Adjectives With na-

Descriptive Words with Na-

Level 2

Napintas ‘beautiful’, nabaknang ‘wealthy’ and naimas ‘delicious’ describe properties.

How It Works

Many descriptive words combine na- with a base: pintas → napintas ‘beautiful’ and baknang → nabaknang ‘wealthy’. Learn the complete adjective and its meaning. The supplied examples establish this derivational class without licensing a new adjective from every base. Some adjectives, including dakkel ‘big’, occur without the prefix.

As a predicate, an adjective can precede a marked subject without a separate word for ‘is’: Napintas ti gitara. ‘The guitar is beautiful’. Inside a noun phrase, the adjective connects through a or nga and may precede or follow the noun. Compare napintas a gitara and gitara a napintas, both ‘a beautiful guitar’.

Plural adjective forms exist, but plural reference does not always require them: Medina/Pawley accepts both ordinary and plural adjective forms after a plural marker. Similar-looking verbal na- belongs to a separate construction; identify the complete word and its function.

Examples (3)

  1. Napintas ti gitara.

    The guitar is beautiful.

    The adjective serves as the predicate before its marked subject.

  2. nabaknang a gayyem

    a wealthy friend

    Noun phrase: the adjective connects to the following noun with a.

  3. Naimas ti pinakbet.

    The pinakbet is delicious.

    Naimas supplies a lexical property of the food.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Adjectives With na-Level 2Descriptive Words with Na-

Learn This First

Na- forms many property words; learn each complete adjective and its meaning.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

napintas