Adyghe grammar

Adyghe is a language with an ergative verb-final clause structure and rich verb morphology.

Noun

Verbs

In Adyghe, like all Northwest Caucasian languages, the verb is the most inflected part of speech. Verbs are typically head final and are conjugated for tense, person, number, etc.

Morphology

Adverbs

The Adverbs can be formed from different speech elements by gaining suffix ~эу (-aw) or ~у (-u):

From verbs:
ГумэкIын - beware, МыгумэкIыхэу - unflappable,
Джэгун - Play, Джэгунэу - playing,
Щысын- sits, Щысэу - sitting.

For example:
Щысэу илъэгъогъ - He saw while sitting,
Мэджэгунэу мэчIагъ - He ran while playing.

From adjectives:
тэрэз - correct,
Тэрэзэу тхы! - write correctly,
рэхьат - calm,
рэхьатэу - calmly,
псынкIэ - quick,
псынкIэу - quickly.

From other speech elements:
ежь - itself (jaʑ),
Ежь-ежьырэу иIофыр къэгъэухыгъ – He (she) has finished his (her) work by himself (herself).

The following adverbs are not formed from another words:

Place adverbs

Such as:
мыдэ, модэ, моджэ here, мыдыджэ here, мэу here.

удэ, удыджэ, ауджэ - (there, there) different with comparative vicinity degree:
Удэ къэкIорэр тигъунэгъу - Here goes our neighbour (wda qakʷʼarar tiʁʷnaʁʷ).

Tense adverbs

непэ - today,
тыгъубсэ or тыгъуасэ - yesterday,
неущы - tomorrow, едэдэм or джыдэдэм - presently,
ыужым or иужым or икънэуыж - after,
етIубнэ or етIонэ – afterwards,
жьэу or пасэу – early,
лъэжъуагъэу - late.

Непэ ap къэкIощтэп - Today he will not come,
Тыгъуасэ тызытегущыIагъэм угу къэкIыжьа? – Do You remember, what we talked about yesterday?,
Неущы тыкIощт ауджэ - Tomorrow we will go there,
Пчэдыжьым жъэу сэкъэтэджыгъ – I got up early in the morning.

Number adverbs

макIэ or тIэкIу - few,
бэ - much, a lot,
бэрэ - often/long,
бэшIагъэу - long ago.

МакIэу Iо, бэу шIэ – Talk less, do a more,
Ащ бэрэ лъэхъугъ, ау къыгъотыжьыгъэп – I had been looking for him for a long time, but I did not find him,
Нахь бэрэ уIущхыпцыкIынэу сыфай - I want you to smile more often,
БэшIагъэу оу слъэгъугъэп - I have not seen you for a long time.

Clarification (нахь)

To clarify something to someone with a wrong assumption, the adverb нахь (-naħ) is added after the clarified word.

• мэкӏуагъ /makʷʼaːʁ/ - he went → мэкӏуагъэ нахь /makʷʼaːʁa naːħ/ - actually he went.
• сэкӏо /sakʷʼa/ - I am going →, сэкӏо нахь /saːkʷʼ naːħ/ - actually I am going.
• тыкӀощт /təkʷʼaɕt/ - we will go → тыкӏощт нахь /təkʷʼaɕt naːħ/ - actually we will go.
• мафэ /maːfa/ - day → мафэ нахь /maːfa naːħ/ - actually it's a day.
• кӏалэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮa/ - boy → кӏалэ нахь /t͡ʃʼaːɮa naːħ/ - actually it's a boy.
• дахэ /daːxa/ - pretty → дахэ нахь /daːxa naːħ/ - actually he/she/it is pretty.
• кӏэхьы /t͡ʃʼaħə/ - long → кӏэхь нахь /t͡ʃʼaħa naːħ/ - actually he/she/it is long.
• to clarify the listener(s) that it is day now

мафэ нахь	джы
мафэ нахь	джы
[maːfa naːħ	d͡ʒə]
it's day	now
"it's actually a day now"

• to clarify the listener(s) that the boy can run

кӏалэр	мэчъэшъущт нахь
кӏалэ-р	мэчъэ-шъу-щт нахь
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	mat͡ʂaʃʷtə naːħ]
the boy (abs.)	he is capable to run
"the boy actually can run"

• to clarify the listener(s) that the girl is pretty

пшъашъэр	дахэ нахь
пшъашъэ-р	дахэ нахь
pʂaːʂar]	daːxa naːħ]
girl (abs.)	it's actually pretty
"that girl is actually pretty"

Pronouns

Personal pronouns

In Adyghe, personal pronouns are only expressed in first person, second person and reflexive second-person in singular and plural forms.

	Case	First-person		Second-person		Reflexive third-person
		Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
Singular	Absolutive	сэ	sa	о	wa	ежь	jaʑ
	Ergative	сэ	sa	о	wa	ежь	jaʑ
	Instrumental	сэркӏэ	sart͡ʃʼa	оркӏэ	wart͡ʃʼa	ежькӏэ	jaʑt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	сэрэу	saraw	орэу	waraw	ежьрэу	jaʑraw
Plural	Absolutive	тэ	ta	шъо	ʃʷa	ежьхэр	jaʑxar
	Ergative	тэ	ta	шъо	ʃʷa	ежьхэмэ	jaʑxama
	Instrumental	тэркӏэ	tart͡ʃʼa	шъоркӏэ	ʃʷart͡ʃʼa	ежьхэмкӏэ	jaʑxamt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	тэрэу	taraw	шъорэу	ʃʷaraw	ежьхэрэу	jaʑxaxaw

сэ	о	усэплъэы
[sa	wa	wəsapɬə]
I	you	I am looking at you
"I am looking at you."

мы	ӏофыр	сэркӏэ	къины
[mə	ʔʷafər	sart͡ʃʼa	qəjnə]
this	work (abs.)	for me	hard
"this work is hard for me."

ежь	сэ	къысиӏуагъ
[jaʑ	sa	qəsəjʔʷaːʁ]
him/her	I	(s)he told me
"he told me himself."

Demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are мы "this", мо "that", а "that". There is a contradistinction between 'мы' and 'мо' on how far the referred object is. The pronoun 'а' is neutral on this matter. Third person pronouns are expressed as demonstrative pronouns.

	Case	Basic demonstratives
		а		мо		мы
		Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
Singular	Absolutive	ар	aːr	мор	mor	мыр	mər
	Ergative	ащ	aːɕ	мощ	moɕ	мыщ	məɕ
	Instrumental	ащкӏэ	aːɕt͡ʃʼa	мощкӏэ	moɕt͡ʃʼa	мыщкӏэ	məɕt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	арэу	aːraw	морэу	moraw	мырэу	məraw
Plural	Absolutive	ахэр	aːxar	мохэр	moxar	мыхэр	məxar
	Ergative	ахэмэ	aːxama	мохэмэ	moxama	мыхэмэ	məxama
	Instrumental	ахэмкӏэ	aːxamt͡ʃʼa	мохэмкӏэ	moxamt͡ʃʼa	мыхэмкӏэ	məxamt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	ахэрэу	aːxaraw	мохэрэу	moxaraw	мыхэрэу	məxaraw

мор	о	уимашинэ
[mor	wa	wəjmaːʃina]
this (abs.)	you	your car
"That is your car."

ащ	къысиӏуагъэр	мыщ	есӏотэжьыгъ
[aːɕ	qəsəjʔʷaːʁar	məɕ	qəjnə]
that (erg.)	the thing (s)he told me	this (erg.)	I told him back
"I told this person the things that person told me."

ахэмкӏэ	мы	джанэу	мощ	щыгъэр	дахэ
[aːxamt͡ʃʼa	mə	d͡ʒaːnaw	moɕ	ɕəʁər	daːxa]
for them (ins.)	this	shirt (adv.)	that (erg.)	the thing (s)he is wearing	beautiful
"According to them, the shirt this person is wearing is beautiful."

The demonstrative pronouns джэ "that", дымы "this over here" and дымо "that over there" also exist in Circassian. There is a contradistinction between 'дымы' and 'дымо' on how far the referred object is. The pronoun 'джэ' is also neutral on this matter.

	Case	Other demonstratives
		дымо		дымы		джэ
		Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
Singular	Absolutive	дымор	dəmor	дымыр	dəmər	джэр	d͡ʒar
	Ergative	дымощ	dəmoɕ	дымыщ	dəməɕ	джэщ	d͡ʒaɕ
	Instrumental	дымощкӏэ	dəmoɕt͡ʃʼa	дымыщкӏэ	dəməɕt͡ʃʼa	джэщкӏэ	d͡ʒaɕt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	дыморэу	dəmoraw	дымырэу	dəməraw	джэрэу	d͡ʒaraw
Plural	Absolutive	дымохэр	dəmoxar	дымыхэр	dəməxar	джэхэр	d͡ʒaxar
	Ergative	дымохэмэ	dəmoxama	дымыхэмэ	dəməxama	джэхэмэ	d͡ʒaxama
	Instrumental	дымохэмкӏэ	dəmoxamt͡ʃʼa	дымыхэмкӏэ	dəməxamt͡ʃʼa	джэхэмкӏэ	d͡ʒaxamt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	дымохэрэу	dəmoxaraw	дымыхэрэу	dəməxaraw	джэхэрэу	d͡ʒaxaraw

дымощ	ицуакъэ	ишъо	олъэгъуа?
[dəmoɕ	jət͡sʷaːqa	jəʃʷa	waɬaʁʷaː]
that over there (erg.)	his shoe	its' color	do you see it?
"Do you see the color of that person's shoe over there?"

джэхэмэ	садэгущыӏагъ
[d͡ʒaxama	saːdaɡʷəɕəʔaːʁ]
those (erg.)	I spoke to them
"I spoke to them."

дымор	кӏалэу	къысэуагъэр
[dəmor	t͡ʃʼaːɮaw	qəsawaːʁar]
that over there (abs.)	boy (adv.)	the one that hit me
"That is the boy that hit me over there."

Interrogative pronoun

The interrogative pronoun is тэ "which".

	Case
		Cyrillic	IPA
Singular	Absolutive	тэр	tar
	Ergative	тэщ	taɕ
	Instrumental	тэщкӏэ	taɕt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	тэрэу	taraw
Plural	Absolutive	тэхэр	taxar
	Ergative	тэхэмэ	taxama
	Instrumental	тэхэмкӏэ	taxamt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	тэхэрэу	taxaraw

Possessive pronouns

	Case	First-person		Second-person		Third-person		Reflexive third-person
		Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
Singular	Absolutive	сэсый	sasəj	оуй	wawəj	ий	jəj	ежьый	jaʑəj
	Ergative	сэсый	sasəj	оуй	wawəj	ий	jəj	ежьый	jaʑəj
	Instrumental	сэсыемкӏэ	sasəjamt͡ʃʼa	оуемкӏэ	wawəjamt͡ʃʼa	иемкӏэ	jəjamt͡ʃʼa	ежьыемкӏэ	jaʑəjamt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	сэсыеу	sasəjaw	оуеу	wawəjaw	иеу	jəjaw	ежьыеу	jaʑəjaw
Plural	Absolutive	тэтый	tatəj	шъошъуй	ʃʷaʃʷəj	яй	jaːj	ежьыяй	jaʑəjaːj
	Ergative	тэтый	tatəj	шъошъуй	ʃʷaʃʷəj	яй	jaːj	ежьыяй	jaʑəjaːj
	Instrumental	тэтыемкӏэ	tatəjamt͡ʃʼa	шъошъуемкӏэ	ʃʷaʃʷəjamt͡ʃʼa	яемкӏэ	jaːjamt͡ʃʼa	ежьыяимкӏэ	jaʑəjaːjəmt͡ʃʼa
	Adverbial	тэтыеу	tatəjaw	шъошъуеу	ʃʷaʃʷəjaw	яеу	jaːjaw	ежьыяеу	jaʑəjaːjaw

мы	джэгуалъэхэр	сэсиех
[mə	d͡ʒaɡʷaːɬaxar	sasəjax]
this	toys (abs.)	they are mine
"these toys are mine."

дымо	унэ	плъэгъурэ	сэсый
[dəmo	wəna	pɬaʁʷəra	sasəj]
that over there	house	what one you're seeing	mine
"That house you are seeing is mine."

мыр	оуя	ежья?
[mər	wawəjaː	jaʑjaː]
this (abs.)	is it yours?	is it his?
"Is this yours or his?"

The nouns in Adyghe are different by their accessory signs, which are broken down into the natural attribute and the property attribute. The natural attribute is for body parts and kin relationships (e.g. 'son', 'sister'). All other words belong to the property attribute.

• Natural attributes are expressed with the following prefixes:

		Prefix		Meaning
		Cyrillic	IPA
Singular	1st person	с- or сы-	/s-/ or /sə-/	"my"
	2nd person	п- or у-	/p-/ or /w-/	"your"
	3rd person	ы-	/ə-/	"his"
Plural	1st person	тэ- or т-	/ta-/ or /t-/	"our"
	2nd person	шъо- or шъу-	/ʃʷa-/ or /ʃʷə-/	"your"
	3rd person	a-	/aː-/	"their"

ышынахьыкӏэ	ицӏэ	Аслъан
[əʃənaːħət͡ʃʼa	jət͡sʼa	aːsɬaːn]
his younger brother	his name	Aslan
"His younger brother's name is Aslan."

сэ	слъакъо	мэузы
[sa	sɬaːqʷa	mawzə]
I	my leg	it is hurting
"my leg hurts."

• Property attributes are expressed by a different set of prefixes:

		Prefix		Meaning
		Cyrillic	IPA
Singular	1st person	си-	/səj-/	"my"
	2nd person	уи-	/wəj-/	"your"
	3rd person	и-	/jə-/	"his"
Plural	1st person	ти-	/təj-/	"our"
	2nd person	шъуи-	/ʃʷəj-/	"your"
	3rd person	я-	/jaː-/	"their"

сэ	сицӏэ	Аслъан
[sa	əjt͡sʼa	aːsɬaːn]
I	my name	Aslan
"My name is Aslan."

сэ	сиунэ	ишъо	фыжьы
[sa	səjwəna	jəʃʷa	fəʑə]
I	my house	its' color	white
"The color of my house is white."

яджанэхэр	нахь	дахэх	уиджанэхэмэ
[jaːd͡ʒaːnaxar	naːħ	daːxax	wəjd͡ʒaːnaxama]
their clothes (abs.)	more	beautiful (plural)	your clothes (erg.)
"Their clothes are more beautiful than yours."

Indefinite pronoun

In Adyghe whole one - зыгорэ. Serves for indication of all notions corresponding to English words "someone", "something", "someone", "something", "sometime", "somewhere", etc.

Changes either as noun – in number and in cases:

Case	Singular form		Plural form
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
Absolutive	зыгорэ	zəɡʷara	зыгорэхэр	zəɡʷaraxar
Ergative	зыгорэм	zəɡʷaram	зыгорэхэмэ	zəɡʷaraxama
Instrumental	зыгорэ(м)кӏэ	zəɡʷara(m)t͡ʃʼa	зыгорэхэ(м)кӏэ	zəɡʷaraxa(m)t͡ʃʼa
Adverbial	зыгорэу	zəɡʷaraw	зыгорэхэу	zəɡʷaraxaw

зыгорэ	пчъэм	къытеуагъ
[zəɡʷara	pt͡ʂam	qətajwaːʁ]
someone (abs.)	door (erg.)	(s)he knocked it
"someone has knocked the door."

кӏалэ горэм	бэнанэр	ешхы
[t͡ʃʼaːɮa ɡʷaram	banaːna	jaʃxə]
some boy (erg.)	the banana (abs.)	he eats
"some boy is eating the banana"

пшъэшъэ	дахэ горэм	мыр	къысиӏуагъ
[pʂaʂa	daːxa ɡʷaram	mər	qəsiʔʷaːʁ]
girl	some pretty (erg.)	this	he/she told me
"some pretty girl told me this"

That is it

Pronoun	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
сэ	сэры	sarə	it is me
о	оры	warə	it is you
ежь	ежьыр	jaʑər	it is him
тэ	тэры	tarə	it is us
шъо	шъоры	ʃʷarə	it is you (plural)
ежьхэ	ежьхэр	jaʑəxar	it is them
Determiner	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
а	ары	aːrə	that one indeed
джэ	джары	d͡ʒaːrə	exactly that one indeed
мо	моры	morə	that one
дыо	дыуары	dəwaːrə	that one over there
дымы	дымары	dəmaːrə	this one over here
мы	мары	maːrə	this one
тэ	тары	taːrə	which one

сэры	къэшъугъотын фае
[sarə	qaʃʷəʁʷatən faːja]
it is me	the one you must find
"the one you must find is me."

ары	къысиIуагъэ
[aːrə	qəsiʔʷaːʁa]
that is	the thing he told me
"that is what he told me"

дыморы	кIалэу	сфэсIуагъэ
[dəmorə	t͡ʃaːlaw	səfasʔʷaːʁa]
that is over there	boy (adv.)	the thing i talked about
"here is the boy i talked about"

Demonstratives

Adyghe has six demonstratives that vary between dialects: а /ʔaː/, джэ /d͡ʒa/, у /wə/, дыу /dəw/, дымэ /dəma/ and мы /mə/.

а /ʔaː/

1. that

   а ӏанэ — that table

   а пшъашъэ — that girl

   а кӏалэм еӏо — that boy is saying

• The determiner 'а' /ʔaː/ refer to a referent that is far away and invisible to both the speaker and the listener(s). It is similar to the English language determiner that, but with the condition that the referent has to be invisible or far away.

мо /maw/ (у /wə/ in Shapsug and Bzhedug)

1. that

   у ӏанэ — that table

   у пшъашъэ — that girl

   у кӀалэм еӀо — that boy is saying

• The determiner 'у' refer to a referent that is visible and in a known distance from both the speaker and the listener(s) (both the speaker and the listener(s) can see the referent). It is similar to the English language determiner that, but with the condition that the referent has to be visible.

мы /mə/

1. this

   мы ӏанэ — this table

   мы пшъашъэ — this girl

   мы кӀалэм еӀо — this boy is saying

   мы мэгъэ — this year

• The determiner 'мы' refer to a referent that is close to both the speaker and the listener(s). It is exactly like the English language determiner this.

джэ /d͡ʒa/ (гьэ /gʲa/ in Shapsug)

1. that

   джэ ӏанэ — that table

   джэ пшъашъэ — that girl

   джэ кӏалэм еӏо — that boy is saying

• The determiner 'джэ' refer to a referent which is usually invisible. This determiner is used when the speaker wants to emphasizes that the object is indeed the referent (s)he talks about or refers to.

дыу /dəw/

1. that (over there)

   дыу ӏанэ — that table over there

   дыу пшъашъэ — that girl over there

   дыу кӀалэм еӀо — that boy over there is saying

   дыу цӀыфэр улъэгъуа? — Do you see that person over there?

• The determiner 'дыу' refer to a referent that is visible. This determiner is used when the speaker wants to emphasizes that the object is in his sight, so that the listener(s) will expect the referent to be the thing (s)he looks at. It is usually used to introduce a new referent, for example it can be used to refer to a stranger on the street or to refer to a certain object on the field that is visible. This determiner might be used while pointing one's finger at the people or objects in question.

дымы /dəmə/

1. this (over here)

   дымы ӏанэ — this table over here

   дымы пшъашъэ — this girl over here

   дымы кӀалэм еӀо — this boy over here is saying

   дымы цӀыфэр улъэгъуа? — Do you see this person over here?

• The determiner 'дымы' refer to a referent that is visible. This determiner is similar to the determiner дыу (dəw). This is used instead of дыу (dəw) when the referent is very near. Like the determiner дыу (dəw) it might be used while pointing one's finger at the referent in question. Even without pointing fingers the listener(s) will expect the referent to be the thing the speaker looks at. It can be used to point on objects in a room for example.

тэ (ta)

1. which

   тэ ӏанэ? — which table?

   тэ пшъашъэ? — which girl?

   тэ кӀалэм еӀо? — which boy is saying?

Conjugation

Location

Determiner	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
а	адэ	aːda	that place
джэ	джэдэ	d͡ʒada	exactly that place
у	удэ	wəda	that place
дыо	дыодэ	dəwada	that place over there
дымы	дымыдэ	dəmərra	this place over here
мы	мыдэ	məda	this place
тэ	тэдэ	tada	which place; where

мыдэ	ушӏагъэ
[mədda	wəʃʼaːʁa]
here	you done
"look what you done here"

джэр	удэ	гъэтӏылъ
[ɡʲar	wədda	ʁatʼəɬ]
that	there	put it down
"put that down there"

Other

Determiner	Singular
	Absolutive		Ergative		Meaning
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
а	адрэ	aːdra	адрэми	aːdraməj	that other one
джэ	джэдрэ	d͡ʒadra	джэдрэми	d͡ʒadraməj	exactly that other one
у	удрэ	wədra	удрэми	wədraməj	that other one
дыо	дыодрэ	dəwadra	дыудрэми	dəwədraməj	that other one over there
дымы	дымыдрэ	dəmədra	дымыдрэми	dəmədraməj	this other one over here
мы	мыдрэ	mədra	мыдрэми	mədraməj	this other one
тэ	тэдрэ	tadra	тэдрэми	tadraməj	which other one
Determiner	Plural
	Absolutive		Ergative		Meaning
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
а	адрэхэ	aːdraxa	адрэхэми	aːdraxaməj	those other ones
джэ	джэдрэхэ	d͡ʒadraxa	джэдрэхэми	d͡ʒadraxama	exactly those other ones
у	удрэхэ	wədraxa	удрэхэми	wədraxaməj	those other ones
дыо	дыодрэхэ	dəwadraхэ	дыудрэхэми	dəwədraxaməj	those other ones over there
дымы	дымыдрэхэ	dəmədraxa	дымыдрэхэми	dəmədraxaməj	these other ones over here
мы	мыдрэхэ	mədraxa	мыдрэхэми	mədraxaməj	these other ones
тэ	тэдрэхэ	tadraxa	тэдрэхэми	tadraxaməj	which other ones

мы	уатэрэп	къысфэпхьынэу	сфэягъэ,	адрэ	уатэ	рары
мы	уатэ-рэп	къы-с-фэ-п-хьы-нэу	с-фай-агъэ,	адрэ	уатэ	рары
[ma	waːtarap	qasfapħənaw	səfajaːʁa	aːdra	waːta	raːrə]
this	not the hammer	the thing you to bring me	the thing i wanted	the other thing	hammer	that is
"it's not this hammer I wanted you to bring me, it's the other hammer"

адрэ	пакӏэм	тыгъакIу
[aːdra	paːkam	tʁaːkʷʼ]
that other	the way (erg.)	let us go
"let us go to that other way"

There

Determiner	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
а	ау	aːw	to there
джэ	джэу	d͡ʒaw	exactly to there
у	оу	waw	to there
дыо	дыоу	dəwaw	to there
дымы	дымыу	dəməw	to here
мы	мыу	məw	to here
тэ	тэу	taw	to where

ау	укIомэ	къэбгъэзэщтэп
[aːw	wkʷʼma	qabʁazaɕtap]
over there	if you go	you will not manage to return
"if you go there you will not manage to return back"

мэу	бэнанэр	щышх
[wə	banaːnar	ɕəʃx]
over here	the banana (abs.)	eat it there
"eat the banana here"

Like

Determiner	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
а	аущтэу	aːɕtaw	like that
джэ	джэущтэу	d͡ʒaɕtaw	exactly like that
у	ущтэу	wəɕtaw	like that
дыо	дыущтэу	dəwəɕtaw	like that over there
дымы	дымыщтэу	dəmaɕtaw	like this over here
мы	мыущтэу	məɕtaw	like here
тэ	тэущтэу	taɕtaw	like how; how

аущтэу	умышI
[ʔaːɕtaw	wnəʃʼ]
like that	don't do
"don't do like that"

дыуыщтэу	кIалэр	макIо
[dəwəɕtaw	t͡ʃaːlar	mːkʷʼa]
like that over there	boy (abs.)	he is going
"the boy is going like that (over there)"

Then

Determiner	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
а	ащгъум	aːɕʁʷəm	at that time; back then; then
джэ	джэщгъум	d͡ʒaɕʁʷəm	at that moment
у	ущгъум	wəɕʁʷəm	at that situation
дыо	дыущгъум	dəwəɕʁʷəm	at that moment
дымы	дымыщгъум	dəmaɕʁʷəm	at this moment
мы	мыщгъум	məɕʁʷəm	at this moment
тэ	тэщгъум	taɕʁʷəm	when; at what moment

ащгъум	сыкӏэлэцӏыкӏугъагъ
[aːɕʁʷəm	sət͡ʃʼaɮat͡sʼəkʷʼəʁaːʁ]
at that time	I was a child
"I was a child back then."

кӏалэр	къакӏоу	плъэгъумэ,	джэщгъум	къытадж
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	qaːkʷʼaw	pɬaʁʷma	d͡ʒaɕʁʷəm	qətaːd͡ʒ]
boy (abs.)	while (s)he is coming	if you see him	at that moment	call us
"At the moment you see the boy coming, call us."

Adjectives

The functions of adjectives are distinguished through word order and conjugation.

Qualitative adjectives

Qualitative adjectives are paired with nouns and always follow them, as in Romance languages. They can be suffixed for comparison and superlativeness.

• Пшъашъэ дэх - beautiful girl [girl beautiful]
• ЦIыф Iуш - wise man [person wise].

Quantitative adjectives

Adjectives can function as nouns in the quantitative form when suffixed for number with ~хэ. For example:

• дахэ – beautiful, дахэхэ - beautiful (plural);
• дэгъу - good, дэгъухэ - good (plural);
• дэи - bad, дэихэ - bad (in plural form)

The relative adjectives are those that cannot have the comparative degrees. They are posited before the defined word:

ГъукIэ гъогур - railway [iron road],
Пхъэ Iанэ - wooden table.

In both events when we change the form and number of structure "none + quality adjective" or "relative adjectives + none" this leads to changing of the suffix of the last word in structure:

Пшъэшъэ дах - Beautiful girl,
Пшъэшъэ дахэхэр - beautiful girls,
ЦIыф Iуш - wise person,
ЦIыф Iушхэр - wise people,
ГъукIэ гъогур - railway,
ГъукIэ гъогухэр - railways.

Qualitative adjectives can have comparative and superlative degrees: The Comparative degree is formed by auxiliary word нахь / анбхь (more).

Ар ощ нахь лъагэ – he is higher than you,
Нахь ины хъугъэ – He became bigger [More big became],
Нахь лIэблан охъун фай - You must be braver.

For superlative degrees the structure зэкIэмэ анахь (more than all...) is used:

Ар зэкIэмэ анахь дахэ – She is the most beautiful,
Ар зэкIэмэ анахь лъагэ - It is the highest,
ЗэкIэми анахь дэгъу шхынкIэ ыгъэшхагъ – She feeds him with the tastiest meal,
Ар заужмэ анахь лъэшы – He is the strongest.

Adjective prefixes

Opinion (шӏо~)

To indicate an opinion of someone the prefix шӏо~ (ʃʷʼa~) is added to the adjective. This is used very rarely on nouns.

Examples:

• дахэ /daːxa/ - pretty → шӏодах /ʃʷʼadaːx/ - it's pretty for him.
• дэхагъ /daxaːʁ/ - was pretty → шӏодэхагъ /ʃʷʼadaxaːʁ/ - it was pretty for him.
• дэхэщт /daxat/ - will be pretty → шӏодэхэщт /ʃʷʼadaxat/ - it will be pretty for him.
• ӏэшӏу /ʔaːʃʷʼə/ - tasty → cшӏоӏэшӀу /səʃʷʼaʔaːʃʷʼ/ - it is tasty for me.
• дэгъу /daʁʷə/ - good → яшӏодэгъу /jaːʃʷʼadaʁʷ/ - it is good for them.
• мафэ /maːfa/ - day → шӏомаф /ʃʷʼamaːfa/ - it is day for him.
• плъыжьы /pɬəʑə/ - red → шӏоплъыжьы /ʃʷʼapɬəʑə/ - it is red for him.

пшъашъэм	кӏалэр	шӏодах
пшъашъэ-м	кӏалэ-р	шӏо-дах
[pʂaːʂam	t͡ʃʼaːlar	ʂʷadaːx]
the girl (erg.)	the boy (abs.)	it's pretty for him/her
"the boy is pretty for the girl."

кӏалэхэмэ	яшъодахэп	сиджанэ
кӏалэ-хэ-мэ	я-шъо-дахэ-п	си-джанэ
[t͡ʃaːlaxama	jaːʃʷadaːxap	sid͡ʒaːna]
the boys (erg.)	it was not pretty for them	my shirt
"my shirt was not beautiful for the boys."

мы	бэнанэм	иуасэ	пшӏолъапӏа?
мы	бэнанэ-эм	и-уасэ	п-шӏо-лъапӏэ-а?
[mə	banaːnam	jəwaːsa	pʃʷaɬaːpʼaː]
this	banana (erg.)	its cost	is it expensive for you?
"Is this banana expensive for you?"

мы	мыер	сышӏоӏашӏоп
мы	мые -эр	сы-шӏо-ӏашӏо-эп
[mə	məjar	səʃʷaʔaːʃʷap]
this	apple (arg.)	Is not tasty for me
"This apple is not testy for me."

Adjective suffixes

Suffixes that can be added to nouns :

Suffix	Meaning	Example	Notes
~кӏэ (~t͡ʃʼa)	new	унакӏэ (new house)
~жъы (~ʐə)	old	унэжъы (old house)
~шхо (~ʃxʷa)	large	унэшхо (large house)	~фо (~fˠo) in Shapsug and ~шко (~ʃkʷa) in Bzhedug
~цӏыкӏу (~t͡sʼəkʷʼ)	small	унэцӏыкӏу (small house)

Suffixes that can be added to adjectives :

Suffix	Meaning	Example	Notes
~ӏо (~ʔʷa)	slightly	стырыӏо (slightly spicy)
~щэ (~ɕa)	too much	дыджыщэ (too much bitter)
~дэд (~dad)	very	дэгъудэд (very good)
~бз (~bz)	totally	дэгъуабз (totally good)
~шъыпкъ (~ʂəpq)	truly, really	дэгъушъыпкъ (really good)
~рашъу (~raːʃʷ)	kind of	дэгъурашъу (kind of good)
~кӏай (~t͡ʃʼaːj)	pretty	дэгъукӏай (pretty good)	~кӏьай (~kʲʼaːj) in Shapsug
~нчъэ (~nt͡ʂa)	lacking	акъылынчъэ (mindless)

Мы	джанэр	оркӏэ	иныӏо
[mə	d͡ʒaːnar	wart͡ʃʼa	jənəʔʷa]
this	shirt	for you	slightly big
"This shirt is slightly big for you"

Мы	джанэр	кӏалэм	фэшӏыкӏэ	иныщэ
[mə	d͡ʒaːnar	t͡ʃʼaːɮam	faʃʼət͡ʃʼa	jənəɕa]
this	shirt	boy (erg.)	for	too large
"This shirt is too large for the boy"

Мы	сурэтыр	дэхэдэд
[mə	səwratər	daxadad]
this	painting	too beautiful'
"This painting is too beautiful"

сиӏоф	къинышъыпкъ
[siʔof	qinəʂəpq]
my work	really hard
"My work is really hard"

Verb description (~эу)

The suffix ~эу is used to indicate how a certain action was done. It is used to associate a verb with an adjective, using the adjective to describe how the verb was done.

• псынкӏэ /psənt͡ʃʼa/ - fast → псынкӏэу /psənt͡ʃʼaw/ - quickly; fastly.
• дэгъу /daʁʷə/ - good → дэгъоу /daʁʷaw/ - excellently.
• дахэ /daːxa/ - beautiful → дэхэу /daxaːʁa/ - beautifully.

кӏалэм	шхыныр	дэгъоу	ышӏэгъ
кӏалэ-м	шхын-ыр	дэгъо-у	ышӏэ-гъ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	ʃxənər	daʁʷaw	əʃʼaʁ]
the boy (erg.)	food (abs.)	excellently	(s)he done it
"The boy done the food excellently."

кӏалэр	псынкӏэу	мачъэ
кӏалэ-р	псынкӏэ-у	мачъэ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	psənt͡ʃʼaw	maːt͡ʂa]
the boy (abs.)	quickly	(s)he runs
"The boy runs quickly."

пшъашъэр	дахэу	матхэ
пшъашъэ-р	дахэ-у	матхэ
[pʂaːʂar	daːxaw	maːtxa]
the girl (abs.)	beautifully	(s)he writes
"The girl writes beautifully."

Measurement (~гъэ)

To indicate a measure of a certain adjective, the suffix ~гъэ (~ʁa) is added. Usually it is used for measurable adjectives like length, height, weight, size, strength and speed but it can be used on any adjective. By adding it the adjective comes a noun.

• кӏэхьы /t͡ʃʼaħə/ - long → кӏэхьыгъэ /t͡ʃʼaħəʁa/ - length.
• ӏэтыгъэ /ʔatəʁa/ - high → ӏэтыгъагъэ /ʔatəʁaːʁa/ - height.
• псынкӏэ /psənt͡ʃʼa/ - fast → псынкӏагъэ /psənt͡ʃʼaːʁa/ - speed.
• фабэ /faːba/ - hot → фэбагъэ /fabaːʁa/ - heat.
• кӏуачӏэ /kʷʼaːt͡ʃʼa/ - strong → кӏочӏагъэ /kʷʼat͡ʃʼaːʁa/ - strength.
• ӏужъу /ʔʷəʒʷə/ - wide → ӏужъугъэ /ʔʷəʒʷəʁa/ - width.
• дахэ /daːxa/ - beautiful → дэхагъэ /daxaːʁa/ - beauty.

пхъэм	иӏужъугъэ	65	сантиметр
[pχam	jəʔʷəʒʷəʁa	65	saːntimetr]
the wood (erg.)	its width	65	centimeters
"The wood's width is 65 centimeters"

кӏалэм	кӏочӏагъэ	хэлъ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	kʷʼat͡ʃʼaːʁa	xaɬ]
the boy (erg.)	strength	he is laying among / has in him
"The boy has strength in him."

State of the adjective (~гъакӏэ)

The suffix ~гъакӏэ (~ʁaːt͡ʃʼa) is appended to adjectives to form nouns meaning "the state of being the adjective". In the Shapsug dialect it has the suffix -гъакӏьэ (-ʁaːkʲʼa).

• кӏэхьы /t͡ʃʼaħə/ - long → кӏэхьыгъакӏэ /t͡ʃʼaħəʁaːt͡ʃʼa/ - lengthiness; longness.
• псынкӏэ /psənt͡ʃʼa/ - fast → псынкӏэгъакӏэ /psənt͡ʃʼaʁaːt͡ʃʼa/ - speediness.
• кӏуачӏэ /kʷʼaːt͡ʃʼa/ - strong → кӏочӏэгъакӏэ /kʷʼat͡ʃʼaʁaːt͡ʃʼa/ - strongness.
• дахэ /daːxa/ - pretty → дэхэгъакӏэ /daxaʁaːt͡ʃʼa/ - prettiness.

сэ	мыӏэрысэм	иӏэшӏугъакӏэ	сыкъегъатхъэ
сэ	мыӏэрыс-эм	и-ӏэшӏу-гъакӏэ	сы-къ-е-гъа-тхъэ
[sa	məʔarəsəm	jəʔaʃʷʼəʁaːt͡ʃʼa	səqajʁaːtχa]
I	apple (erg.)	its testiness	I enjoy it
"I enjoy the apple's testiness."

пшъашъэм	ӏэшӏэхэу	идэхэгъакӏэкӏэ	сыкъигъэделагъ
пшъашъэ-м	ӏэшӏэх-эу	и-дэхэ-гъакӏэ-кӏэ	сы-къ-и-гъэ-дел-агъ
[pʂaːʂam	ʔaʃʼaxaw		jədaxaʁaːt͡ʃʼat͡ʃʼa	səqəjʁadajɮaːʁ]
the girl (erg.)	easily	using her prettiness	(s)he fooled me
"The girl fooled me easily by using her prettiness."

Numbers

• Numbers from zero to ten are specific words

0 зиӀ [ziʔ]

1 зы  [zə] 

2 тӀу  [tʷʼə] 

3 щы  [ɕə] 

4 плӀы  [pɬʼə] 

5 тфы  [tfə] 

6 хы  [xə] 

7 блы  [blə]  or  [bɮə] 

8 и  [jə] 

9 бгъу  [bʁʷə] 

10 пшӀы  [pʃʼə] 

• Numbers from eleven to nineteen are built with the word for ten, followed by кIу ([kʷʼə]) and the unit digit:

11 пшӀыкӀуз  [pʃʼəkʷʼəz] 

12 пшӀыкӀутIу  [pʃʼəkʷʼətʷʼ] 

13 пшӀыкӀущ  [pʃʼəkʷʼəɕ] 

14 пшӀыкӀуплI  [pʃʼəkʷʼəpɬʼ] 

15 пшӀыкӀутф  [pʃʼəkʷʼətf] 

16 пшӀыкӀух  [pʃʼəkʷʼəx] 

17 пшӀыкӀубл  [pʃʼəkʷʼəbl] 

18 пшӀыкӀуй  [pʃʼəkʷʼəj] 

19 пшӀыкӀубгъу  [pʃʼəkʷʼəbʁʷ] 

• The tens follow a vigesimal system from forty up, with the exception of fifty:

20 тӀокӀы [tʷʼat͡ʃə] (20)

21 тӀокӀырэ зырэ [tʷʼat͡ʃəra zəra] (20 and 1)

22 тӀокӀырэ тIурэ [tʷʼat͡ʃəra tʷʼəra] (20 and 2)

23 тӀокӀырэ щырэ [tʷʼat͡ʃəra ɕəra] (20 and 3)

...

30 щэкӀы [ɕat͡ʃə] (30)

31 щэкӀырэ зырэ [ɕat͡ʃə zəra] (30 and 1)

32 щэкӀырэ тIурэ [ɕat͡ʃə tʷʼəra] (30 and 2)

...

40 тӀокӀитIу [tʷʼat͡ʃitʷʼ] (20 × 2)

41 тӀокӀитIурэ зырэ [tʷʼat͡ʃitʷʼəra zəra] (20 × 2 and 1)

42 тӀокӀитIурэ тIурэ [tʷʼat͡ʃitʷʼəra tʷʼəra] (20 × 2 and 2)

...

50 шъэныкъо [ʂanəqʷa] (half-hundred)

51 шъэныкъорэ зырэ [ʂanəqʷara zəra] (half-hundred and 1)

52 шъэныкъорэ тIурэ [ʂanəqʷara tʷʼəra] (half-hundred and 2)

...

60 тӀокӀищ [tʷʼat͡ʃiɕ] (20 × 3)

61 тӀокӀищырэ зырэ [tʷʼat͡ʃiɕəra zəra] (20 × 3 and 1)

62 тӀокӀищырэ тIурэ [tʷʼat͡ʃiɕəra tʷʼəra] (20 × 3 and 2)

...

70 тӀокӀищырэ пшIырэ [tʷʼat͡ʃiɕra pʃʼəra] (20 × 3 and 10)

71 тӀокӀищырэ пшIыкIузырэ [tʷʼat͡ʃiɕra pʃʼəkʷʼəzəra] (20 × 3 and 11)

72 тӀокӀищырэ пшӀыкӀутIурэ [tʷʼat͡ʃiɕra pʃʼəkʷʼətʷʼəra] (20 × 3 and 12)

...

80 тӀокӀиплӀ [tʷʼat͡ʃipɬʼ] (20 × 4)

81 тӀокӀиплӀырэ зырэ [tʷʼat͡ʃipɬʼəra zəra] (20 × 4 and 1)

82 тӀокӀиплӀырэ тIурэ [tʷʼat͡ʃipɬʼəra tʷʼəra] (20 × 4 and 2)

...

90 тӀокӀиплӀырэ пшIырэ [tʷʼat͡ʃipɬʼəra pʃʼəra] (20 × 4 and 10)

91 тӀокӀиплӀырэ пшIыкIузырэ [tʷʼat͡ʃipɬʼəra pʃʼəkʷʼəzəra] (20 × 4 and 11)

91 тӀокӀиплӀырэ пшӀыкӀутIурэ [tʷʼat͡ʃipɬʼəra pʃʼəkʷʼətʷʼəra] (20 × 4 and 12)

• One hundred is шъэ (ʂa). The hundreds are formed by the hundred word root (шъ (ʂ)) followed by -и- (-i-) and the multiplier digit root.

100 шъэ (ʂa)

101 шъэрэ зырэ (ʂara zəra) (100 and 1)

110 шъэрэ пшӏырэ (ʂara pʃʼəra) (100 and 10)

200 шъитӀу (ʂitʷʼ) (100 × 2)

201 шъитӀурэ зырэ (ʂitʷʼəra zəra) (200 × 2 and 1)

300 шъищ (ʂiɕ) (100 × 3)

400 шъиплӀ (ʂipɬʼ) (100 × 4)

500 шъитф (ʂitf) (100 × 5)

600 шъих (ʂix) (100 × 6)

700 шъибл (ʂibl) (100 × 7)

800 шъий (ʂij) (100 × 8)

900 шъибгъу (ʂibʁʷ) (100 × 9)

• One thousand is мин (min). The thousands are formed by the thousand word root (мин (məjn)) followed by -и- (-i-) and the multiplier digit root.

1000 мин (min)

1001 минрэ зырэ (minra zəra) (1000 and 1)

1010 минрэ пшӏырэ (minra pʃʼəra) (1000 and 10)

1100 минрэ шъэрэ (minra ʂara) (1000 and 100)

2000 минитӀу (minitʷʼ) (1000 × 2)

3000 минищ (miniɕ) (1000 × 3)

4000 миниплӀ (minipɬʼ) (1000 × 4)

5000 минитф (minitf) (1000 × 5)

6000 миних (minix) (1000 × 6)

7000 минибл (minibl) (1000 × 7)

8000 миний (minij) (1000 × 8)

9000 минибгъу (minibʁʷ) (1000 × 9)

10000 минипшӏ (minipʃʼ) (1000 × 10)

11000 минипшӀыкӀуз (minipʃʼəkʷʼəz) (1000 × 11)

12000 минипшӀыкӀутIу (minipʃʼəkʷʼətʷʼ) (1000 × 12)

20000 минитӀокӀы (minitʷʼat͡ʃə) (1000 × 20)

100000 минишъэ (miniʂa) (1000 × 100)

200000 минишъитӀу (miniʂitʷʼ) (1000 × 200)

When composed, the hundred word takes the -рэ (-ra) suffix, as well as the ten and the unit if any (e.g.:

шъэрэ зырэ (ʂara zəra) [101],
шъэрэ тIурэ (ʂara tʷʼəra) [102],
шъэрэ пшӀыкӀузырэ (pʃʼəkʷʼətʷʼəra) [111],
шъитӀурэ щэкӀырэ плIырэ (ʂitʷʼəra ɕat͡ʃəra pɬʼəra) [234]).

• One thousand is мин (min). The other thousands are formed by concatenating the thousand word with -и- (-i-) and the multiplier digit root:

минитӀу (minitʷʼə) [2,000],
минищ (miniɕ) [3,000],
минищ шъэ (miniɕ ʂa) [3,100],
минищ шъитIу (miniɕ ʂitʷʼə) [3,200],
миниплӀ (minipɬʼ) [4,000],
миниплӀы шъэ (minipɬʼəra ʂa) [4,100],
минишъиплIтIу (miniʂipɬʼətʷʼ) [4,200],
минишъиплӀщ (miniʂipɬʼəɕ) [4,300],
минитфы шъэ (minitfə ʂa) [5,100],
минишъитфтIу (miniʂitfətʷʼ) [5,200]...

When there is a certain amount of the noun, the noun is followed by -и (-i) and the multiplier digit root.

for example:

Зы кӀалэ - One boy (zə t͡ʃaːla),
КӀалитӀу - two boys (t͡ʃaːlitʷʼ),
КӀалиплӏ - four boys (t͡ʃaːlipɬʼ),
КӀалишъэ - 100 boys (t͡ʃaːliʂa),
Зы мафэ - one day (zə maːfa),
МафитIу - two days (maːfitʷʼ),
Мафищы (мафищ) - three days (maːfiɕ).

Ordinal numbers

• Except апэрэ/япэрэ - first (aːpara/jaːpara) are formed by prefix я- (jaː-) and suffix – нэрэ (- nara). For example:

ятIунэрэ - second (jaːtʷʼənara), ящынэрэ - third (jaːɕənara), яплIынэрэ - fourth (jaːpɬʼənara).

first - япэрэ [jːpara]

second - ятӀунэрэ [jaːtʷʼənara]

third - ящынэрэ [jaːɕənara]

fourth - яплӀынэрэ [jaːpɬʼənara]

firth - ятфынэрэ [jaːtfənara]

sixth - яхынэрэ [jaːxənara]

seventh - яблынэрэ [jaːblənara]

eighth - яинэрэ [jaːjənara]

ninth - ябгъунэрэ [jaːbʁʷənara]

tenth - япшӀынэрэ [jaːpʃʼənara]

eleventh - япшӀыкӏузынэрэ [jaːpʃʼəkʷʼəzənara]

twelfth - япшӀыкӏутӏунэрэ [jaːpʃʼəkʷʼətʷʼənara]

twenty th - ятӏокӏынэрэ [jaːtʷʼat͡ʃənara]

hundredth - яшъэнэрэ [jaːʂanara]

Япэрэ мафэ - First day (jaːpara maːfa),
ЯтIонэрэ мафэ - second day (jaːtʷʼənara maːfa),
ЯтIонэрэ цуакъо - second shoe (jaːpara t͡ʃʷaːqʷa),
Яхэнэрэ классым щегъэжьагъэу тутын сешъо~I have been smoking since the sixth class.

Discrete numbers

• Are formed by changing the last vowel ~ы (~ə) of number to ~эрэ (~ara):

о плIэрэ къыосIогъах - I have told you four times already.

• Number can also define measure of a share: Numbers "one" and "two" are formed by words псау (psaw) (whole, whole), ренэ (rena) (whole, whole about length of time), ныкъо (nəqʷa) (the half).

Fractional numbers

• Fractional numerals are formed from cardinal numerals with the help of the -(а)нэ /aːna/ morpheme:

щы /ɕə/ "three" - щанэ /ɕaːna/ "third",
плӏы /pɬʼə/ "four" - плӏанэ /pɬʼaːna/ "fourth",
хы "six" - ханэ /xaːna/ "sixth" and so on.

In a sentence: Чӏыгоу къытатыгъэм изыщанэ картоф хэдгъэтӏысхьа́гъ "On one third of the allocated land we have planted potatoes", Хатэм изыщанэ помидор хэдгъэтIысхагъ- third part of vegetable garden we used for the tomatoes, Ахъщэ къыратыгъэм ыпӏланэ чыфэ ритыгъ – The quarter of the money he received, he lent.

half (1÷2) - ныкъо [nəqʷa]

one third (1÷3) - щанэ [ɕaːna]

two thirds (2÷3) - щанитӏу [ɕaːnitʷʼ] (1÷3 × 2)

one fourth (1÷4) - плӀанэ [pɬʼaːna]

two fourths (2÷4) - плӀанитӏу [pɬʼaːnitʷʼ] (1÷4 × 2)

three fourths (3÷4) - плӀанищ [pɬʼaːniɕ] (1÷4 × 3)

one fifth (1÷5) - тфанэ [tfaːna]

one sixth (1÷6) - ханэ [xaːna]

one seventh (1÷7) - бланэ [blaːna]

one eighth (1÷8) - янэ [jaːna]

one ninth (1÷9) - бгъуанэ [bʁʷaːna]

one tenth (1÷10) - пшӀанэ [pʃʼaːna]

one eleventh (1÷11) - пшӀыкӏузанэ [pʃʼəkʷʼəzaːna]

one twelfth (1÷12) - пшӀыкӏутӏуанэ [pʃʼəkʷʼətʷʼaːna]

one twentieth (1÷20) - тӏокӏанэ [tʷʼat͡ʃaːna]

one hundredth (1÷100) - шъанэ [ʂaːna]

Separative numbers

• Separative numerals are formed by repetition of the appropriate cardinal numeral with the help of the morpheme -ры /-rə/:

зырыз /zərəz/ "by one",
тӏурытӏу /tʷʼərətʷʼ/ "by twos",
щырыщ /ɕərəɕ/ "by threes",
плӏырыплӏ /pɬʼərəplʼ/ "by fours",
тфырытф /tfərətf/ "by fives" and so on.

In a sentence: Еджакӏохэр экзаменым тӏурытӏоу чӏахьэщтыгъэх "Pupils entered the examination room by twos".

Approximate numbers

• Approximate numerals are formed as a combination of three cardinal numerals where the main constructive numeral is, usually, the numeral зы "one". for example

зыхыбл /zəxəbl/ зы-хы-бл "about six or seven",
зытӏущ /zətʷʼəɕ/ зы-тӏу-щ "about two or three".

In a sentence: Непэ садэжь нэбгырэ зытIущ къыIухьагъ "About two or three people have approached me today".

Postpositions

Postposition serve similar functions to prepositions in English, but are placed after the noun.

• These are the words:

ыпэ or ипэ (əpa/jəpa) – before first,
дэжь (ди) - to, beside,
чIэгъ - under, кIыб – behind for

Ыпэ узытеплъэрэм машинэ дэгъу - At first you thought the car was good,
Ар ыпэ къэчIэжьыгъэп - I did not remember him at first,
Чэтыур анэ чIэгъым чIэс – The cat sits under the table.

• If the object is a personal pronoun, these words can merge with it and form an independent structure:

Садэжь - To me, beside me (saːdaʑ),
Сидэжь - near me (sidaʑ),
Тадэжь - To us,beside us (taːdaʑ),
Тидэжь - near us (tidaʑ).

Садэжь укъакIощта непэ? – Can you come to me today?,
Тадэжь къакIоба! – Come to us!.

• Conjunction: ыкIы, ыджы – and, else (ət͡ʃə, əd͡ʒə), бу, шъхьбем - but (bu, ʂħbem), e/йэ - or (ja).

Лъэу/Сыд ыджы къыпIотэщт? - What else will You say?,
Ащ бэрэ лъэхъугъ, ау къыгъотыжьыгъэп – I was looking for him for a long time, but I did not find,
E улIэн, e улIын – Die or be a man! (Adyghe proverb).

• The Particles affirmative and negative:

ары – yes (arə), хьау – no (ħaːaw).

ЗэхэшIыкIа? – Do you understand?;
Ары. ЗэхэшIыкIы - Yes, I understand;
Хьау, ЗэхэсэшIыкIэп - No, I don’t understand.

Sentence structure

• Adyghe exhibits mostly free word order, though predicate finality is preferred.

Пчэдыжьым жьэу сыхьатыблым сыкъэтэджыгъ. - I got up at seven o’clock in the early morning.
Сэ тутынэр сешъонэу чIэсыдзыжьыгъ - I gave up smoking.

Interrogatives

• Questions are indicated by the suffix ~a /aː/, which, in verbs ending with /a/, lengthens the end vowel.
• макӏо /maːkʷʼa/ "he is going" → макӏуа? /maːkʷʼaː/ "is he going?"
• мэтхагъ /matxaːʁ/ "he wrote" → мэтхагъа? /matxaːʁaː/ "did he wrote?"
• кӏалэр машхэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːʃxa/ "the boy is eating" → кӏалэр машха? /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːʃxaː/ "is the boy eating?"
• шъокӏо /ʃʷakʷʼa/ "you (plural) are going → шъокӏуа? /ʃʷakʷʼaː/ "are you (plural) going?"
• отхэ /watxa/ "you are writing" → отха? /watxaː/ "are you writing?"
• машхэх /maːʃxax/ "they are eating" → машхэха? /maːʃxaxaː/ "are they eating?"

кӏалэр	къэущыжьыгъа?
кӏалэ-р	къэущыжь-агъ-а
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	qawɕəʑəʁaː]
the boy (arg.)	did (s)he woke up?
"Did the boy woke up?"

дэгуха	мы	унэм	исыхэр?
дэгу-х-а	мы	унэ-м	ис-ыхэ-р
[daɡʷəxaː	mə	wənam	jəsəxar]
are they deaf?	this	house	the people that are in
"Are the people that are in this house deaf?"

• If question is posited to word having Negative Suffix ~п (~p), it is converted to suffix ~ба (~baː). for example: пшӏэрэба? – Don’t you know?, Къыоэджэ, зэхэпхырэба? – They call You, don’t you hear

[that]?, укIожьырагъоба? - Don’t you want to go back?,
къакIорагъоба - isn't he want to come?,
ушхэрагъоба - don't you want to eat?

• макӏуа? /maːkʷʼaː/ "is he going?" → макӏоба? /maːkʷʼabaː/ "isn't he going?"
• ошӏа /waʃʼaː/ "do you know?" → пшӏэрэба? /pʃʼarabaː/ "don't you know?"
• мэтхагъа /matxaːʁaː/ "did he wrote" → мэтхагъэба? /matxaːʁabaː/ "didn't he wrote?"
• кӏалэр машха /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːʃxaː/ "is the boy is eating?" → кӏалэр машхэба? /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːʃxabaː/ "isn't the boy eating?"
• шъокӏуа /ʃʷakʷʼaː/ "are you (plural) going? → шъокӏоба? /ʃʷakʷʼabaː/ "aren't you (plural) going?"
• сыдаха /sədaːxaː/ "am I look beautiful" → сыдахэба /sədaːxabaː/ "doesn't I look beautiful"

кӏалэр	къэущыжьыгъэба?
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	qawɕəʑʁabaː]
boy (abs.)	isn't he woke up?
"Has not the boy woke up?"

кӏалэр	тиунэ	къакӏорэба?
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	tiwna	qaːkʷarabaː]
boy (abs.)	our house	isn't he coming?
"Isn't the boy coming to my house?"

кӏалэр	тиунэ	къакӏоба?
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	tiwna	qaːkʷabaː]
boy (abs.)	our house	he is coming to right?
"The boy is coming to my house right?"

• If question is posited by auxiliary interrogative words, хэт (who), щыд or лъэу or сыд (what), тыдэ (where), тары (which), хьэ or щтэ or сыда (why), these word are positioned in the sentence in that place, where the word is supposed to be positioned, being answer to supplied question:

хэт	къэкӏуагъэ?
[xat	qakʷʼaːʁa]
who	the person that came
"Who came?"

сыд	кӏалэм	ыцӏэ?
[səd	t͡ʃʼaːɮam	ət͡sʼa]
what	the boy (erg.)	his name
"What is the boy's name?"

непэ	тыдэ	ущыӏэщт?
[najpa	təda	wɕəʔaɕt]
today	where	you will be there
"Today where will you be?"

References

Bibliography

• Аркадьев, П. М.; Ландер, Ю. А.; Летучий, А. Б.; Сумбатова, Н. Р.; Тестелец, Я. Г. Введение. Основные сведения об адыгейском языке в кн.: "Аспекты полисинтетизма: очерки по грамматике адыгейского языка" под ред.: П. М. Аркадьев, А. Б. Летучий, Н. Р. Сумбатова, Я. Г. Тестелец. Москва: РГГУ, 2009 (Arkadiev, P. M.; Lander, Yu. A.; Letuchiy, A. B.; Sumbatova, N. R.; Testelets, Ya. G.
• Introduction. Basic information about Adyghe language in "Aspects of polysyntheticity: studies on Adyghe grammar" edited by: P. M. Arkadiev, A. B. Letuchiy, N. R. Sumbatova, Ya. G. Testelets. Moscow, RGGU, 2009) (in Russian) ISBN 978-5-7281-1075-0
• Ranko Matasović, A Short Grammar of East Circassian (Kabardian): .

External links

• Adyghe grammar – Introduction Useful site to learn Adyghe grammar
• Adyghe grammar – Detailed (in Russian)
• Adyghe grammar – Circassian language lessons online Another site to learn the Adyghe grammar