Language/Halh-mongolian/Grammar/Adjectives
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Hi Halh Mongolian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will cover adjectives in Halh Mongolian. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. They can be used to express the properties or features of a person, place, thing, or concept. Adjectives are an essential part of the language as they enable the speaker to convey detailed and precise information. For example, rather than saying "that is a car," you can say "that is a red car with four doors and a sunroof."
Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Future Tense, Declensions, Negation & Noun Cases.
Types of Adjectives
Similar to many other languages, Halh Mongolian adjectives can be classified into several categories: - Descriptive adjectives (attributes) - Possessive adjectives - Interrogative adjectives - Demonstrative adjectives - Numerical adjectives
We will go over each of these in turn.
Descriptive Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives, also known as attributes, are the most common type of adjectives. They are used to describe the characteristics of a noun. For example, if we want to describe a flower, we might use the descriptive adjective "beautiful." In Halh Mongolian, descriptive adjectives usually come after the noun.
Let's take a look at some examples of descriptive adjectives in Halh Mongolian:
| Halh Mongolian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| муур | "muur" | beautiful |
| том | "tom" | big |
| саарал | "saaral" | colorful |
| зөөлөн | "zööln" | fast |
| хөөрөөсөөс | "hööröössöös" | delicious |
Here's an example of a dialogue using descriptive adjectives:
- Person 1: Энэ муур хэзээ ч худал байгаа вэ? ("Ene muur hezee ch hudal baigaa ve?" - "What's the price of this beautiful necklace?")
- Person 2: Тэгэхгүй бол 200,000₮. ("Tegexgui bol 200,000₮." - "It's 200,000₮ without bargaining.")
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives, as their name suggests, are used to indicate possession. They are used to show who owns or has something. In Halh Mongolian, possessive adjectives are placed before the noun.
Here are some examples of possessive adjectives in Halh Mongolian:
| Halh Mongolian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| миний | "mini" | my |
| чиний | "chini" | your |
| тэрээр | "tereer" | his/her/its |
| бидний | "bidnii" | our |
| танд | "tand" | your (formal) |
| тэдний | "tednii" | their |
Here's an example of a dialogue using possessive adjectives:
- Person 1: Энэ ном чиний утасанд байгаа юу? ("Ene nom chini utasand baigaa yu?" - "What is this book doing on your phone?")
- Person 2: Миний мэдээлэл гараагүй. ("Mini medeelel garaagui" - "It's my information that hasn't been saved yet.")
Interrogative Adjectives
Interrogative adjectives are used to ask questions about a noun. They are commonly used to seek information or clarification. In Halh Mongolian, the most common interrogative adjective is ямар? (yamar) which means "what kind?"
Here are some examples of interrogative adjectives in Halh Mongolian:
| Halh Mongolian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ямар | "yamar" | what kind |
Here's an example of a dialogue using interrogative adjectives:
- Person 1: Энэ аяга ямар өнгөтэй вэ? ("Ene ayaga yamar öngötei ve?" - "What color is this dress?")
- Person 2: Энэ ногоон аяга. ("Ene nogoon ayaga." - "This is a green dress.")
Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives are used to point out a particular noun. They are typically used to indicate proximity or distance. In Halh Mongolian, the most common demonstrative adjectives are энэ (ene), "this," and тэр (ter), "that."
Here are some examples of demonstrative adjectives in Halh Mongolian:
| Halh Mongolian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| энэ | "ene" | this |
| тэр | "ter" | that |
Here's an example of a dialogue using demonstrative adjectives:
- Person 1: Энэ тэтгэлэг яаж хийгээд үзүүлж байна вэ? ("Ene tetgeleg yaaj hiigeed uzuuulj baina ve?" - "How do you use this tool?")
- Person 2: Тэр нь хайрцагийн дээд буланд учирч үзүүлэгддэг. ("Ter n khayrtsagij deeed buland uchirch uzzelegddeg" - "It is used on the upper floor of the building.")
Numerical Adjectives
Numerical adjectives are used to indicate the quantity or number of nouns. They are typically used to express quantities, sizes, or measurements. In Halh Mongolian, the most common numerical adjectives are нэг (neg) "one," хоёр (khoor) "two," гурав (gurav) "three," дөрөв (döröv) "four," тав (tav) "five."
Here are some examples of numerical adjectives in Halh Mongolian:
| Halh Mongolian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| нэг | "neg" | one |
| хоёр | "khoor" | two |
| гурав | "gurav" | three |
| дөрөв | "döröv" | four |
| тав | "tav" | five |
Here's an example of a dialogue using numerical adjectives:
- Person 1: Танд хоёр цээж харахыг хүссэн. ("Tand khoor tseej kharakhig hussen." - "I want you to look at two pictures.")
- Person 2: Энэ нь нэг болон энэ нь тав. ("Ene n neg bolon ene n tav." - "This is one and this is five.")
Comparison of Adjectives
Comparative adjectives are used to compare the properties or features of two or more nouns. Halh Mongolian adjectives are compared using suffixes. To make comparative adjectives in Halh Mongolian, you add the suffix -най (-nai) to the adjective. For example, "төмөр" (tomor) means "big," and "төмөрнай" (tomornai) means "bigger."
Here are some examples of comparative adjectives in Halh Mongolian:
| Halh Mongolian | Pronunciation | English | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| муучин | "muuchin" | beautiful | муучиннай | "muuchinnai" | more beautiful |
| хэцүү | "khetsuu" | delicious | хэцүүнээс | "khetsuunees" | more delicious |
| урт | "urt" | tall | уртанай | "urtanai" | taller |
Here's an example of a dialogue using comparative adjectives:
- Person 1: Энэ машины хөлөг зөөлөн тул зайгаа хэтэрсэн. ("Ene mashiny khölog zööln tul zaigaa heterseen." - "The wheels of this car are colorful and wider.")
- Person 2: Үүнд тухайн машиннуудын нь зөөлөн өөр төрлийн байсан. ("Uund tukhain mashinnuudyin n zööln oor torliin baisan." - "Among those cars, their colorful wheels were different.")
Conclusion
Adjectives are an essential part of any language. They help us describe the world around us in a more detailed and accurate way. We hope this lesson has helped you understand the different types of adjectives in Halh Mongolian and how they can be used to express various ideas. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
To improve your Halh Mongolian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
➡ 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. 😎
Now that you've completed this lesson, don't stop learning! Check out these related topics: Halh Mongolian Grammar → → Present Tense Verbs, Halh Mongolian Grammar → → Conditional Verbs, Passive Verbs & Personal Pronouns.
Other Lessons
- Negation
- How to Use Be
- Questions
- Gender
- Conditional Mood
- Pronouns
- Give your Opinion
- Nouns
- How to Use Have
- Personal pronouns
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