89
The adjective
Textbook: p. 133
GoalKnow the meaning and questions of the adjective.
New words
adjective · sifatattribute · belgiwhat kind of? · qanday?
Explanation
Words that attach to a noun, name its attribute and answer qanday? qanaqa? (what kind?) are adjectives. An adjective shows a thing’s color, taste, size or quality: qizil olma (red apple), shirin uzum (sweet grape), katta uy (big house), mehribon ona (kind mother). It usually stands before the noun and defines it. In Uzbek an adjective does not take the plural or case suffix to agree with the noun: we say katta uylar (big houses), katta uyga (to the big house), not “kattalar uylar”. The adjective names the attribute of a person or thing, the verb names an action.
Worked examples
The red apple turned out sweet.
The big river begins in the mountains.
Class activity
“What kind?”: pick five things in class or in the yard and find two adjectives for each.
Practice
1
Which questions does an adjective answer?
Qanday? qanaqa?
2
Find the adjectives: tez poyezd, ochiq deraza, bola o‘qidi.
Tez, ochiq.
3
Put katta uy in the dative and in the plural.
Katta uyga; katta uylar.
4
Why is katta an adjective but yozdi not?
Katta names a noun’s attribute and answers qanday?; yozdi names an action.