about Bengali. You can also visit the Grammar section and other Bengali language pages on Bengali for additional lessons and resources.

---

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: Bengali Grammar → Adverbs → Adverbial Phrases, Types of Adjectives & Comparison.

Other Lessons

• Conditional Mood
• Negation
• Questions
• Pronouns
• How to Use Be
• Future Tense
• Nouns
• Give your Opinion
• Plurals

Sources

• 52 Learn Bengali Adjective Words ideas | adjective words ...