Language/Tagalog/Grammar/Adjectives

Tagalog Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Tagalog learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about adjectives in Tagalog. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They can provide more information and detail about the noun they are describing. This is a crucial part of the Tagalog language, so let's dive in!

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Tagalog Grammar → Verbs → Irregular Verbs, Tagalog Grammar: Introduction to Tagalog: Past and Present Tenses, Plurals & Question Words.

Basic Adjectives

In Tagalog, adjectives come after the noun they are describing. They are not subject to gender or number, so they stay the same regardless of whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. Here is an example:

Tagalog	Pronunciation	English
bahay malaki	bahay ma-la-ki	big house

As you can see in the example, the adjective "malaki" (big) comes after the noun "bahay" (house).

It is important to note that in Tagalog, there is no equivalent to the verb "to be" in English when using adjectives. For example, in English, we say "The house is big". In Tagalog, we simply say "Malaki ang bahay".

Here are a few more basic adjectives:

Tagalog	Pronunciation	English
mabait	ma-bait	kind
masarap	ma-sa-rap	delicious
maganda	ma-gan-da	beautiful
malinis	ma-li-nis	clean
mabango	ma-ban-go	fragrant
mabilis	ma-bi-lis	fast, quick

Comparison of Adjectives

In Tagalog, adjectives have two comparative forms: the comparative form and the superlative form.

Comparative Form

To form the comparative form, add "mas" before the adjective. We use the comparative form when comparing two things. Here is an example:

Person 1: "Mas malaki ang bahay ko kaysa sa bahay mo." (My house is bigger than your house.)

In this example, we used the comparative form of "malaki" (big) by adding "mas" before it. We can also use the word "higit" which means more.

Person 2: "Oo, higit na malaki nga ang bahay mo sa bahay ko." (Yes, your house is bigger than mine.)

Superlative Form

To form the superlative form, add "pinaka" before the adjective. We use the superlative form when we want to say that something is the most or the best. Here is an example:

Person 1: "Pinakamalaki ang bahay namin sa buong barangay." (Our house is the biggest in the whole barangay.)

In this example, we used the superlative form of "malaki" (big) by adding "pinaka" before it. We can also use the word "nangunguna" which means leading.

Person 2: "Wow, nangunguna nga ang bahay nyo sa buong barangay." (Wow, your house is really leading in the whole barangay.)

Here are a few more examples of adjectives in comparative and superlative form:

Tagalog	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
mabait	mas mabait	pinakamabait
masarap	mas masarap	pinakamasarap
maganda	mas maganda	pinakamaganda
malinis	mas malinis	pinakamalinis
mabango	mas mabango	pinakamabango
mabilis	mas mabilis	pinakamabilis

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to point out or indicate a specific noun. In Tagalog, there are three demonstrative adjectives: "ito", "iyan", and "iyon".

Tagalog	Pronunciation	English
ito	i-to	this, this one (near the speaker)
iyan	i-yan	that, that one (near the person being spoken to)
iyon	i-yon	that, that one (far from both the speaker and listener)

Here is an example dialogue that uses the demonstrative adjectives:

Person 1: "Anong panindang iyan?" (What product is that?) Person 2: "Ito po ang aming pinakamabenta." (This one is our best-seller.)

In this example, Person 1 uses "iyan" to refer to the product they are asking about, and Person 2 uses "ito" to refer to the best-seller product they are answering about.

Interrogative Adjectives

Interrogative adjectives are used to ask questions about a noun. In Tagalog, the interrogative adjective is "anong". This is equivalent to the English word "what".

Here is an example dialogue that uses the interrogative adjectives:

Person 1: "Anong pinakamasarap na ulam sa restaurant na iyon?" (What is the most delicious dish in that restaurant?) Person 2: "Ang pinakamasarap na ulam sa restaurant na iyon ay ang kare-kare." (The most delicious dish in that restaurant is kare-kare.)

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➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Other Lessons

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

Sources

• Tagalog Adjectives: Neutral Forms - Tagalog Language SEASite
• Tagalog grammar - Wikipedia
• An Easy Guide To Tagalog Adjectives: 3 Major Tips | by Ling Learn ...