Language/Central-kurdish/Grammar/Adjectives
Hi Central Kurdish learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about adjectives in Central Kurdish. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns and pronouns. They often answer questions like "what kind?", "how many?", or "which one?".
Basic Adjectives
In Central Kurdish, adjectives are usually placed after the noun that they modify. Here are some examples:
| Central Kurdish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| کەڵ | /ke:L/ | red |
| سەر | /sær/ | big |
| ژانەر | /dʒɑnær/ | yellow |
| ژمارە | /dʒæmɑræ/ | many, much |
For example, to say "a red car", we would say "ژیانەکە کەڵ" /dʒiɑnækæ ke:L/, with "کەڵ" coming after "ژیانەکە".
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
We often want to compare things, and in Central Kurdish, we use "زۆر" (zor) and "ناوەندی" (navandi) for the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives, respectively. For example:
- "ئەو خۆشترە لەم کۆتاییە" /ew xʷeʃtɾæ lɛm kɔtɑji/ - "That is a prettier dress than this one." (comparative)
- "ئەو خۆشترین کۆتاییەی قوتابخانە" /ew xʷeʃtri:n kɔtɑji:ji qʷotɑbxɑnæ/ - "That is the prettiest dress in the store." (superlative)
Notice that for the comparative form, we add -تر (-tir) to the end of the adjective, and for the superlative form, we add نی (-ni) to the end of the adjective. We also add the appropriate case-ending to the noun; in the above examples, the noun "کۆتاییە" (dress) takes the oblique -ی (-i) case-ending.
Exceptions
Some adjectives in Central Kurdish are irregular, meaning they don't follow the usual rules. Here are a few examples:
| Central Kurdish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| باش | /bash/ | good, nice |
| بد | /bed/ | bad |
| گران | /ɡɾɑ:n/ | expensive |
| راسپی | /ɾɑspi:/ | cheap |
For example, "یەکێک لەو کەسانەی کە باشیاون" /jɛkeɪk lɛw kɛsɑneɪ kæ bæʃi:jɑwæn/ means "One of those good people." Notice that "باش" comes before the noun "کەسان" in this sentence.
Dialogue
Person 1: چەکە لە خۆشترین بووت منیشی /tʃekæ lɛ xʷeʃtri:n bo:t mæni:ʃi:/ (I bought the prettiest shoes.) Person 2: زۆر باشە /zor bɑʃæ/ (Very nice!)
Practice
1- Translate the following sentences to Central Kurdish:
a. The new car is blue and expensive. b. I like big dogs. c. He is the tallest person in the room.
2- Translate the following adjective into Central Kurdish:
a. Happy b. Sad c. Hungry
3- Create sentences using the following adjectives:
a. گران b. ژانەر c. راسپی
To improve your Central Kurdish Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
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