Difference between revisions of "Language/Tigrinya/Grammar/Noun-Gender-and-Plurality"
m (Quick edit) |
(No difference)
|
Revision as of 16:20, 31 March 2023
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about the gender and plurality of Tigrinya nouns.
Nouns in Tigrinya can be masculine or feminine, and singular or plural. It is important to understand the rules for forming masculine and feminine nouns, as well as singular and plural nouns, in order to use Tigrinya correctly.
Noun Gender
Unlike English, Tigrinya has gendered nouns. Nouns can either be masculine or feminine. The gender of a noun is not always predictable, and in some cases, you must learn the gender of a noun by heart. However, some common rules apply.
Formation of Masculine Nouns
The formation of masculine nouns is relatively straightforward. In general, masculine nouns end in -a, -e, -i, -o, or -u. Here are some examples:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ዓላማ (alama) | a-'la-ma | world |
| መዓልቲ (ma'alti) | ma-'a-l-ti | key |
| ሓበሻ (habeša) | ha-be-ʃa | Ethiopian |
| ዓቂብ (aqib) | a-'qib | person |
Formation of Feminine Nouns
The formation of feminine nouns is a bit more complex. In general, feminine nouns are formed by adding -t or -it to the end of the masculine form. Here are some examples:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ወስኽድ (weskhid) | we-sk'id | key |
| ወስኽድታ (weskhidta) | we-sk'id-ta | the key |
| ኣደይ (adiy) | a-di-y | guest |
| ኣደይታ (adiyta) | a-di-y-ta | the guest |
Exceptions
As with any language, there are exceptions to the rules. Some nouns do not follow the standard gender rules. For example, the word "mother" (ኣቢሎም, abilom) is masculine, while the word "father" (ኣይት, ait) is feminine.
Noun Plurality
Nouns in Tigrinya can be singular or plural. Here are the rules for forming the plural:
Formation of Singular Nouns
The singular form of a noun is the basic, singular version of the word. In general, singular nouns end in -a, -e, -i, -o, or -u. Here are some examples:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| በዓል (be'al) | be-'al | house |
| ቤት (bet) | be-t | house |
| መጎቢያ (ma'gobiya) | ma-'go-bi-ya | office |
Formation of Plural Nouns
The plural form of a noun is formed by adding -t to the end of the singular form. Here are some examples:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| በዓል (be'al) | be-'al | house |
| ቤታት (betat) | be-tat | houses |
| መጎቢያ (ma'gobiya) | ma-'go-bi-ya | office |
| መጎቢያታት (ma'gobiyatat) | ma-'go-bi-ya-tat | offices |
Note that some nouns have irregular plural forms. For example:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ጉዕዞ (guezho) | gu-e-zho | child |
| ዝተኻታት (zt'hakatat) | zte-'ha-ka-tat | children |
| እታ (e'ta) | e-ta | woman |
| ኣታ (ata) | a-ta | women |
Conclusion
In this lesson, you learned about the gender and plurality of Tigrinya nouns. You learned the rules for forming masculine and feminine nouns, as well as singular and plural nouns. Remember that not all nouns follow these rules, and some must be learned by heart. Practice identifying the gender and plurality of nouns, and over time, you will become more comfortable with these concepts.