Language/Haitian/Grammar/Agreement-of-Adjectives

Haitian Grammar → Adjectives → Agreement of Adjectives

As a Haitian language teacher with 20 years of experience, I'm excited to teach you today about adjectives and their agreement in Haitian language. Adjectives describe the characteristics of the nouns they modify, and it's important to ensure that they match in gender and number to maintain proper grammar in your sentences.

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Future Tense Future Actions & Word Order in Simple Sentences.

Understanding Gender and Number in Haitian Adjectives

In Haitian, adjectives agree in both gender and number with the noun they modify. This means that for masculine nouns, the adjective must be in the masculine form and for feminine nouns, the adjective must be in the feminine form.

Here are some examples:

Haitian	Pronunciation	English Translation
yon bon gason	yon bo(n) ga-son	a good boy
yon bèl fanm	yon be(l) fa-nm	a beautiful woman

As you can see from the examples above, the word "bon" is in the masculine form to match the masculine noun "gason," while the word "bèl" is in the feminine form to match the feminine noun "fanm."

In addition to gender, adjectives in Haitian also agree in number with the noun they modify. This means that if the noun is singular, the adjective should also be in the singular form, and if the noun is plural, the adjective should be in the plural form.

Here are some examples:

Haitian	Pronunciation	English Translation
yon ti kay	yon ti ka-ye	a small house
plizyè gwo batay	pli-zye gwo ba-tay	several big battles

In the first example, the word "ti" is in the singular form to match the singular noun "kay," while in the second example, "gwo" is in the plural form to match the plural noun "batay."

How to Form Adjectives in Haitian

In Haitian, adjectives are formed by adding a suffix to the noun they modify. The suffix -e is added for feminine nouns, while the suffix -an is added for masculine nouns.

Here are some examples:

Haitian	Pronunciation	English Translation
yon chanm klè	yon chanm kle	a clear room
yon machin nwa	yon ma-sin nwa	a black car

In the first example, the word "klè" is formed by adding the -e suffix to the feminine noun "chanm." In the second example, the word "nwa" is formed by adding the -an suffix to the masculine noun "machin."

It's also important to note that some adjectives in Haitian do not follow the same rules as others. For example, the adjective "moun" meaning "human" does not change its form regardless of the noun's gender, and the adjective "differan" meaning "different" does not change its form regardless of the noun's number.

Exceptions to Agreement in Haitian Adjectives

While it's important to ensure proper agreement between adjectives and the nouns they modify, there are a few exceptions to the rule in Haitian language.

One of these exceptions is when an adjective is used after the noun, it does not have to agree in gender and number. For example, "ti gason yo" (the small boys) and "ti fi yo" (the small girls) can become "yo ti gason" (the boys are small) and "yo ti fi" (the girls are small) respectively.

Another exception is when the adjective is used as an adverb to describe the verb, it does not have to agree in gender or number with the noun. For example, "Mwen gade lòt moun. Yo bèl" (I look at other people. They are beautiful) where "bèl" is used as an adverb to describe "yo."

Practice Exercise

To reinforce the agreement of adjectives in Haitian, practice the following exercises:

• Change the following adjectives to match the gender and number of the noun they modify:

1. "gwo mòn yo" (the big mountains) becomes "yo gwo mòn"
2. "nouvo jwèt la" (the new game) becomes "la nouvo jwèt"
3. "jòn kay la" (the yellow house) becomes "la jòn kay"
4. "bèl ti fi yo" (the beautiful little girls) becomes "yo bèl ti fi"

• Translate the following sentences from English to Haitian:

1. "The smart boy"
2. "The pretty flowers"
3. "The old cars"
4. "The tall trees"

Conclusion

In conclusion, it's important to ensure proper agreement between adjectives and the nouns they modify in Haitian language. Remember to match the gender and number of the adjective with the noun, and to also take note of the exceptions to this rule. Keep practicing and soon you'll be able to form grammatically correct sentences like a native Haitian speaker!

Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Questions & Progressive Tense Ongoing Actions.

Table of Contents - Haitian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Nouns and Articles

• Gender of Nouns
• Plural of Nouns
• Definite and Indefinite Articles

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Verbs

• Verb Conjugation - Present
• Negation of Verbs
• Interrogative Form of Verbs

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Adjectives

• Agreement of Adjectives
• Position of Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Forms of Adjectives

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Pronouns

• Subject Pronouns
• Object Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

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Basic Sentence Structure

• Word Order in Simple Sentences
• Negative Sentences
• Questions

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Verb Tenses

• Past Tense - Completed Actions
• Progressive Tense - Ongoing Actions
• Future Tense - Future Actions

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Greetings and Introductions

• Greetings
• Introductions
• Nationalities and Languages

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Numbers and Time

• Cardinal Numbers
• Ordinal Numbers
• Time Expressions

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Food and Drink

• Fruits and Vegetables
• Meats and Seafood
• Drinks

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Haitian History and Geography

• Haitian Independence
• Haitian Geography
• Haitian Holidays

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Haitian Art and Music

• Haitian Painters
• Haitian Music Styles
• Haitian Dance

Other Lessons

• Interrogative Form of Verbs
• Negation of Verbs
• Past Tense Completed Actions
• Adjectives
• Subject Pronouns
• Questions
• Position of Adjectives
• Conditional Mood
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Pronouns

Sources

• Language Haitian Creole - APiCS Online