Difference between revisions of "Language/Amharic/Grammar/Comparatives-and-Superlatives"
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==Related Lessons== | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/Direct-and-Indirect-Object-Affixes|Direct and Indirect Object Affixes]] | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/Nouns-and-Pronouns|Nouns and Pronouns]] | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/Expressing-Possession|Expressing Possession]] | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/The-Possessive-Forms-(second-method)|The Possessive Forms (second method)]] | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/Comparing-and-Contrasting|Comparing and Contrasting]] | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/Simple-Gerundive|Simple Gerundive]] | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/Object-Pronouns|Object Pronouns]] | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/Making-Suggestions-Using-“Let”|Making Suggestions Using “Let”]] | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/The-Simple-Past|The Simple Past]] | |||
* [[Language/Amharic/Grammar/Negation|Negation]] | |||
{{Amharic-Page-Bottom}} | {{Amharic-Page-Bottom}} |
Revision as of 20:41, 22 March 2023
Comparatives and Superlatives are quite useful in any language. In Amharic, they are created using specific structures known to native speakers. In this lesson, you will learn how to make comparisons and express the highest degree of a quality using comparatives and superlatives in Amharic.
Formation of Comparatives
In Amharic, comparatives are formed by adding a suffix to the adjective. Below are the most common suffixes used in creating comparatives:
- -ብቻ (-becha)
- -ብር (-bir)
- -ማ (-ma)
Using -ብቻ (-becha)
The suffix -ብቻ (-becha) is used to create comparatives for adjectives that have two syllables or more. To create a comparative using this suffix, remove the last vowel of the adjective and add -ብቻ (-becha) instead. Here are some examples:
Amharic | Pronunciation | English | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ልጅ | Lij | Small Boy | ልጅ-ብቻ | Lij-becha | Smaller Boy |
ቆሎ | Kollo | Big | ቆሎ-ብቻ | Kollo-becha | Bigger |
ብልግግር | Biliggir | Impressive | ብልግግር-ብቻ | Biliggir-becha | More Impressive |
Using -ብር (-bir)
The suffix -ብር (-bir) is used to create comparatives for adjectives that end with a vowel. To create a comparative using this suffix, add -ብር (-bir) after the adjective. Here are some examples:
Amharic | Pronunciation | English | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ቀይ | Kya | Narrow | ቀይ-ብር | Kya-bir | Narrower |
ብርቱካን | Birtukankan | Brave | ብርቱካን-ብር | Birtukankan-bir | Braver |
ሸምበቆ | Shambeko | Lazy | ሸምበቆ-ብር | Shambeko-bir | Lazier |
Using -ማ (-ma)
The suffix -ማ (-ma) is used to create comparatives for one-syllable adjectives. To create a comparative using this suffix, double the last consonant and add -ማ (-ma) to the end. Here are some examples:
Amharic | Pronunciation | English | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ትርጉም | Tergum | Simple | ትርጉም-ማ | Tergum-ma | Simpler |
ጅብ | Jib | Dry | ጅብ-ማ | Jib-ma | Drier |
ዝንባሌ | Zenbale | Sweet | ዝንባሌ-ማ | Zenbale-ma | Sweeter |
Formation of Superlatives
In Amharic, superlatives are formed using the suffix -ዋል (-wal). Here's how to form superlatives:
For adjectives that have two syllables or more, add -ዋል (-wal) to the end of the comparative form of the adjective.
For instance,
- ልጅ-ብቻ (Lij-becha) – Smaller Boy
- ልጅ-ብቻ-ዋል (Lij-becha-wal) – The Smallest Boy
For one-syllable adjectives, change the last consonant to its corresponding labialized consonant and add -ዋል (-wal) to the end.
For example,
- ዝንባለ (Zenbale) – Sweet
- ዝንባለውያን (Zenbale-wyayan) – Sweeter
- ዝንባለ-ዋል (Zenbale-wal) – The Sweetest
Vocabulary
Here are some adjectives to help you practice:
Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
ቀይ | Kya | Narrow |
ቆሎ | Kollo | Big |
ልጅ | Lij | Small Boy |
ማማይ | Mamay | Tall |
ሰማይ | Semay | High |
ሸልቆ | Shelko | Slim |
ብርቱካን | Birtukankan | Brave |
አፍቅር | Afkire | Loving |
Here are the comparatives and superlatives:
Amharic | Pronunciation | English | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ቀይ | Kya | Narrow | ||||||
ቀይ-ብር | Kya-bir | Narrower | ቀይ-ብር-ዋል | Kya-bir-wal | The Narrowest | |||
ቆሎ | Kollo | Big | ቆሎ-ብቻ | Kollo-becha | Bigger | ቆሎ-ብቻ-ዋል | Kollo-becha-wal | The Biggest |
ልጅ | Lij | Small Boy | ልጅ-ብቻ | Lij-becha | Smaller Boy | ልጅ-ብቻ-ዋል | Lij-becha-wal | The Smallest Boy |
ማማይ | Mamay | Tall | ማማይ-ብቻ | Mamay-becha | Taller | ማማይ-ብቻ-ዋል | Mamay-becha-wal | The Tallest |
ሰማይ | Semay | High | ሰማይ-ብቻ | Semay-becha | Higher | ሰማይ-ብቻ-ዋል | Semay-becha-wal | The Highest |
ሸልቆ | Shelko | Slim | ሸልቆ-ብቻ | Shelko-becha | Slimmer | ሸልቆ-ብቻ-ዋል | Shelko-becha-wal | The Slimmest |
ብርቱካን | Birtukankan | Brave | ብርቱካን-ብር | Birtukankan-bir | Braver | ብርቱካን-ብር-ዋል | Birtukankan-bir-wal | The Bravest |
አፍቅር | Afkire | Loving | አፍቅረ-ብቻ | Afkire-becha | More Loving | አፍቅረ-ብቻ-ዋል | Afkire-becha-wal | The Most Loving |
Congratulations! You can now make comparisons and express the highest degree of a quality using comparatives and superlatives in Amharic!
Related Lessons
- Direct and Indirect Object Affixes
- Nouns and Pronouns
- Expressing Possession
- The Possessive Forms (second method)
- Comparing and Contrasting
- Simple Gerundive
- Object Pronouns
- Making Suggestions Using “Let”
- The Simple Past
- Negation