Language/Jamaican-creole-english/Grammar/Adjectives
Hi Jamaican Creole English learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on adjectives in Jamaican Creole English. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They help to give more information about the noun or pronoun that they are describing. For example, "the red apple" - "red" is the adjective that describes the apple.
Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Plurals & Give your Opinion.
Basic Adjectives[edit | edit source]
Adjectives in Jamaican Creole English are usually placed after the noun they describe. Here is a list of some basic adjectives in Jamaican Creole English:
| Jamaican Creole English | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| big | /bɪg/ | big |
| likkle | /lɪkəl/ | little |
| tall | /tɔl/ | tall |
| shart | /ʃɑrt/ | short |
| blak | /blæk/ | black |
| braun | /brɑn/ | brown |
| yella | /jɛlə/ | yellow |
| grene | /grin/ | green |
| wei | /we/ | white |
Let's use some of these adjectives in sentences:
- A big house. (A large house.)
- A likkle dog. (A small dog.)
- A tall tree. (A tree of great height.)
- A shart person. (A person of small height.)
- Mi hav a blak car. (I have a black car.)
- Di woman hav braun skin. (The woman has brown skin.)
- Di banana dem yella. (The bananas are yellow.)
- Di grass dem grene. (The grass is green.)
- Di snow wei. (The snow is white.)
Comparative Adjectives[edit | edit source]
Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things. In Jamaican Creole English, comparative adjectives are formed by adding "-a" or "-er" to the end of the adjective. For example, "bigga" or "bigger" means "larger" or "more big" in English.
Here are some examples of comparative adjectives:
| Jamaican Creole English | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| fast | /fɑst/ | fast |
| slow | /slo/ | slow |
| long | /lɑŋ/ | long |
| short | /ʃɔrt/ | short |
| hot | /hɑt/ | hot |
| cold | /koʊld/ | cold |
- Di cara dem fasta dan di baiik.
(The cars are faster than the bikes.)
- Di turtle dem slowa dan di snail.
(The turtles are slower than the snails.)
- Di rivva longa dan di road.
(The river is longer than the road.)
- Mi hair shorta dan yu hair.
(My hair is shorter than your hair.)
- Di sun hota dan di moon.
(The sun is hotter than the moon.)
- Di weada colda dan di fiya.
(The weather is colder than the fire.)
Superlative Adjectives[edit | edit source]
Superlative adjectives are used to describe the highest degree of something. In Jamaican Creole English, superlative adjectives are formed by adding "-es" or "-est" to the end of the adjective. For example, "bigges" or "biggest" means "largest" or "most big" in English.
Here are some examples of superlative adjectives:
| Jamaican Creole English | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| strongest | /stroŋges/ | strongest |
| highest | /haɪges/ | highest |
| biggest | /bɪgges/ | biggest |
| smallest | /smɔlles/ | smallest |
| fastest | /fɑstes/ | fastest |
| slowest | /sloʊest/ | slowest |
- Di man dem from di mountain dem the strongest.
(The men from the mountains are the strongest.)
- Di bird dem fly the highest inna di sky.
(The birds fly the highest in the sky.)
- Di building dem the biggest inna di city.
(The buildings are the biggest in the city.)
- Di ant dem the smallest insect inna di world.
(The ants are the smallest insect in the world.)
- Di cheetah dem the fastest animal inna di world.
(The cheetahs are the fastest animal in the world.)
- Di snail dem the slowest animal inna di world.
(The snails are the slowest animal in the world.)
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
- Person 1: Di baiik dem slo________. (The bikes are slow.)
- Person 2: Yu fraida fi ride wan baiik? (Are you afraid to ride a bike?)
- Person 1: No sah, mi jus sey dem slo________. (No, I just said they are slow.)
- Person 2: Yu like di fast ting dem. (You like things that are fast.)
- Person 1: Yes, mi lov wen di car dem a drive bus up di road. (Yes, I love when the cars are driving fast on the road.)
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
Now that you have learned about adjectives in Jamaican Creole English, you can practice forming sentences with them. To improve your Jamaican Creole English Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! To learn more about Jamaican Creole English Grammar, visit the Polyglot Club website Grammar section.
➡ 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. 😎
With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: How to Use Have & How to Use Be.