Describing: the adjective
Lesson 12 of 12≈ 15 min
Nyumba ya ndzuzuri
Nyumba ndzuzuri, « a beautiful house ». Nyumba ya ndzuzuri, « the house is beautiful ». Add ya, and you go from a noun to a sentence.
With or without the small word
The adjective comes after the noun and agrees with it. To say that something is so, put the word for « of » from lesson 3.9 between them: ya, wa, la, sha, za.
After a possessive or an « of X », this small word is optional: Nyumba yatru ndzuzuri, « our house is beautiful », means the same with or without ya.
A beautiful thing, the thing is beautiful
| A beautiful… | … is beautiful |
|---|---|
| Nyumba ndzuzuri — a beautiful house | Nyumba ya ndzuzuri — the house is beautiful |
| Shisiwa shizuri — a beautiful island | Shisiwa sha shizuri — the island is beautiful |
| Zisiwa zizuri — beautiful islands | Zisiwa za zizuri — the islands are beautiful |
| Miri mizuri — beautiful trees | Miri ya mizuri — the trees are beautiful |
| Majwayi mazuri — beautiful eggs | Majwayi ya mazuri — the eggs are beautiful |
| Shamba dribwavu — a big field | Shamba la dribwavu — the field is big |
| nkanzu ndjeu — a white boubou | nkanzu ya ndjeu — the boubou is white |
A beautiful thing
- Mfalume ana nyumba ndribwavu — The king has a big house.
- Mlozi asiki fi ndribwavu — The fisherman caught a big fish.
- Mbaɓa asipindra nkanzu ndjeu — Dad puts on a white boubou.
- Mataɓa mazuri — Nice cassava leaves.
- Mmangu asihosa yi nyungu ndribwavu — My mother washes the big pot.
- Mwananyangu mtiti — My little brother (or little sister).
The thing is beautiful
- Bahari ya ndzuzuri leo — The sea is beautiful today.
- Dzia la dribwavu — The lake is big.
- Lataɓu ya hula ya ndribwavu — The dining table is big.
- Laptali ya Mutsamudu ya ndribwavu — The Mutsamudu hospital is big.
- Mlongo wa pani wa mzuri — The kitchen door is beautiful.
- Shio shini sha shema — This book is good.
- Umsomo wa leo wa mkutri — Today's lesson is short.
- Leo bingu la ndzuzuri — Today the sky is beautiful.
- Nyumba ini ya ndribwavu — This house is big.
After a possessive or an « of X »
- Kartie yatru ndzuzuri — Our neighbourhood is beautiful.
- Nyumba yatru ndzuzuri — Our house is beautiful.
- Fami yangu ndribwavu — My family is big.
- Bazari ya Mutsamudu ndribwavu — The Mutsamudu market is big.
- Mkiri wa Domoni mzuri — The Domoni mosque is beautiful.
For a person
Without the small word, it is a natural quality: Wami mzuri, « I am beautiful ».
| Who | Right now |
|---|---|
| I | Wami tsa mzuri — I look good right now |
| you | Wawe wa mzuri — you look good |
| he, she | Mwananyangu ha mtiti — my brother is small |
| we | Wasi ra wazuri — we look good |
| you (plural) | Wanyu mwa wazuri — you look good |
| they | Wawo wa wazuri — they look good |
Practice
« The sea is beautiful today. »
Bahari ___ ndzuzuri leo
« This book is good. »
Shio shini ___ shema
Mini-quiz
What does Fi ndribwavu mean?
Fi ndribwavu = ___
Module 3 complete, well done!
You can say what something is, conjugate in three tenses, say no, give orders, ask and describe. You have seen that the start of words follows the noun: module 4 explains these families of nouns, the classes.