Describing Nouns: Adjectives as Stative Verbs

01

No 'To Be' Needed

Because the adjective already contains "to be", you place it straight after the subject. "This water is cold" is just water + this + cold.

• ទឹកនេះត្រជាក់

  tɨk nih trɑcĕəktuk nih traceek

  This water is cold.

• ផ្ទះនេះធំ

  phtĕəh nih thomphteeh nih thom

  This house is big.

• ខ្ញុំហត់

  khñom hɑtkhnom hat

  I am tired.

02

As a Modifier, It Follows the Noun

Used to describe a noun, the adjective comes AFTER it — the reverse of English.

• ផ្ទះថ្មី

  phtĕəh thməyphteeh thmey

  a new house (lit. house new)

• ឡានល្អ

  laan lʼɑɑlaan laa

  a good car

• មិត្តល្អ

  mɨt lʼɑɑmut laa

  a good friend

03

One Form, Two Readings

Noun + adjective can mean either "a cold X" or "the X is cold" — the same words serve as a description and as a complete sentence. Only context tells you which is meant.

• ឆ្កែតូច

  chkae touc

  a small dog / the dog is small

04

Degree and Comparison Attach Here

Because adjectives are verbs, the degree word ណាស់ (nah) ("very") and the comparison word ជាង (ciəngcieng) ("more than") attach directly to them — both AFTER the adjective.

• ផ្ទះនេះស្អាតណាស់

  phtĕəh nih sʼaat nahphteeh nih saat nah

  This house is very beautiful.

• ផ្ទះនេះធំជាង

  phtĕəh nih thom ciəngphteeh nih thom cieng

  This house is bigger.

05

Not Every Adjective Sighting Belongs Here

One arrangement looks like the pattern above but is not it. When an adjective follows a verb plus បាន (baan), it describes how the action was done rather than describing any noun: អ្នកនិយាយបានល្អ (nĕək niyiəy baan lʼɑɑneek niyiey baan laa) is "you speak well", where ល្អ (lʼɑɑlaa) "good" qualifies the speaking. Look for បាន (baan) in front of the adjective, and read it as an adverb.

06

They Take Aspect Markers Too

Since an adjective is a verb, it can also carry aspect: ហើយ (haəyhaey) after an adjective signals a change of state ("has become …").

• គាត់ចាស់ហើយ

  kŏət cah haəykoet cah haey

  He has become old.