Language/Bosnian/Grammar/Adjectives-and-Adverbs
As a Bosnian language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I am excited to introduce you to the world of Bosnian adjectives and adverbs. These parts of speech will allow you to describe people, objects, and situations with precision and clarity, and add another layer of depth to your basic sentences. In this lesson, we will explore the different types of adjectives and adverbs in Bosnian, and learn how to use them properly.
Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Basic Sentence Structure & Adjective Agreement.
Understanding Adjectives and Adverbs
First, let's define what adjectives and adverbs are. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns (names of people, places, or things), while adverbs modify verbs (actions), adjectives, or other adverbs. For example:
- Adjectives: "velika kuća" (big house), "lijepa pjesma" (beautiful song), "težak zadatak" (difficult task)
- Adverbs: "brzo trči" (runs quickly), "glasno govori" (speaks loudly), "ovako radi" (works like this)
In Bosnian, adjectives and adverbs can change form depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify. This means that you need to pay attention to the agreement between the adjective/adverb and the noun it describes.
Types of Adjectives
There are two types of adjectives in Bosnian: qualitative and relative adjectives.
- Qualitative adjectives express a quality of the noun or describe it more precisely. They usually come before the noun and change form to match the gender, number, and case of the noun.
Examples of qualitative adjectives:
| Bosnian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| veliki grad | /vɛˈliki ɡrâːd/ | big city |
| lijepa slika | /ˈliːjɛpa sliːka/ | beautiful picture |
| težak zadatak | /ˈtɛʒak zadâtaːk/ | difficult task |
- Relative adjectives describe the noun in relation to something else. They usually come after the noun, and don't change form.
Examples of relative adjectives:
| Bosnian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| grad u kome živim | /ɡrâːd u kɔːmɛ ʒivim/ | city where I live |
| slika koju sam nacrtao | /ˈsliːka kɔːju sam nâːtʃraːto/ | picture that I drew |
| zadatak koji moram uraditi | /zadâtaːk kɔji mɔˈram uraditi/ | task that I have to do |
Types of Adverbs
There are many types of adverbs in Bosnian, but they can be roughly classified into the following categories:
- Manner adverbs describe how the action is done (e.g. "brzo" - quickly, "glasno" - loudly)
- Time adverbs describe when the action is done (e.g. "danima" - during the day, "ljetos" - in the summer)
- Place adverbs describe where the action is done (e.g. "ovdje" - here, "tamo" - there)
- Degree adverbs describe the level or intensity of the action (e.g. "potpuno" - completely, "skoro" - almost)
Adverbs in Bosnian are usually formed by adding "-o" or "-e" to the stem of the adjective, and changing the accent. For example:
- "velik" (big) -> "veliko" (bigly)
- "lije"p (beautiful) -> "lijepo" (beautifully)
- "težak" (difficult) -> "teško" (difficultly)
Practice Exercises
Now that you understand the basics of adjectives and adverbs in Bosnian, it's time to put your knowledge into practice. Here are some exercises to get you started:
- Describe your best friend using at least three adjectives.
- Write a sentence about a book you recently read, and include an adverb.
- Describe your morning routine using at least two adverbs.
Remember to pay attention to the gender, number, and case of the nouns you are describing, and to use the correct form of the adjective or adverb.
Conclusion
Congratulations on completing this lesson on Bosnian adjectives and adverbs! These parts of speech are essential for creating detailed and nuanced descriptions in Bosnian, and will take your language skills to the next level. Keep practicing and exploring the different types of adjectives and adverbs in Bosnian, and soon you'll be able to express yourself fluently and accurately.
Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Negation & Conditional Mood.
Other Lessons
- Questions
- Future Tense
- Gender
- How to Use Be
- Conditional Mood
- Articles and Nouns
- 0 to A1 Course
- How to Use Have
- Adjectives
Sources