Editing Amharic (section)

===Adjectives===
[[Adjective]]s are words or constructions used to qualify nouns. Adjectives in Amharic can be formed in several ways: they can be based on nominal patterns, or derived from nouns, verbs and other parts of speech. Adjectives can be nominalized by way of suffixing the nominal article (see [[Amharic language#Nouns|Nouns]] above). Amharic has few primary adjectives. Some examples are {{transliteration|am|dägg}} 'kind, generous', {{transliteration|am|dǝda}} 'mute, dumb, silent', {{transliteration|am|bič̣a}} 'yellow'.

====Nominal patterns====
:CäCCaC – {{transliteration|am|käbbad}} 'heavy'; {{transliteration|am|läggas}} 'generous'
:CäC(C)iC – {{transliteration|am|räqiq}} 'fine, subtle'; {{transliteration|am|addis}} 'new'
:CäC(C)aCa – {{transliteration|am|säbara}} 'broken'; {{transliteration|am|ṭämama}} 'bent, wrinkled'
:CəC(C)əC – {{transliteration|am|bǝlǝh}} 'intelligent, smart'; {{transliteration|am|dǝbbǝq}} 'hidden'
:CəC(C)uC – {{transliteration|am|kǝbur}} 'worthy, dignified'; {{transliteration|am|ṭǝqur}} 'black'; {{transliteration|am|qəddus}} 'holy'

====Denominalizing suffixes====
:{{transliteration|am|-äñña}} – {{transliteration|am|hayl-äñña}} 'powerful' (from {{Lang|am-latn|hayl}} 'power'); {{transliteration|am|ǝwnät-äñña}} 'true' (from {{transliteration|am|ǝwnät}} 'truth')
:{{transliteration|am|-täñña}} – {{transliteration|am|aläm-täñña}} 'secular' (from {{Lang|am-latn|aläm}} 'world')
:{{transliteration|am|-awi}} – {{transliteration|am|lǝbb-awi}} 'intelligent' (from {{transliteration|am|lǝbb}} 'heart'); {{transliteration|am|mǝdr-awi}} 'earthly' (from {{transliteration|am|mǝdr}} 'earth'); {{Lang|am-latn|haymanot-awi}} 'religious' (from {{Lang|am-latn|haymanot}} 'religion')

====Prefix {{Lang|am-latn|yä}}====
:{{Lang|am-latn|yä-kätäma}} 'urban' ({{lit|from the city}}); {{transliteration|am|yä-krǝstǝnna}} 'Christian' ({{lit|of Christianity}}); {{transliteration|am|yä-wǝšät}} 'wrong' ({{lit|of falsehood}}).

====Adjective noun complex====
The adjective and the noun together are called the 'adjective noun complex'. In Amharic, the adjective precedes the noun, with the verb last; e.g. {{transliteration|am|kǝfu geta}} 'a bad master'; {{IPA|təlləq bet särra}} (lit. big house he-built) 'he built a big house'.

If the adjective noun complex is [[definiteness|definite]], the definite article is suffixed to the adjective and not to the noun, e.g. {{transliteration|am|tǝllǝq-u bet}} (lit. big-<small>def</small> house) 'the big house'. In a possessive construction, the adjective takes the definite article, and the noun takes the pronominal possessive suffix, e.g. {{transliteration|am|tǝllǝq-u bet-e}} (lit. big-<small>def</small> house-my) {{Gloss|my big house}}.

When enumerating adjectives using {{transliteration|am|-nna}} 'and', both adjectives take the definite article: {{transliteration|am|qonǧo-wa-nna astäway-wa lǝǧ mäṭṭačč}} (lit. pretty-<small>def</small>-and intelligent-<small>def</small> girl came) {{gloss|the pretty and intelligent girl came}}. In the case of an indefinite plural adjective noun complex, the noun is plural and the adjective may be used in singular or in plural form. Thus, 'diligent students' can be rendered {{transliteration|am|tǝgu tämariʷočč}} (lit. diligent student-<small>PLUR</small>) or {{transliteration|am|təguʷočč tämariʷočč}} (lit. diligent-<small>PLUR</small> student-<small>PLUR</small>).