Adjectives as Predicates and Attributes — Sixian Hakka Grammar

An adjective in Hakka behaves far more like a verb than like an English adjective. It can be the whole predicate of a sentence with no linking verb before it, and it takes the same particles a verb takes.

Standing as the Predicate

The adjective follows the subject directly. There is no word answering to is, and inserting the linking verb before an adjective is simply not how the sentence is built.

天時當冷。
tienˊ siiˇ dongˊ langˊthiên sṳ̀ tông lâng
The weather is very cold.
佢兜个細人仔當吵。
giˇ deuˊ ge se nginˇ eˋ dongˊ cauˇkì têu ke se ngìn é tông chhàu
Their children are very noisy.

The Degree Adverb

A predicate adjective normally carries a degree adverb in front of it. Without one the sentence tends to be heard as a comparison — as though something else were being measured against — so the adverb is what makes a plain statement plain.

當歡喜同你認識。
dongˊ fonˊ hiˋ tungˇ nˇ ngin siidˋtông fôn hí thùng ǹ ngin sṳt
I'm very happy to meet you.
𠊎感覺當好！
ngaiˇ gamˋ gogˋ dongˊ hoˋngài kám kok tông hó
I feel great!

Before a Noun

Used to describe a noun rather than to state something about it, the adjective comes first and is joined to the noun by (geke).

蘋果汁有大量个糖。
lin goˋ ziibˋ iuˊ tai liong ge tongˇlin kó chṳp yû thai liong ke thòng
Apple juice has a lot of sugar.
該張好看个相片掛在壁項。
ge zongˊ hoˋ kon ge xiong pienˋ gua di biagˋ hongke chông hó khon ke siong phién koa ti piak hong
The beautiful photo hangs on the wall.

Taking Verb Particles

Because an adjective works as a predicate in its own right, it takes the particle marking a change of situation exactly as a verb does. This is how it is old becomes it has grown old with no change of word.

這本書當舊了。
iaˋ bunˋ suˊ dongˊ kiu leˋyá pún sû tông khiu lé
This book has grown old.
這忒貴了。
iaˋ tedˋ gui leˋyá thet kui lé
This has become too expensive.
吾个筆既經當舊了。
ngaˊ ge bidˋ gi ginˊ dongˊ kiu leˋngâ ke pit ki kîn tông khiu lé
My pen has already grown old.

Negating an Adjective

An adjective is negated with (moˇmò), the same negator used for verbs and for events that did not happen.

你看起來無爽快。
nˇ kon hiˋ loiˇ moˇ songˋ kuaiǹ khon hí lòi mò sóng khoai
You don't look well.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Sixian Hakka course

97 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 1. A few of them, with the words “Adjectives as Predicates and Attributes” is about in bold:

你試著仰仔？好抑係毋好？
nˇ cii doˋ ngiongˋ eˇ? hoˋ ia he mˇ hoˋ?ǹ chhṳ tó ngióng è? hó ya he m̀ hó?
How are you feeling? Good or bad?
Lesson 61
𠊎感覺當好！𠊎無發病仔。𠊎當康健。
ngaiˇ gamˋ gogˋ dongˊ hoˋ! ngaiˇ moˇ bodˋ piang eˋ. ngaiˇ dongˊ kongˊ kien.ngài kám kok tông hó! ngài mò pot phiang é. ngài tông không khien.
I feel great! I am not sick. I am healthy.
Lesson 64
醫生你好。𠊎有一隻問題。
iˊ senˊ nˇ hoˋ. ngaiˇ iuˊ idˋ zagˋ mun tiˇ.yî sên ǹ hó. ngài yû yit chak mun thì.
Hello, Doctor. I have a problem.
Lesson 91

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