Language/Cebuano/Grammar/Adjectives

Cebuano Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Cebuano learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on adjectives in the Cebuano language. Adjectives are essential in building sentences as they are used to describe nouns.

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Future Tense, Pronouns, How to Use Be & Questions.

What are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They give more information about the noun, such as its size, shape, color, texture, and more.

In Cebuano, adjectives are usually placed after the noun, which is different from English where the adjective typically comes before the noun. This means that in Cebuano, the phrase "blue car" would be "awit nga nindot" (nindot means "beautiful").

To further understand adjectives in the Cebuano language, take a look at the table below:

Cebuano	Pronunciation	English
gamay	gah-mahy	small
dakung	dah-koong	big
matahum	ma-ta-hoom	beautiful

In the table above, the first column shows the Cebuano word for the adjective, the second column shows the pronunciation, and the third column shows the English translation.

Types of Adjectives

There are several types of adjectives in the Cebuano language, and we will discuss each one below:

Descriptive Adjectives

These are adjectives that describe the physical characteristics of a noun, such as size, shape, and color.

For example:

• Ang bag-ong balay nga puti ug dako. (The new house that is white and big.)

In the sentence above, "puti" (white) and "dako" (big) are descriptive adjectives that describe the noun "balay" (house).

Quantitative Adjectives

These are adjectives that describe the quantity of a noun, such as "many", "few", "all", and "some".

For example:

• Daghan kaayo ug tao ang nag-abot. (Many people have arrived.)

In the sentence above, "daghan" (many) is a quantitative adjective that describes the noun "tao" (people).

Demonstrative Adjectives

These are adjectives that point to and identify a specific noun, such as "this", "that", "these", and "those". They are often used with the words "niini", "niana", "niadtong", "kini", "kana", "kadto", and "atong".

For example:

• Kini nga prutas labihan ka tam-is. (This fruit is very sweet.)

In the sentence above, "kini" (this) is a demonstrative adjective that describes the noun "prutas" (fruit).

Possessive Adjectives

These are adjectives that indicate possession or ownership, such as "my", "your", "his", "her", "its", "our", and "their". They are often used with the words "akong", "imong", "iyang", "ato", and "ila".

For example:

• Akong maayong kauban siya. (He is my good companion.)

In the sentence above, "akong" (my) is a possessive adjective that describes the noun "kauban" (companion).

Interrogative Adjectives

These are adjectives that are used to ask questions about a noun. They are often used with the words "unsa", "kinsa", "asa", and "pila".

For example:

• Unsa kining imong gibuhat? (What is this thing that you are doing?)

In the sentence above, "unsa" (what) is an interrogative adjective that describes the noun "gibuhat" (doing).

Comparison of Adjectives

In Cebuano, adjectives can be compared using the following words:

• labing (most)
• pinakalabing (the most)
• mas (more)
• mas labaw (more than)
• labaw (beyond)
• sama (equal)
• ubos (less)
• ubos pa (less than)

For example:

• Ang kahoy nga pinakalabing dakung kahoy. (The tree that is the biggest tree.)
• Ang balay mas nindot kaysa sa akoang balay. (The house is more beautiful than my house.)
• Ang bataa labaw pa sa iyang tatay sa pagkatahom. (The child is more beautiful than his father.)

Practice: Dialogue

To further enhance your understanding of adjectives in the Cebuano language, here's a dialogue between two friends:

• Person 1: Musta man ang imong pagkaon? (How's your food?)
• Person 2: Humok kaayo ug lami. (It's very fragrant and delicious.)
• Person 1: Unsa nga pagkaon? (What dish?)
• Person 2: Adobo nga binisaya. (Adobo Cebuano-style.)

In the dialogue above, "humok" (fragrant) describes the noun "pagkaon" (food), while "lami" (delicious) describes the same noun. Then, "adobo nga binisaya" (Adobo Cebuano-style) functions as a descriptive adjective that modifies the noun "pagkaon".

Conclusion

Now that you have a better understanding of adjectives in the Cebuano language, practice using them in your daily conversations. Don't forget to make use of Polyglot Club to find native speakers and ask them any questions you may have about learning Cebuano. Remember that developing your Cebuano grammar takes time, but it's worth it! 😊

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➡ 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. 😎

Well done on mastering this lesson! Don't miss these related pages to expand your knowledge: Say Hello and Greetings in Cebuano, Plurals & Give your Opinion.

Other Lessons

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

Sources

• Cebuano grammar - Wikipedia
• Cebuano Grammar Notes - Project MUSE
• Category:Cebuano adjectives - Wiktionary