Language/Amharic/Grammar/Adjectives
Hi Amharic learners! π
In this lesson, we will dive deep into understanding Amharic adjectives. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They are the words that give color, shape or size to nouns.
What are adjectives
You have probably come across adjectives before. In English, adjectives usually come before a noun. For instance, "big house," "red car," "tall tree." That's the same in Amharic. Adjectives in Amharic also come before the noun. However, the classification of adjectives that describe living and non-living things is different.
Living things are described with adjectives that ends with "w" or "wotat." For instance, "abiyot wotat" (beautiful girl) and "astawesalew wotat" (kind man).
Non-living-things are described with adjectives that end with "ye" or "it." For instance, "muket ye quncho" (red shirt) and "degmo it 'jemer" (big city).
Comparison of adjectives in Amharic
In Amharic, comparative and superlative forms are usually formed from the simple positive form by adding suffixes to adjectives. The comparative form (more, less) of adjective is formed by adding the suffix "n" to the end of the adjective.
Here are a few examples:
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mikinaw | /mi-kɨ'na-w/ | smaller |
| mikinan | /mi-kɨ'na-n/ | more small |
| qomidinaw | /k'om-i-di-na-w/ | uglier |
| qomidiqinan | /k'om-i-di-qi-na-n/ | more ugly |
| zimharian | /zɨ'mha-rɨ-a-n/ | richer |
| zimharianun | /zɨ'mha-rɨ-a-nun/ | more rich |
The superlative degree is expressed by adding the suffix "w" at the end of the comparative form of the adjective. For instance:
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mikinan | /mi-kɨ'na-n/ | smaller |
| mikinanw | /mi-kɨ'na-nu/ | the smallest |
| qomidiqinan | /k'om-i-di-qi-na-n/ | more ugly |
| qomidiqinanw | /k'om-i-di-qi-na-nu/ | the most ugly |
| zimharianun | /zɨ'mha-rɨ-a-nun/ | more rich |
| zimharianunw | /zɨ'mha-rɨ-a-nu-w/ | the richest |
Now that you know how to compare adjectives in Amharic, let's move on to understand how to use adjectives in sentences.
Using Adjectives in Amharic
In Amharic, the adjective follows the noun it modifies. The adjective agrees with the noun in terms of gender, number, and definiteness.
Let's take an example:
"α¨α°ααα ααα α αα«α± αα α«αα ααα α°αααα’" (The big mango on the tree has ripened.)
In the sentence above, the adjective "α°ααα°" (big) follows the noun "ααα" (mango) it modifies.
Here is another example:
"αΉαα³α ααα₯ α¨αα αα α°α α α¨α΅ α₯αα°ααα ααΈαα’" (Beautiful women have masculine attitude towards faith.)
Again, the adjective "αΉαα³α" (beautiful) follows the noun "αα α°α" (women).
When the adjective describes a plural noun or consists of many singular nouns, the adjective takes the plural form. Here is a dialogue to help illustrate this:
- Person 1: "α³α»αα«α α₯αα°ααα© α₯αα αα° αα΅α«α ααα α αα»ααα’" (I also intend to leave for Mesrak like the sisters.)
- Person 2: "α₯α«αα¨ααΈα α°α΅α α«αα ααα’" (Their excitement is obvious.)
In the dialogue above, the adjective "α°α΅α" (excitement) takes the plural form as it refers to multiple "sisters."
Summary
In this lesson, you have learned that adjectives in Amharic describe and modify nouns or pronouns. We discussed how to form comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives, and how to use adjectives in a sentence. Remember, if you want to improve your Amharic Grammar, you can use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
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