# Quenya/Adjectives
## Adjective Types

Quenya has 3 types of adjectives depending on their final letter:
    Adjectives in \`C -a:
   * `Cj1E alta "big"
   * aY65# corna "round"
   * j#6aD larca "swift, rapid"
   * 7lDaD raica "bent"
   * eD7R`C farëa "enough"
    Adjectives in \`V -ë:
   * j.FaR leucë "sick"
   * 5%v$ ninquë "white"
   * aD65$ carnë "red"
    Adjectives in \5 -n; most end in \`B5 -in but some in \`V5 -en:
   * t#7T5 marin "ripe"
   * zDj%5 qualin "dead"
   * qR7R5 peren "patient"
Adjectives are mostly placed in front of the noun to which they belong:
* j#6aD 8~B7R larca sírë "a rapid river"
* `B 5%v$ eD5Ì# i ninquë fanya "the white cloud"
It is emphasized by putting it after its noun:
* t#j°$ 7lDaD mallë raica "a bent (and not straight) road"
With a proper noun adjectives are always put behind the noun:
* `Vj$2%j yY7Y2# Elendil Voronda "Elendil (the) Faithful, Faithful Elendil"
Adjectives can also be used predicatively with the verb ná:
* `B qE6t# 5~C aD65$ i parma ná carnë "the book is red"
In such short sentences 5~C ná or 5#6 nar is often omitted:
* `B qE6t# aD65$ i parma carnë "the book is red"

## Plural

Adjectives have only one plural form; it is used whenever the noun it belongs to is not singular (so dual, plural and partitive plural make no difference for the adjective):
* aD65% qE6t#6 carni parmar "red books"
* aD65% qE6t#1 carni parmat "a pair of red books"
* aD65% qE6t#j% carni parmali "some red books"
Predicatively used adjectives are in the plural whenever the subject refers to more than one person or thing:
* `B aG7ÎE6 5#6 5%v% i ciryar nar ninqui "the ships are white"
* `B `C7E5 `C6 `B 1~C7T 5#6 `Cj1R i aran ar i tári nar altë "the king and queen are big"
'Formation of the plural':
    Adjectives in \`C -a but not in \`V`C -ëa:
   * `Cj1E alta → `Cj1R altë "big"
   * aY65# corna → aY65$ cornë "round"
   * 7lDaD raica → 7lDaR raicë "bent"
    Adjectives in \`V`C -ëa:
   * eD7R`C farëa → eD7T`V farië "enough"
   * j.D7R`C laurëa → j.D7T`V laurië "golden"
    Adjectives in \`V -ë:
   * j.FaR leucë → j.FaG leuci "sick"
   * 5%v$ ninquë → 5%v% ninqui "white"
    Adjectives in \5 -n have two possible forms:
   * t#7T5 marin → t#7T5% - t#7T2% marini/marindi "ripe"
   * zDj%5 qualin → zDj%5% - zDj%2% qualini/qualindi "dead"
   * qR7R5 peren → qR7R5% - qR7R2% pereni/perendi "patient"
    One adjective is irregular:
   * tlD1R maitë → tlDiG maisi "handy"

## Inflected adjectives

In Quenya there are only 2 occurrences in which the adjectives are inflected:
    When the adjective is used as a noun
    When the adjective immediately follows its noun
In all other places an adjective only has 2 forms: singular and plural (see above).
Examples and paradigms can be found on a separate page: Inflected adjectives.

## Comparative

Quenya uses two different comparatives: relative and absolute.

### Relative Comparison

When we use an adjective in a relative comparison, it is preceded by j~C lá but its form doesn’t change:
* `N7Yt$ 5~C 9Cj°# j~C t#2^8 Oromë ná halla lá Mandos "Orome is taller than Mandos"
* `C5#6 5~C aDj%t# j~C `BiGj Anar ná calima lá Isil "The sun is brighter than the moon"
Note: j~C lá is also used to negate a verb, so it can appear with both meanings in one sentence:
* j~C aD7Tj´$8 tlDaD j~C t#aGj$7ÎE lá carilyes maica lá macilerya "you don't make it sharper than your sword"
If one is unsure of the meaning of which j~C lá is being used, simply identify the following word to determine the meaning:
* j~C lá followed by a "noun" = Relative Comparison.
* j~C lá followed by a "verb" = Verb Negation.

### Absolute Comparison

If on the other hand the comparison is used absolutively, we have a special ending \m# –lda:
* `N7Yt$ 5~C 9Cj°#m# Oromë ná hallalda "Orome is longer"
So these comparatives are always adjectives on \`C –a and follow the rules of these adjectives:
* jlDzDm$ qRj$7T laiqualdë peleri "greener fields"
To apply the ending to adjectives on \`V –ë we use their I-stem:
* 5%v$ ninquë "white" → 5%v%m# ninquilda
and adjectives on \`B5 - \`V5 –in/-en get the ending \`Bm# –ilda:
* t$j%5 melin "dear" → t$j%5%m# melinilda
Finally, a few are irregular:
* t~C7E - t#5$ mára/manë "good" → t#m# malda "better"
* yE5Ì# vanya "beautiful, fair" → yEm# valda "more beatiful, fairer"
* `MjaD ulca "bad" → `Mm# ulda "worse"
* elDaD faica "bad" → eRm# felda "worse"
* j%w# limba "many" → j%m# lilda "more"
* `Nj´# olya "much" → `Nm# olda "more"
and the diminutive:
* t#f# manca "few" → t%1E+ mitsa "less"

## Superlative

The superlative is formed by applying the prefix `C5\ an- to the adjective:
* aDj%t# calima "clear" → `Cf#j%t# ancalima "clearest"
* yT5Ì# vinya "new" → `C5yT5Ì# anvinya "newest"
This prefix cannot be applied to every adjective as otherwise unallowed consonant clusters could appear (see Phonology). It can be prefixed to adjectives beginning in: a vowel, c-, n-, qu-, t-, v-, w-, y-. some other consonants can get the prefix `C5#\ ana-:
* `Cj1E alta "big" → `C5#j1E analta "biggest"
* 5%2$ nindë "fragile" → `C5:%2$ annindë "most fragile"
* zD4# quanta "full" → `Cv#4# anquanta "fullest"
* nTjnE wilwa "vague" → `C5nTjnE anwilwa "vaguest"
* hÍRjnE yelwa "loathsome" → `C5Ì$jnE anyelwa "most loathsome"
* eU7T5 furin "hidden" → `C5#eU7T5 anafurin "most hidden"
* 9Cj°# halla "long" → `C5#dEj°# anahalla "longest"
When an adjective begins in q\ p- the prefix becomes `Ct\ am-:
* qT1ÎE pitya "small, little" → `Cr%1ÎE ampitya "smallest"
Before l-, m-, r-, s- the n of an- assimilates into the following consonant to make it a double consonant:
* jlDaD lauca "warm" → `Cj°lDaD allauca "warmest"
* 7Ts# ringa "cold" → `C7;Ts# arringa "coldest"
* iDuE sarda "hard" → `C,DuE assarda "hardest"
* t#7T5 marin "ripe" → `C5:#7T5 ammarin "ripest"
But when we look at the historical development of Quenya, a large group of adjectives must have 'historical' irregularities, e.g.
* yE5Ì# vanya "beautiful" → `Cw#5Ì# ambanya "most beautiful"
We will look at these on a separate page: historical superlatives.
>> Neo-Quenya >> Adjectives