Language/Ganda/Grammar/Adjectives

Ganda Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Ganda learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will cover everything you need to know about adjectives in Ganda grammar.

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What are Adjectives?

Adjectives, which are known as 'amaganye' in Ganda, are describing words. They are used to describe nouns and pronouns. For example, in the sentence "The big elephant is eating", the word "big" is an adjective that describes the noun "elephant".

In Ganda, adjectives typically follow the noun they describe. For example:

• "ekibuga kikulu" means "big town"
• "omwoyo omukulu" means "big heart"

Types of Adjectives

There are several types of adjectives in Ganda:

Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives describe a characteristic of the noun or pronoun they modify. For example:

Ganda	Pronunciation	English
emirembe mikulu	EH-mee-REM-bee MEE-koo-loo	big tree
omwana omumpi	OHM-wa-na OH-moom-pee	poor child
amazzi go gonja	ah-MAH-zzee go goh-nja	cold water

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate which person or thing is being referred to. There are different demonstrative adjectives in Ganda for singular and plural nouns. For example:

• **Singular:** oyo (this), oyo e (that)
• **Plural:** bo (these), gabo (those)

Example:

• Person 1: Olaba eggulu eryo? (Do you see that sky?)
• Person 2: Ndirokaawo eggulu eryange. (I prefer my sky.)

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives indicate ownership or possession of a noun. There are different forms for singular and plural, and for different persons. For example:

Ganda	Pronunciation	English
omwana wange	OHM-wa-na WAN-ge	my child
embuzi gyaffe	ehm-BOO-zzee JYA-fay	our goat
amazzi gaawe	ah-MAH-zzee GAH-weh	your water
amacumu gaabwe	ah-mah-CHOO-moo GAH-woo-beh	their shoes

Note that these adjectives come before the noun or pronoun they modify.

Example:

• Person 1: Omwana wange alina enju. (My child has a house.)
• Person 2: Eno enju si mirembe. (This house isn't big.)

Adjective Agreement

In Ganda, adjectives must agree with the noun or pronoun they describe in terms of class and number. This means that the form of the adjective changes based on the class and number of the noun.

There are 18 noun classes in Ganda, each with a corresponding prefix that is attached to the noun or pronoun. Each class has a specific set of rules for forming the plural. Here are some examples:

Class	Singular Prefix	Plural Prefix
1 (singular)	mu-	ba-
2 (singular)	ba-	ba-
3 (singular)	mu-	mi-
4 (singular)	e-	bi-

Adjectives must also agree in gender when describing living things. For example, the adjective for "tall" is different when it describes a man compared to a woman.

Example:

• Person 1: Omwami yali mubisi mukulu. (The man was a big farmer.)
• Person 2: Naye omukazi yali mubisi munene. (But the woman was a very big farmer.)

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things, and superlative adjectives are used to compare three or more things. In Ganda, adjectives form the comparative by adding the prefix "kujja" and the superlative by adding "nnono".

Example:

• **Singular:** Mukazi omumpi akutte emmere nnyo. Mukazi ogumu akutte emmere nnyo kujja. Mukazi eyongedde okutte emmere nnyo nnono.
• **Translation:** The poor lady buys good food. The richer lady buys better food. The richest lady buys the best food.

Practice

Try describing different objects using adjectives in Ganda. Use sentences with different noun classes and in singular/plural form.

Example:

• **Singular:** Olubuto olwabi lunalero lwasooka munju.
• **Plural:** Ebifaananyi byetali kungulu munene.

To improve your Ganda Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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

Other Lessons

• Plurals
• How to Use Be
• Negation
• Conditional Mood
• Pronouns
• Questions

Sources

• Luganda Continuation. Book 2.

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