Language/Zulu/Grammar/Adjectives

Zulu Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Zulu learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about adjectives in Zulu language. An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun.

Types of Adjectives

In Zulu, there are two types of adjectives: descriptive and qualitative.

Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives describe or modify the noun. In Zulu language, descriptive adjectives are placed before the noun they describe.

Here are some examples:

Zulu	Pronunciation	English
ubuhle	u-ɓuhle	beauty
omuhle	o-muɦle	beautiful
inkondlo	in-kondlo	poem
enkulu	en-kulu	big
iqhawe	i-ɬawe	brave
empofu	em-poɸu	thin

Here is a dialogue to demonstrate the use of descriptive adjectives:

• Person 1: Umfana omuhle yathi kuthiwa uthanda ukudlala ingoma. (The beautiful boy is said to love to play music.)
• Person 2: Uxolo, anginalutho ngokuba lokhu kuyangifunza. (Alright, I have nothing to say about this as I am learning from it.)

Qualitative Adjectives

Qualitative adjectives express the quality or condition of the noun. These adjectives do not describe the physical appearance of the noun but rather provide some quality or attribute about it. In Zulu, qualitative adjectives are placed after the noun they describe.

Here are some examples:

Zulu	Pronunciation	English
inkulumo enhle	in-kulumo e-nhle	good advice
imbadada emnandi	im-ba-da-da em-na-ndi	delicious food
isibongo esisha	isi-bo-ngo e-si-ʃa	new name
umlando ohamba phambili	um-lan-do o-ɦa-mba phi-li	progressive history
ibutho elide	i-ɓu-ɬo e-ɬi-de	winning team

Here is a dialogue to demonstrate the use of qualitative adjectives:

• Person 1: Ngizokwethula imvelaphi yendoda emncane yakhona. (I will summarize the biography of that little man.)
• Person 2: Ngiyabonga kakhulu, ngigcwele kakhulu ukthi awavele ebusuku. (Thank you very much, and congratulations to him for arriving at night.)

Placement of Adjectives

As mentioned before, the placement of adjectives depends on the type of adjective used. In Zulu language, descriptive adjectives come before the noun they describe while qualitative adjectives come after the noun.

Here is an example to show the difference:

• igolide elide || i-goli-de e-ɬi-de || winning gold (qualitative)
• igolide elikhulu || i-goli-de e-ɬi-kulu || big gold (descriptive)

Comparison of Adjectives

In Zulu language, comparison of adjectives is done by adding prefixes or suffixes to the root word. There are two forms of comparison: comparative and superlative.

Comparative Form

The comparative form is used to compare two nouns or pronouns. The comparative form is formed by adding the prefix "nga-" to the adjective. For example:

Zulu	Pronunciation	English
ukhulu	u-ɬu-lu	big
ngakho	ŋa-ɓo	therefore
ungakhulumi ngcono ngalento	u-ŋa-ɬu-mi ŋco-no ŋa-le-nto	You are not speaking better about this subject

Here is a dialogue to demonstrate the comparative form:

• Person 1: Kukhona odla isinkwa ngcono kulabo abadla amanqina. (There are those who eat chicken better than those who eat grapes.)
• Person 2: Noma kanjalo kuyokusiza ukuqhathanisa kanye abathandi bezinkwa. (Even so, it will help you compare chicken lovers.)

Superlative Form

The superlative form is used to compare three or more nouns or pronouns. The superlative form is formed by adding the prefix "kwa-" to the adjective. For example:

Zulu	Pronunciation	English
ukhulu	u-ɬu-lu	big
kwakho	kwa-ɓo	therefore
kwaso sonke	kwa-so so-nke	all the best

Here is a dialogue to demonstrate the superlative form:

• Person 1: Umuntu ungakhulumi ngcono kulomuntu nomuntu oyisikhulu kakhulu. (A person who doesn't speak better than this person and this very big person.)
• Person 2: Kwaso sonke, ngiyabonga. (All the best, thank you.)

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have learned about adjectives in the Zulu language. Remember that there are two types of adjectives: descriptive and qualitative. Descriptive adjectives come before the noun while qualitative adjectives come after the noun. The comparison of adjectives is done by adding prefixes or suffixes to the root word for comparative and superlative forms.

To improve your Zulu Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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