Chapter 9: Adjectives and Adverbs
Boqonnaa 9: Ibsituuwwan (Adjectives) fi Durduubeewwan (Adverbs)
Adjectives / Ibsituuwwan
Adjectives describe nouns. They change form for comparison (comparative and superlative). / Ibsituuwwan maqaalee ibsu. Walbira qabiinsaaf boca isaanii ni jijjiiru (sadarkaa caalmaa fi olaanaa).
Adjectives inflect when we change them into their comparative and superlative forms. Comparative adjectives are used to compare a quality between two nouns, while superlative adjectives identify a noun with the highest (or lowest) degree of an attribute among a group. / Ibsituuwwan yeroo boca walbira qabiinsaa fi sadarkaa olaanaatti jijjiiramu ni rukutamu. Ibsituuwwan walbira qabiinsaa amala maqaalee lama gidduutti walbira qabuuf kan gargaaran yoo ta’u, ibsituuwwan sadarkaa olaanaa immoo maqaa tokko garee keessaa sadarkaa olaanaa (ykn gadi aanaa) qabu adda baasu.
Regular Adjectives / Ibsituuwwan Idilee
We generally form the comparative degree by adding the suffix “-er” to the end of the adjective, or by adding the words more or less before it. To form the superlative degree, we either add “-est” to the end of the adjective or add the word most or least before it. We sometimes have to change the spelling of the adjective slightly to accommodate the addition of the suffix, but the rules for when this is necessary are straightforward and consistent. The shift from a basic adjective to its comparative or superlative forms is known as the degrees of comparison. Let’s look at how this is accomplished with regular adjectives: / Sadarkaa walbira qabiinsaa yeroo baay'ee xumura ibsituutti xumura "-er" dabaluudhaan, ykn jechoota more ykn less dura fiduudhaan uunna. Sadarkaa olaanaa uumuuf, xumura ibsituutti "-est" daballa ykn jecha most ykn least dura fidna. Yeroo tokko tokko xumura dabaluuf qubeessuu ibsituu xiqqoo jijjiiruu qabna, garuu seerri kun yoom akka barbaachisu ifaafi walfaana. Jijjiirraan ibsituu bu'uuraa irraa gara boca walbira qabiinsaa ykn sadarkaa olaanaatti godhamu sadarkaalee walbira qabiinsaa jedhama. Mee akkamitti kun ibsituuwwan idilee waliin akka hojjetamu haa ilaallu:
| Adjective / Ibsituu | Comparative / Caalmaa | Superlative / Olaanaa | Spelling Rule / Seera Qubeessuu |
|---|---|---|---|
| big | bigger | biggest | With one-syllable adjectives, add “-er” or “-est” and double the final consonant if preceded by one vowel. Ibsituu qubee sagalee tokko qabuuf, “-er” ykn “-est” dabali, yoo dubbifamaan dhumaa dubbachiiftuu tokkoon dura dhufe qubee sana irra deebi'i. |
| strong | stronger | strongest | The final consonant is not doubled if it is preceded by two vowels or another consonant. Dubbifamni dhumaa yoo dubbachiiftuu lamaan ykn dubbifamaa biraan dura dhufe irra hin deebi'amu. |
| large | larger | largest | If the adjective ends in an “e,” then you only need to add “-r” or “-st.” Yoo ibsituun “e” irratti xumurame, “-r” ykn “-st” qofa dabalta. |
| happy | happier | happiest | If an adjective has one or two syllables and ends in “-y,” we replace “y” with “i” and add “-er” or “-est.” Yoo ibsituun qubee sagalee tokko ykn lama qabu fi “-y” irratti xumurame, “y” gara “i”tti jijjiiriitii “-er” ykn “-est” dabali. |
| beautiful | more/less beautiful | most/least beautiful | For adjectives that have three or more syllables, or adjectives that have two syllables and do not end in “-y,” use the words more/less or most/least. Ibsituuwwan qubee sagalee sadii fi isaa ol qaban, ykn kan qubee sagalee lama qabanii fi “-y” irratti hin xumuramneef, jechoota more/less ykn most/least fayyadami. |
Irregular Adjectives / Ibsituuwwan Idilee Hin Taane
The vast majority of adjectives follow the above conventions when forming the comparative or superlative degrees. However, there are a few adjectives that are irregular and have unique forms that do not conform to any spelling conventions. Because of this, they must all be memorized. To learn more about how comparative and superlative adjectives are formed, go to the Degrees of Comparison section of the Adjectives chapter. / Ibsituuwwan hedduun sadarkaalee walbira qabiinsaa ykn olaanaa yeroo uuman seera armaan olii hordofu. Haa ta'u malee, ibsituuwwan muraasni idilee hin taane kan boca addaa qaban kan seera qubeessuu kamiyyuu hin hordofne jiru. Sababa kanaaf, hundi isaanii sammuutti qabamuu qabu. Akkaataa ibsituuwwan walbira qabiinsaa fi sadarkaa olaanaa itti uumaman caalaatti barachuuf, gara kutaa Sadarkaalee Walbira Qabiinsaa boqonnaa Ibsituuwwanii deemaa.
| Adjective / Ibsituu | Comparative / Caalmaa | Superlative / Olaanaa |
|---|---|---|
| fun | more/less fun | most/least fun |
| bad | worse | worst |
| well (healthy) | better | best |
| good | better | best |
| far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
| little (amount) | less | least |
| many/much | more | most |
Adverbs / Durduubeewwan
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Many are formed by adding "-ly" to an adjective. / Durduubeewwan gochimoota, ibsituuwwan, ykn durduubeewwan biroo fooyyessu. Hedduun isaanii ibsituutti "-ly" dabaluun uumamu.
Regular Adverbs / Durduubeewwan Idilee
A large number of adverbs are formed from adjectives. The standard way of doing this is by adding “-ly” to the end of the adjective. Sometimes the adjective’s spelling needs to be altered slightly to accommodate this, but the rules of doing so are fairly straightforward. Here are some common examples: / Durduubeewwan lakkoofsa guddaa qaban ibsituuwwan irraa uumamu. Karaan baramaan kana gochuuf itti fayyadamuun xumura ibsituutti "-ly" dabaluudha. Yeroo tokko tokko qubeessuun ibsituu kanaaf mijachuuf xiqqoo jijjiiramuu qaba, garuu seerri kana gochuuf jiru salphaadha. Fakkeenyota baramoo tokko tokko kunooti:
| Adjective / Ibsituu | Regular Adverb / Durduubee Idilee | Spelling Rule / Seera Qubeessuu |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful | beautifully | Adjective + “-ly” Ibsituu + “-ly” |
| enthusiastic | enthusiastically | If the adjective ends in “-ic,” it will change to “-ically.” Yoo ibsituun “-ic” irratti xumurame, gara “-ically”tti jijjiirama. |
| happy | happily | If the adjective ends in a “-y,” it will change to “-ily.” Yoo ibsituun “-y” irratti xumurame, gara “-ily”tti jijjiirama. |
| terrible | terribly | If the adjective ends in “-le,” the ending is dropped and is replaced with “-ly.” Yoo ibsituun “-le” irratti xumurame, xumurri ni hafa, bakka isaa “-ly”n bakka bu'a. |
| due | duly | If the adjective ends in “-ue,” the “e” on the end is dropped and is replaced with “-ly.” Yoo ibsituun “-ue” irratti xumurame, “e” dhuma irraa ni hafee “-ly”n bakka bu'a. |
Irregular Adverbs / Durduubeewwan Idilee Hin Taane
Although the majority of adverbs follow the above rules when they are formed from adjectives, there are a number of irregular adverbs that go against the conventions. Much of the time, irregular adverbs have the same spelling as their adjectival counterparts, but there are no clues in the adjectives’spelling as to when this is the case; like all irregular inflections, they just have to be memorized. Below are some of the most common irregular adverbs. Go to the section on Regular and Irregular Adverbs in the Adverbs chapter to learn more about how adverbs are formed from adjectives. / Durduubeewwan baay'een yeroo ibsituuwwan irraa uumaman seera armaan olii hordofanillee, durduubeewwan idilee hin taane kan seeraan ala ta'an hedduun jiru. Yeroo baay'ee, durduubeewwan idilee hin taane qubeessuu walfakkaataa kan hiriyaa isaanii ibsituu qabu, garuu yoom akkas akka ta'u qubeessuu ibsituuwwanii keessatti wanti akeeku hin jiru; akkuma rukkina idilee hin taane hundaa, isaan sammuutti qabamuu qabu. Gadii keessatti durduubeewwan idilee hin taane baramoo ta'an tokko tokko jiru. Akkaataa durduubeewwan ibsituuwwan irraa itti uumaman caalaatti barachuuf, gara kutaa Durduubeewwan Idilee fi Idilee Hin Taane boqonnaa Durduubeewwan deemaa.
| Adjective / Ibsituu | Irregular Adverb / Durduubee Idilee Hin Taane | Sources of Confusion / Madda Burjaajii |
|---|---|---|
| fast | fast | Lastly becomes lastly, but fast becomes fast. Lastly lastly ta'a, garuu fast fast ta'a. |
| hard | hard | Hardly (ever) is an adverb of frequency, meaning “almost never.” Hardly (yeroo baay'ee) durduubee yeroo agarsiisu yoo ta'u, hiikni isaa “duraan dursanii hin taane” dha. |
| straight | straight | |
| lively | lively | Lively still exists as an adverb in phrases like step lively; however, it is more often used in the adverbial prepositional phrase in a lively manner. Lively amma iyyuu akka durduubeetti gaaleewwan akka step lively keessatti jira; haa ta'u malee, yeroo baayyee gaalee durduubee durduubee in a lively manner keessatti fayyadama. |
| late (tardy) | late | Lately is a different adverb that means “recently.” Lately durduubee addaati, hiikni isaa “dhiyeenya kana” jechuudha. |
| daily | daily | Adverbs of frequency that relate to units of time have the same form as both adjectives and adverbs. Durduubeewwan yeroo kanneen yuunitii yeroo waliin walqabatan, ibsituuwwan fi durduubeewwan lamaanuu boca walfakkaataa qabu. |
| early | early | |
| friendly | no adverb | Can only be used in the adverbial prepositional phrase in a friendly manner. Gaalee durduubee durduubee in a friendly manner keessatti qofa fayyadamuu danda'ama. |
| timely | no adverb | Can only be used in the adverbial prepositional phrase in a timely manner. Gaalee durduubee durduubee in a timely manner keessatti qofa fayyadamuu danda'ama. |
| good | well | Well is the adverbial form of good; it can also function as a predicative adjective meaning “healthy.” Well boca durduubee kan good ti; akkasumas akka ibsituu raagaatti (predicative adjective) hiika “fayyaa qabeessa” jedhuun hojjechuu danda'a. |
Irregular Degrees of Comparison / Sadarkaalee Walbira Qabiinsaa Idilee Hin Taane
Just like adjectives, adverbs also have comparative and superlative degrees, which are used to compare actions among people or things. They are formed in the same way, by adding “-er” or more/less for comparative adverbs or “-est” or most/least for superlative adverbs. However, there are some adverbs that have irregular comparative and superlative forms. We can’t rely on the irregular adverbs we looked at above, either, because many of those adverbs are regular in how they inflect to become comparative or superlative. As always, we just have to commit them to memory: / Akkuma ibsituuwwanii, durduubeewwanis sadarkaalee walbira qabiinsaa fi sadarkaa olaanaa qabu, kanneen gochoota namoota ykn wantoota gidduutti walbira qabuuf gargaaran. Isaanis karaa walfakkaatuun, durduubeewwan walbira qabiinsaatiif "-er" ykn more/less dabaluudhaan ykn durduubeewwan sadarkaa olaanaatiif "-est" ykn most/least dabaluudhaan uumamu. Haa ta'u malee, durduubeewwan tokko tokko kan boca walbira qabiinsaa fi sadarkaa olaanaa kan idilee hin taane qaban jiru. Durduubeewwan idilee hin taane kanneen armaan olitti ilaalle irrattis hirkachuu hin dandeenyu, sababni isaas durduubeewwan sunneen hedduun isaanii yeroo walbira qabiinsaaf ykn sadarkaa olaanaaf rukutaman idilee ta'u. Akkuma yeroo hunda, nuti isaan sammuutti qabachuu qabna:
| Irregular Adverb / Durduubee Idilee Hin Taane | Comparative / Caalmaa | Superlative / Olaanaa |
|---|---|---|
| badly | worse | worst |
| early | earlier | earliest |
| far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
| little | less | least |
| well | better | best |