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<div class="pg_page_title">Sango Grammar - Adjectives</div>
<div class="pg_page_title">Sango Grammar - Adjectives</div>
Hi Sango learners! 😊<br>In today's lesson, we will be discussing adjectives in the Sango language. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns and pronouns. They can be used to give more information about a person, place, thing, or idea. In this lesson, we will look at how to use adjectives in Sango, as well as some common examples.  
 
Hi [https://polyglotclub.com/language/sango Sango] learners! 😊<br>
In this lesson, we will dive into the use of adjectives in Sango. Adjectives are essential in any language as they give more detail and context to nouns. Let's get started!<br>
__TOC__
__TOC__


== Types of Adjectives ==


Adjectives can be divided into two main categories: descriptive adjectives and possessive adjectives.
<span link>Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Pronouns|Pronouns]], [[Language/Sango/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be|How to Use Be]] & [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Plurals|Plurals]].</span>
== What is an adjective? ==
In Sango, an adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun by providing more information about it. Adjectives usually come before the noun they modify. For example:


=== Descriptive Adjectives ===
{| class="wikitable"
Descriptive adjectives are used to describe the qualities of a noun or pronoun. Examples of descriptive adjectives include: big, small, tall, short, happy, sad, etc.
! Sango !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| mbɔti || [mbɔ̀tì] || big
|-
| kəre || [kərè] || small  
|-
| nyele || [ɲɛ̀lɛ̀] || pretty
|}


In Sango, descriptive adjectives come before the noun they are describing. For example:  
== Adjective agreement ==
One interesting thing to note about adjectives in Sango is that they agree with the noun they modify in gender and number. If the noun is singular, the adjective has to be singular, and if the noun is plural, the adjective also has to be plural. If the noun is feminine, the adjective has to be feminine, and if the noun is masculine, the adjective has to be masculine. Here's an example:


* ''Ngɔni bɛ̀ ní mbɔ́'' - The big house
{| class="wikitable"
* ''Ngɔni bɛ̀ ní kpɔ́'' - The small house  
! Sango !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| ngaba mɔdara || [ŋàgbà mɔ̀dàrà] || black car
|-
| ngaba nɛne || [ŋàgbà nɛ́nɛ́] || black house
|-
| mbɔti mɔdara || [mbɔ̀tì mɔ̀dàrà] || big car
|-
| mbɔti nɛne || [mbɔ̀tì nɛ́nɛ́] || big house
|}


=== Possessive Adjectives ===
In the examples above, notice how the adjective "ngaba" (black) changes to "mbɔti" (big) when the noun changes from "car" to "house". In addition, "mɔdara" and "nɛne" are both singular, but the adjective for "car" has a different ending from the one for "house". This is because "mɔdara" is masculine, while "nɛne" is feminine.
Possessive adjectives are used to show ownership or possession. Examples of possessive adjectives include: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, etc.  


In Sango, possessive adjectives come after the noun they are describing. For example:  
== Comparative and superlative forms ==
In Sango, the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives are formed by adding the words "pɛ" and "na pɛ" respectively before the adjective. For example:


* ''Mbɔ́ ní ngɔni bɛ̀'' - My house
{| class="wikitable"
* ''Kpɔ́ ní ngɔni bɛ̀'' - Your house
! Sango !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| mbɔti || [mbɔ̀tì] || big
|-
| mbɔti pɛ || [mbɔ̀tì pɛ́] || bigger
|-
| mbɔti na pɛ || [mbɔ̀tì nà pɛ́] || biggest
|}


== Adjective Agreement ==
In the dialogue below, you can see how the comparative form is used.


In Sango, adjectives must agree with the noun they are describing in terms of gender and number. This means that the adjective must match the gender and number of the noun it is describing.
* Person 1: Bató ya bayòbé́ *(This car is fast)*
* Person 2: Àʒò mbɔti pɛ́ *(But my car is bigger)*
* Person 1: Ah, ŋgà ngbatɛ́ pà *(Ah, so yours is the biggest)*


For example:  
== Positioning of adjectives ==
In Sango, adjectives almost always come before the noun they modify, but there are exceptions. For example, when an adjective is used to specify a unique characteristic of a noun, it comes after the noun. Here's an example:


* ''Ngɔni bɛ̀ ní mbɔ́'' - The big house (masculine singular)
{| class="wikitable"
* ''Ngɔni bɛ̀ ní mbɔ́-mbɔ́'' - The big houses (masculine plural)
! Sango !! Pronunciation !! English
* ''Ngɔni bɛ̀ ní kpɔ́'' - The small house (feminine singular)
|-
* ''Ngɔni bɛ̀ ní kpɔ́-kpɔ́'' - The small houses (feminine plural)
| kaja ti-yo || [kàjà tì-yò] || mother her-food
|-
| ti-yo kaja || [tì-yò kàjà] || food her-mother
|}


== Adjective Order ==
In the examples above, "kaja ti-yo" means "her mother's food", while "ti-yo kaja" means "food made by her mother".


In Sango, adjectives usually follow a specific order when used together. The order is as follows:  
== Practice ==
To practice using adjectives in Sango, try describing the people around you. Here are some adjectives to get you started:  


1. Quantity or number
{| class="wikitable"
2. Quality or opinion
! Sango !! Pronunciation !! English
3. Size
|-
4. Age
| mbiya || [mbìyà] || tall
5. Shape
|-
6. Color
| nyele || [ɲɛ̀lɛ̀] || pretty
7. Origin
|-
8. Material
| kəre || [kərè] || small
9. Purpose
|-
| ndara || [̀ndàrà] || handsome
|}


For example:
Use the adjective agreement we learned earlier to make sure you match the gender and number of the adjective to the noun you are describing!


* ''Ngɔni bɛ̀ ní mbɔ́-mbɔ́ ní nyɔ́nnyɔ́n'' - The many big houses
== Conclusion ==
* ''Ngɔni bɛ̀ ní kpɔ́-kpɔ́ ní nyɔ́nnyɔ́n'' - The many small houses
Congratulations! You have learned a lot about adjectives in Sango. To improve your Sango 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=5990 Find native speakers] and ask them any [https://polyglotclub.com/language/sango/question questions]! You can also check out our other [[Language/Sango/Grammar|grammar lessons]] if you want to keep learning. 😊


== Conclusion ==
<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. 😎
 
 
<span link>Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Questions|Questions]] & [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Future-Tense|Future Tense]].</span>
{{#seo:
|title=Sango Grammar - Adjectives
|keywords=sango grammar, sango adjectives, sango language, sango lessons, african languages, adjectives agreement
|description=In this lesson, you will learn about adjectives in Sango. We will cover the agreement, comparative and superlative forms of adjectives, positioning of adjectives and also practice using them.
}}


In this lesson, we have looked at how to use adjectives in Sango. We have discussed the different types of adjectives, as well as how to use them correctly in terms of agreement and order.
==Other Lessons==
* [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Conditional-Mood|Conditional Mood]]
* [[Language/Sango/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have|How to Use Have]]
* [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Give-your-Opinion|Give your Opinion]]
* [[Language/Sango/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be|How to Use Be]]
* [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Questions|Questions]]
* [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Pronouns|Pronouns]]
* [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Future-Tense|Future Tense]]
* [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Negation|Negation]]
* [[Language/Sango/Grammar/Plurals|Plurals]]


We hope that this lesson has helped you to gain a better understanding of adjectives in Sango.
<span class='maj'></span>
<br><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. 😎
==Sources==
* [https://apics-online.info/languages/59 Language Sango - APiCS Online]
* [https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/67151/1/Grammar%20of%20Sango.pdf AGRAMMAR OF SANGO William J. Samarin, Ph.D. Assistant ...]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sango_language Sango language - Wikipedia]


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{{Sango-Page-Bottom}}
<span links></span>

Latest revision as of 21:02, 12 May 2023

Central-African-Republic-Timeline-PolyglotClub.png
Sango Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Sango learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will dive into the use of adjectives in Sango. Adjectives are essential in any language as they give more detail and context to nouns. Let's get started!


Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Pronouns, How to Use Be & Plurals.

What is an adjective?[edit | edit source]

In Sango, an adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun by providing more information about it. Adjectives usually come before the noun they modify. For example:

Sango Pronunciation English
mbɔti [mbɔ̀tì] big
kəre [kərè] small
nyele [ɲɛ̀lɛ̀] pretty

Adjective agreement[edit | edit source]

One interesting thing to note about adjectives in Sango is that they agree with the noun they modify in gender and number. If the noun is singular, the adjective has to be singular, and if the noun is plural, the adjective also has to be plural. If the noun is feminine, the adjective has to be feminine, and if the noun is masculine, the adjective has to be masculine. Here's an example:

Sango Pronunciation English
ngaba mɔdara [ŋàgbà mɔ̀dàrà] black car
ngaba nɛne [ŋàgbà nɛ́nɛ́] black house
mbɔti mɔdara [mbɔ̀tì mɔ̀dàrà] big car
mbɔti nɛne [mbɔ̀tì nɛ́nɛ́] big house

In the examples above, notice how the adjective "ngaba" (black) changes to "mbɔti" (big) when the noun changes from "car" to "house". In addition, "mɔdara" and "nɛne" are both singular, but the adjective for "car" has a different ending from the one for "house". This is because "mɔdara" is masculine, while "nɛne" is feminine.

Comparative and superlative forms[edit | edit source]

In Sango, the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives are formed by adding the words "pɛ" and "na pɛ" respectively before the adjective. For example:

Sango Pronunciation English
mbɔti [mbɔ̀tì] big
mbɔti pɛ [mbɔ̀tì pɛ́] bigger
mbɔti na pɛ [mbɔ̀tì nà pɛ́] biggest

In the dialogue below, you can see how the comparative form is used.

  • Person 1: Bató ya bayòbé́ *(This car is fast)*
  • Person 2: Àʒò mbɔti pɛ́ *(But my car is bigger)*
  • Person 1: Ah, ŋgà ngbatɛ́ pà *(Ah, so yours is the biggest)*

Positioning of adjectives[edit | edit source]

In Sango, adjectives almost always come before the noun they modify, but there are exceptions. For example, when an adjective is used to specify a unique characteristic of a noun, it comes after the noun. Here's an example:

Sango Pronunciation English
kaja ti-yo [kàjà tì-yò] mother her-food
ti-yo kaja [tì-yò kàjà] food her-mother

In the examples above, "kaja ti-yo" means "her mother's food", while "ti-yo kaja" means "food made by her mother".

Practice[edit | edit source]

To practice using adjectives in Sango, try describing the people around you. Here are some adjectives to get you started:

Sango Pronunciation English
mbiya [mbìyà] tall
nyele [ɲɛ̀lɛ̀] pretty
kəre [kərè] small
ndara [̀ndàrà] handsome

Use the adjective agreement we learned earlier to make sure you match the gender and number of the adjective to the noun you are describing!

Conclusion[edit | edit source]

Congratulations! You have learned a lot about adjectives in Sango. To improve your Sango Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! You can also check out our other grammar lessons if you want to keep learning. 😊

➡ 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. 😎


Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: Questions & Future Tense.

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

Sources[edit | edit source]


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