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Adjective

Adjective is one of POS that determines an attribute of the concept. There are two types of adjectives – relative and qualitative.

Relative adjectives are called so, because they show relations between two concepts or a concept and an action.

Examples:

  • South (adj) pole = South (noun) <= relation <= Pole
  • Južnyǐ pôl = Jug <= relation <= Pôl
  • Јужный пôл = Југ <= relation <= Пôл

Qualitative adjectives are called so, because they show the quality of a concept’s property. This quality could be relative or quantitative or purely qualitative (showing concept condition, position, measure etc)

Examples:

  • A beautiful girl was singing a song. – Lěpa (what? which? what kind of?) děvoǐka pějěše pěsnü.
  • Are you hungry (what? which? what kind of?)? – Jesi li glådnym?

At the next three tables we give the declension of adjectives. In the parenthesis there are written short forms of adjectives. They are used mostly in complex predicate expressions within complex predicate or as aт application or an attribute of the subject. Full forms are used mostly in objects and grammar modifiers. In the brackets you can see an animate form of a declension that differs from inanimate one.

 SingularDualPlural
Animate [Inanimate]
Nominative-yǐ (-) -aja (-a)-yji (-y)
Genitive-oga-oŭ-yh
Partitive-ogu-oŭ-yh
Accusative-yǐ (-) [-oga]-aja (-a) [-oŭ]-yji (-y) [-yh]
Dative-omu-oma-ym
Instrumental-ym-yma-ymi
Prepositional-om-yvěh-ěh
Locative-omu-oŭ-yh
Vocative(equal to Nominative)
 SingularDualPlural
Inanimate [Animate]
Nominative-aja (-a)-ěja (-ě)-yjě (-y)
Genitive-oǐ-oŭ-yh
Partitive-oǐ-oŭ-yh
Accusative-uju (-u)-ěja (-ě) [-oŭ]-yjě (-y) [-yh]
Dative-oǐ-oma-ym
Instrumental-oju-yma-ymi
Prepositional-oǐ-yvěh-ěh
Locative-oji-oŭ-yh
Vocative(equal to Nominative)
 SingularDualPlural
Inanimate [Animate]
Nominative-eje (-e)-aja (-a)-yjě (-y)
Genitive-oga-oŭ-yh
Partitive-ogu-oŭ-yh
Accusative-ogo-aja (-a) [-oŭ]-yjě (-y) [-yh]
Dative-omu-oma-ym
Instrumental-ym-yma-ymi
Prepositional-om-yvěh-ěh
Locative-omu-oŭ-yh
Vocative(equal to Nominative)

Degrees of comparison

When we speak about qualitative adjectives, we use a term of a degree of comparison. It’s the condition whether temporal adjective is greater in its measure than another one or not. There are three degrees: positive, comparative and superlative.

Positive (or neutral, basic) degree is used when we do not mind about the comparison with other attributes. We could call it an undefined degree.

Comparative degree is used when our attribute is greater than another one (attributes must be comparable).  

Superlative degree is used when our concept has the attribute with most valuable degree in considered area.

There are two ways of comparison – synthetic and analytic. Synthetic comparison changes the word itself, while analytic comparison uses analytic constructions with other words to create a degree of comparison. You can you both analytic or synthetic comparison forms in your speech.

Synthetic comparison

Comparative degree can be formed in two ways:

  • Adding between word base and word ending “-š-”, that means that the attribute has a more strongly pronounced property than another concept, expressed by a noun.
  • Adding suffix “-š-” plus suffix “-ëǐ-” for soft word base and suffix “--” for hard word base before it.

Examples:

  • Bolïǐ – boljšyǐ.  
  • Mnogyǐ – mnogš.
  • Vëlïkyǐ – Vëlïkš.
  • Bolïǐ – bolëǐš.
  • Mnogyǐ – množaǐš.
  • Vëlïkyǐ – vëlïčaǐš.

Superlative degree also has two variants, that are formed by adding a prefix “-naǐ-” to the comparative form. This prefix has a similar meaning with the English word “most”.

Examples:

  • Bolïǐ – bolëǐš – naǐbolëǐšyǐ.
  • Mnogyǐ – množaǐš – naǐmnožaǐš.
  • Bolïǐ – boljš – naǐboljš.
  • Mnogyǐ – mnogš – naǐmnogš.

Some says Novoslovnica has five degrees of comparison instead of three degrees with doubly forms. Let us know this classification.

 

  • Positive degree equals to the one in ordinary classification. (Болій)
  • Defined Comparative degree matches the first variant of comparative form in ordinary classification. It is used when there are two objects and the temporal one has a prevailed property to another one. (Большый)
  • Undefined Comparative degree matches the second variant of comparative form in ordinary classification. It is used when we have some objects (more than two) and temporal object has a prevailed property to a few objects in the set (probably its power is an undefined number). (Болєйшый)
  • Relative superlative degree matches the first variant of superlative form in ordinary classification. It is used when temporal object is in the set and has a superior property in it, but we cannot say that this property would have a superior value in other sets. (Найбольшый)
  • Absolute superlative degree matches the second variant of superlative form in ordinary classification. It is used when there are no doubts in superiority of the temporal object’s property. (Найболєйшый)

Analytic forms

There are two variants of how to use analytic comparison of adjectives: to use prefixes or to use an auxiliary adverb.

To create a comparative or a superlative form you should add a prefix “po-” or “naǐ-” respectively to the word though a defis.

Examples:

  • Kråtkyǐ – po-kråtkyǐ – naǐ-kråtkyǐ

Analytic comparison forms have only three ones – positive, comparative and superlative. Analytic comparison with an auxiliary adverb is formed by adding to the positive form of the adjective a comparative or a superlative form of an auxiliary adverb (look at the paragraph about adverb degrees of comparison). However, you cannot use analytic comparison with adjectives “болій” and мєній”, because they are the basic forms of these auxiliary adverbs.

Examples:

  • Kråtkyǐ – bolěǐ kråtkyǐ – naǐbolěǐ kråtkyǐ
  • Bolïǐ  – bolěǐ bolïǐ (you cannot do that!)