Language/Macedonian/Grammar/Adjectives:-Agreement-and-Comparatives
Adjectives: Agreement and Comparatives
Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns in a sentence. In Macedonian, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in both gender and number. Additionally, Macedonian also has comparative adjectives, which are used to make comparisons between two or more nouns.
Gender Agreement
In Macedonian, adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun they modify. There are three genders in Macedonian: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The form of the adjective will change depending on the gender of the noun it modifies.
For example:
| Macedonian | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Црвен | crven | Red (masculine singular) |
| Црвена | crvena | Red (feminine singular) |
| Црвено | crveno | Red (neuter singular) |
| Црвени | crveni | Red (plural) |
As you can see above, the adjective "црвен" (crven) changes form depending on the gender and number of the noun it modifies.
When the noun is plural, the adjective must also change to agree with the number of the noun. In Macedonian, plural nouns are usually formed by adding -и or -а to the end of a noun.
Comparative Adjectives
Macedonian has comparative adjectives, which are used to make comparisons between two or more nouns. There are two forms of comparative adjectives in Macedonian: the comparative form and the superlative form.
The comparative form is used to compare two things, while the superlative form is used to compare three or more things.
To form the comparative form, you must add -ија (-ija) to the end of the adjective.
For example:
| Macedonian | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| голем | golem | Big |
| поголем | pogolem | Bigger |
The adjective "поголем" (pogolem) is the comparative form of the adjective "голем" (golem).
To form the superlative form, you must add "нај" (naj) to the beginning of the comparative adjective.
For example:
| Macedonian | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| голем | golem | Big |
| поголем | pogolem | Bigger |
| најпоголем | najpogolem | Biggest |
The adjective "најпоголем" (najpogolem) is the superlative form of the adjective "голем" (golem).
Examples
Here are some examples of adjectives in use:
- Мирката има жолта куќа. (Mirka has a yellow house.)
- Миркот има жолта кола. (Mirko has a yellow car.)
- Најмалата ќерка ѝ е најубава. (The youngest daughter is the most beautiful.)
Practice
Translate the following sentences into Macedonian:
- The red house is big.
- The green car is small.
- The older sister is taller than the younger sister.