 | Chapter 14 - Adjectives - Generalities |
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There are two types of adjectives in Somali:
Basic adjectives, which exist as such in the vocabulary.
Adjectives derived from nouns or verbs.
Basic Adjectives
Basic adjectives are quite few. Here are some of them:
| Somali Adjective | Translation |
|---|---|
| adag | = difficult, strong |
| badan | = many, numerous |
| bannaan | = empty, free |
| buuran | = big, fat |
| cad | = white |
| cas | = red |
| culus | = heavy, difficult |
| cusub | = new, fresh |
| dheer | = long |
| dhow | = close, near |
| dhuuban | = thin |
| fog | = far, distant |
| fudud | = light, easy |
| kulul | = hot |
| macaan | = sweet, good |
| madow | = black, dark |
| qabow | = cold |
| weyn | = large |
| xun | = bad |
| yar | = small |
Derived Adjectives
Derived adjectives are formed from a noun or a verb by adding the suffix -an or -san
Examples:
| Noun / Verb | Translation | Formation | Derived Adjective | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gaab | = shortness | gáab + -an | -> gaabán | = short |
| xoog | = strength | xoog + -an | -> xoogán | = strong |
| balláadh | = width | balláadh + -an | -> ballaadhán | = wide, sturdy |
| fur | = open | fur + -an | -> furán | = open |
| xidh | = close | xidh + -an | -> xidhán | = closed |
| gub | = burn | gub + -an | -> gubán | = burnt |
| shil | = fry | shil + -an | -> shilán | = fried |
| farax | = joy | farax + -san | -> faraxsán | = joyful, happy |
| qurúx | = beauty | qurúx + -san | -> quruxsán | = beautiful |
| cádho | = anger | cádho + -san | -> cadhosán | = angry |
| harraad | = hunger | harraad + -san | -> harraadsán | = hungry |
| gaajo | = thirst | gaajay + -san | -> gaajaysán | = thirsty |
| dhereg | = satiety | dhereg + -san | -> dheregsán | = full |
| wali | = madness | wal + -an | -> walán | = mad |
Place of the adjective in relation to the noun:
In Somali, the adjective always comes AFTER the noun it qualifies.
Examples:
| Noun + Adjective | Translation |
|---|---|
| Bisad yar | = a small cat |
| Bisada madow | = the black cat |
| Albaab cas | = a red door |
| Albaabka cas | = the red door |
| Biyo kulul | = hot water |
| Guri cusub | = a new house |
| Guriga cusub | = the new house |
| Dukaanka cusub | = the new shop |
| Shaqo fudud | = an easy job |
| Waddo dheer | = a long road |
| Baaradho shilan | = fried potatoes, chips, French fries |
Noun qualified by 2 adjectives:
When 2 adjectives describe the same noun, the conjunction oo or ee (= and) is placed between the 2 adjectives.
Preferably, oo is used when the noun is indefinite, and ee is used when the noun is definite.
Examples:
| Noun + 2 Adjectives | Translation | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Bisad yar oo madow | = a small black cat | (indefinite noun) |
| Bisada yar ee madow | = the small black cat | (definite noun) |
| Shaah kulul oo macaan | = hot and sweet tea | (indefinite noun) |
| Ninka weyn ee wanaagsan | = the good tall man | (definite noun) |
Plural of adjectives:
Adjectives form their plural by doubling their first syllable: quruxsan = beautiful, pretty. qur + quruxsan -> qurquruxsan = beautiful, pretty (plural).
If the adjective has only one syllable, simply repeat it: yar = small. yar + yar -> yaryar = small (plural).
| Singular | Translation | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bisad yar | = a small cat | Bisado yaryar | = small cats |
| Gabadh quruxsan | = a beautiful girl | Gabadho qurquruxsan | = beautiful girls |
| Nin gaaban | = a small man | Nimmo gaagaaban | = small men |
| Cashar fudud | = an easy lesson | Casharo fudfudud | = easy lessons |
Exceptions :
-
The adjective dhéer (= tall, long) becomes daadhéer in the plural.
-
The adjective wéyn (= tall, big) becomes waawéyn in the plural.
Examples:
| Singular | Translation | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ninka weyn | = the important man | Nimmanka waaweyn | = the important men |
| Waddáda dheer | = the long road | waddoóyinka daadheer | = the long roads |
Adjective as a subject case:
The subject mark is transferred to the adjective when it qualifies the subject noun of the sentence.
This subject mark becomes i on the adjective (instead of u on the noun), while the noun takes the absolute definite form.
Examples:
| Subject Noun + Verb | Translation | Subject Noun + Adjective + Verb | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bisadu waa tagay | = the cat has left | -> Bisada yari waa tagay | = the small cat has left |
| Ninku wuu tagay | = the man has left | -> Ninka dheeri wuu tagay | = the tall man has left |
| Gabadhu way toostay | = the girl has risen | -> Gabadha quruxsani way toostay | = the pretty girl has risen |
| Inanku wuu toosay | = the boy has risen | -> Inanka yari wuu toosay | = the little boy has risen |
| Ninku wuu tagay | = the man has left | -> Ninka dheeri wuu tagay | = the tall man has left |
| Nimanku way tageen | = the men have left | -> Nimanka daadheeri way tageen | = the tall men have left |
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