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Grammar:Tutorial/Adjective

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Grammar:Tutorial
Prepositions Adjective Participles

An adjective is made agree with the determined noun (or pronoun, etc.) in number and gender.

The declension table of suffixes added to an adjective not ending with ה:

singular plural
masculine (none) ים
feminine ה ות

The adjectives ending with ה are declined by the same scheme but that last ה is removed before the declension suffix is added.

Unlike the above rule for nouns, this rule for adjectives has no exceptions.

Using adjectives

In a sentence an adjective may be an attribute or a predicate.

Attribute adjective is made agree with the determined noun (or pronoun) in number and gender.

If the determined noun has an article (or the article is implied as in the case of a noun with a preposition suffix) the attribute adjective also must have an article. (And if there is no (even assumed) article before the determined noun, the attribute adjective also has no article.)

Attribute adjective always is placed after the determined noun (or pronoun). There is never an article before an adjective which specifies a predicate.

Adjective-predicate may be placed both before or after the subject noun (or pronoun).

An adjective (typically with an article) can also play the role of a noun (a subject or a direct or indirect object).

Comparative and superlative adjectives

The comparative meaning of an adjective is expressed by adding the preposition מן (or מ) after it, after which follows the thing it is compared to.

Example: האיש חכם מהנער (The man is smarter than the teenager.)

It is possible an other order of the words: חכם האיש מהנער.

But the last may mean “too... for” (The man is too smart for the teenager.)

Superlative degree is expressed simply adding an article to a adjective. After it is often used the preposition ב. Example: היפה בנשים (the most beautiful woman).