Language/Somali/Grammar/Adjective-Agreement
Welcome to this Somali grammar lesson! In this lesson, we will learn about adjective agreement in Somali. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. In Somali, adjectives must agree with the number and gender of the noun they are modifying. This may seem confusing at first, but once you understand the rules, it becomes much easier. Let's get started!
Noun Gender and Plurals Review
Before we dive into adjective agreement, let's quickly review noun gender and plurals in Somali. In Somali, there are two genders: masculine and feminine. Masculine nouns typically end in a consonant, while feminine nouns typically end in '-o' or '-a'. For example:
| Somali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| walaalo | wa-la-a-lo | brother(s) (masculine) |
| haweenka | ha-wee-nk-a | woman/women (feminine) |
To form plurals, masculine nouns usually add '-yo' to the end, while feminine nouns usually add '-yo' or '-o'. For example:
| Somali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| walaalo-yo | wa-la-a-lo-yo | brothers (masculine) |
| haweenka-yo | ha-wee-nk-a-yo | (group of) women (feminine) |
| hawooyin | ha-woy-in | women (feminine) |
Note that some feminine nouns can form plurals with '-o' instead of '-yo'. For example, 'dumar' (woman) can be both singular and plural, while 'dumar-yo' is more commonly used to refer to a specific group of women.
Adjective Agreement
Now that we've reviewed noun gender and plurals, let's move on to adjective agreement. In Somali, adjectives must agree with the number and gender of the noun they are modifying. This means that if the noun is masculine and singular, the adjective must also be masculine and singular. If the noun is feminine and plural, the adjective must also be feminine and plural. Let's look at some examples:
| Somali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| wiil yar | wiil yar | young boy (masculine singular) |
| naag la'aan | naag la-aan | small girl (feminine singular) |
| wiilasha yar-yar | wiilasha yar-yar | young boys (masculine plural) |
| naagtii la'aanta ah | naagtii la-aanta ah | small girls (feminine plural) |
Note that in the last example, the adjective 'la'aanta' (small) is a feminine singular adjective because it agrees with the gender of the noun 'naag' (girl), while the plural marker is added at the end of the noun.
Exceptions
As with any grammatical rule, there are always exceptions. In Somali, there are a few adjectives that do not follow the regular rule of adjective agreement. Here are some examples:
- 'dhalaal' (late) is always masculine, even if it describes a feminine noun. - 'nadiif' (clean) and 'dhexaad' (neat) can be used interchangeably for both masculine and feminine nouns in singular and plural forms. - 'qoraal' (written) is always masculine, even if it describes a feminine noun.
Practice
Now that you understand the rules of adjective agreement in Somali, let's practice with some examples. Write the correct form of the adjective in parentheses to complete each sentence:
1. Naag (bariis) ayaa dhashay. (yar) 2. Wiil (walwalsan) ayaa dhashay. (yaro) 3. Far (luuqada) waxaan qoray. (yar) 4. Walaalo (cilmi) ayaa soo dhaweynay. (yaro-yaro) 5. Haweenka (qalbiga) ayaa websites u laabatay. (la'aanta)
1. Naag bariiska ah ayaa dhashay. (bariis-yar) 2. Wiilka walwalsan ayaa dhashay. (walwalsan-yaro) 3. Farada luuqada waxaan qoray. (luuqada-yar) 4. Walaalaha cilmiyaha ayaa soo dhaweynay. (cilmi-yaro-yaro) 5. Haweenka qalbiga ah ayaa websites u laabatay. (qalbiga-la'aanta)
Conclusion
Congratulations, you have completed the lesson on Somali adjective agreement! Adjectives are an important part of language that allow us to describe and modify the nouns in our sentences. In Somali, it's important to remember that adjectives must agree with the number and gender of the nouns they modify. Practice is key to mastering this rule, so keep practicing and incorporating it into your Somali conversations!
Videos
Somali Grammar 3.4 Are Somali adjectives inflected? - YouTube
Related Lessons
- Future Tense
- Nouns
- Common Adverbs
- Basic Verb Conjugation
- Noun Gender and Plurals
- How to Use Be
- Possession
- Conditional Mood
- Adjectives
Sources