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<div class="pg_page_title">Zulu Grammar - Adjectives</div>
<div class="pg_page_title">Zulu Grammar - Adjectives</div>
Hi Zulu learners! 😊<br>In today's lesson, we will be discussing adjectives in Zulu. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns and pronouns. They can be used to give more information about the noun or pronoun they are describing. In Zulu, adjectives are usually placed after the noun or pronoun they are describing.  
 
Hi [https://polyglotclub.com/language/zulu Zulu] learners! 😊<br>In this lesson, we will learn about adjectives in Zulu language. An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun.


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__TOC__


== Adjective Formation ==
== 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:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! 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:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! 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)


Adjectives in Zulu are formed by adding a prefix to the noun or pronoun they are describing. The prefixes used depend on the gender of the noun or pronoun. For example, if the noun or pronoun is masculine, the prefix "umu-" is added. If the noun or pronoun is feminine, the prefix "umu-" is added.
== Comparison of Adjectives ==


=== Masculine 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.


Masculine adjectives are formed by adding the prefix "umu-" to the noun or pronoun they are describing. For example, the word "umuntu" (person) becomes "umuntu-muntu" (a good person).
=== Comparative Form ===


=== Feminine Adjectives ===
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:


Feminine adjectives are formed by adding the prefix "umu-" to the noun or pronoun they are describing. For example, the word "umntwana" (child) becomes "umntwana-mntwana" (a good child).
{| class="wikitable"
! 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
|}


== Adjective Placement ==
Here is a dialogue to demonstrate the comparative form:


Adjectives in Zulu are usually placed after the noun or pronoun they are describing. For example, the phrase "umuntu muntu" (a good person) would be written as "umuntu-muntu".
* 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.)


== Examples ==
=== Superlative Form ===


Here are some examples of adjectives in Zulu:  
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:


* umuntu-muntu (a good person)
{| class="wikitable"
* umntwana-mntwana (a good child)
! Zulu !! Pronunciation !! English
* umlomo-mlomo (a wise person)
|-
* umlilo-mlilo (a hot fire)
| ukhulu || u-ɬu-lu || big
* umshado-mshado (a beautiful bride)
|-
| kwakho || kwa-ɓo || therefore
|-
| kwaso sonke || kwa-so so-nke || all the best
|}


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


==Videos==
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.


===Adjective '-hle' Beautiful / Good - How to speak isiZulu. Learn Zulu ...===
To improve your [[Language/Zulu|Zulu]] [[Language/Zulu/Grammar|Grammar]], you can also use the [https://polyglotclub.com Polyglot Club] website. [https://polyglotclub.com/find-friends.php?search=send&d=0&f=36&offre1=146 Find native speakers] and ask them any [https://polyglotclub.com/language/zulu/question questions]!
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3SPKip3YdY</youtube>


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


==Related Lessons==
{{#seo:
* [[Language/Zulu/Grammar/Adverbs-of-place|Adverbs of place]]
|title=Zulu Grammar - Adjectives
* [[Language/Zulu/Grammar/Conditional-Mood|Conditional Mood]]
|keywords=Zulu, grammar, adjectives, descriptive adjectives, qualitative adjectives, comparison, superlative, comparative
* [[Language/Zulu/Grammar/Gender|Gender]]
|description=In this lesson, we will learn about adjectives in Zulu language. An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun.
* [[Language/Zulu/Grammar/Verbs|Verbs]]
}}
* [[Language/Zulu/Grammar/Questions|Questions]]
* [[Language/Zulu/Grammar/Feminine|Feminine]]
* [[Language/Zulu/Grammar/Negation|Negation]]
* [[Language/Zulu/Grammar/Adverbs-of-frequency|Adverbs of frequency]]
* [[Language/Zulu/Grammar/Adverbs-of-manner|Adverbs of manner]]


{{Zulu-Page-Bottom}}
{{Zulu-Page-Bottom}}

Revision as of 16:11, 2 March 2023

Zulu.jpg
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!


➡ 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. 😎