Qualifiers / Qualitative Verbs

There are no adjectives as such in Tamahaq, instead verbs and nouns are used as qualifiers. Often, descriptions are done by verbs in the perfective aspect. Many verbs in all groups have a qualitative meaning.

The primary distinction is between viewed as completed (perfective) aspect and those considered ongoing (imperfective or cursive aspect).

Examples:

PERFECTIVE ASPECT:         Amis ierin - The dromedary is ill.  (single case)

In this case the dromedary is ill at the moment or it was ill. The perfective aspect refers to quality considered as complete regardless of time reference. The time can be specified by adding eg. yesterday (End Ahel) or now (Dimar).

CURSIVE ASPECT:           Amis itiran - The dromedary is (usually) ill. (ongoing case)

In this case the speaker expresses the habit of the dromedary. That means that the dromedary is (or was) usually ill. The cursive aspect (intensive imperfect) refers to ongoing condition and often to habitual conditions. 

IMPERATIVE
Tamahaq Verbs are classified in dictionaries etc. using their imperative singular because this is the simplest form, having no affixes at all. The imperative mood is used to express commands.

Participles

These form subordinate clauses qualifying a noun, which thus act like adjectives. When definite (taking „the“ or „that“ etc in English) they are preceded by the demonstrative pronoun „wa“, the stress is more on the noun and the perfective participle is used. If the qualified noun is indefinite (preceded by „a“ or „some“ in English) the stress is more on the qualifier and the perfective participle is used. 

Nouns as adjectives

As in English nouns may be used adjectivally. The preposition “n” links the qualifier to the noun qualified. “n” is usually preceded by one of the forms of the demonstrative pronoun “wa”.

Tamet Tan Mussa   Mussa`s wife
Awadem en-bannan A worthless person

Verbal Nouns

Remarks

This is only a simple overview about the qualitatve verbal system of Tamahaq and I used  sentences from
David Sudlow (2001: The Tamasheq of North-East Burkina Faso: Notes on Grammar and Syntax including a Key Vocabulary, Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag)
for the explanationes. If you are interested in a more detailled introduction to the verbal system, I can recommend the book very much.

List of Colours:
(treated like verbs)

List of qualitative verbs: