Adjectives are words or phrases that describe a noun. So in English we would have `a \emph{red} dog' or `a \emph{yellow} door'. There is no strict rule as to whether the adjective goes before or after the noun.

\section{Proper}
\index{adjectives!proper}
Proper adjectives usually have an initial capital letter and are derived from proper nouns such as country names etc.

\begin{examples}
\item
\gll Yunnan Laˇhuˍ
Yunnan Lahu
\glt `Lahu of Yunnan'
\glend

\item
\gll Yanˇ chaw
Karen person
\glt `Karen people'
\glend
\end{examples}

\section{Descriptive}
\index{adjectives!descriptive}
\begin{examples}
\item
\gll {chehˇ ha ve} {yaˇ ehˉ}
sick child
\glt `a sick child'
\glend

\item
\gll {ni ma ha hanˉ ve} {yaˇ paˍ}
{brave hearted} boy
\glt `a brave boy'
\glend
\end{examples}

\section{Quantatative}
\index{adjectives!quantative}
\label{sec:quantatative}
These adjectives are used for describing amounts that cannot generally be measured or counted.

\begin{examples}
\item
\gll yawˇ awˬ caˇ maˇ ve
he rice eat much
\glt `he ate a lot'
\glend

\item
\gll yawˇ {a ciˉ} tiˉ {caˆ ve}
he {a little} only eat
\glt `he only ate a little'
\glend

\item
\gll yawˇ {te chiˉ} maˇ caˇ
he nothing not eat
\glt `he ate nothing'
\glend

\item
\gll yawˇ caˇ {law ve}
he eat enough
\glt `he ate enough'
\glend

\item
\gll yawˇ {hk'a peu-eˬ} {caˇ ve}
he all eat
\glt `he ate [it] all'
\glend
\end{examples}

\section{Demonstrative}
\index{adjectives!demostrative}
These are used to indicate a particular object or noun or to distinguish one noun from another.

\begin{examples}
\item
\gll nuˇ chi
cow this
\glt `this cow'
\glend

\item
\gll i mvuhˇ oˇ ve
horse that
\glt `that horse'
\glend

\item
\gll g'aˆ chi teˇ hpaˍ
chicken this plural
\glt `these chickens'
\glend

\item
\gll a pehˬ oˇ ve teˇ hpaˍ
duck that plural
\glt `those ducks'
\glend

\item
\label{ex:no}
\gll noˇ ve nuˇ teˇ hkeh
that cow plural
\glt `those cows over there'
\glend

\item
\label{ex:mo}
\gll moˇ ve yehˬ
that house
\glt `that house over there'
\glend

%\item
%\gll shoˇ hpawˇ
%\glend

%\item
%\gll choˬ hpawˇ
%\glend
\end{examples}

Notice that Lahu has a demonstrative for `this', `that' and `over there'. Example~\ref{ex:no} and \ref{ex:mo} both indicate `over there' or `yonder' with the words `noˇ' and `moˇ' respectively. The difference between them being that `noˇ' refers to things \emph{higher} and `moˇ' refers to things \emph{lower}.\footnote{This is due to the Lahu people mainly residing on hillsides where `up' and `down' are descriptions used very often}

\section{Distributive}
\index{adjectives!distributive}
\label{sec:distributive}
Distributative adjectives are used to describe amounts that could be counted as apposed to some of the quantatative adjectives in section~\ref{sec:quantatative} which are unmeasureable. Most of these adjectives require classifiers which are described in chapter~\ref{sec:classifiers}.

\subsection*{Every}
To denote `every' the phrase  `teˇ \ldots le le' is wrapped around the classifier.

\begin{examples}
\item
\gll teˇ g'aˇ {le le}
{teˇ} (clf) {le le}
\glt `all people'
\glend
\item
\gll teˇ kaˬ {le le}
{teˇ} (clf) {le le}
\glt `every place'
\glend
\item
  \gll teˇ nyi {hkanˍ teˇ} nyi
teˇ (clf) {hkanˍ teˇ} (clf)
  \glt `every other day'
  \glend
  \end{examples}

  \subsection*{Some}
  To denote `some' the phrase  `teˇ' and a repeated classifier is used.

  \begin{examples}
  \item
  \gll teˇ g'aˇ g'aˇ
{teˇ} (clf) (clf)
  \glt `some people'
  \glend
  \end{examples}

  \subsection*{Only}
  To denote `only' the word  `tiˉ' is used after the classifier.

  \begin{examples}
  \item
  \gll teˇ g'aˇ tiˉ
{teˇ} (clf) {tiˉ}
\glt `only one person'
\glend
\item
\gll shehˆ nyi tiˉ
three (clf) only
\glt `only three days'
\glend
\end{examples}

\section{Numeral}
\index{adjectives!numeral}
To describe a specific number of nouns in Lahu you need to use classifiers. These are discussed in more detail in chapter~\ref{sec:classifiers}.

\begin{examples}
\item
\gll Chaw {shehˆ chi} g'aˇ {shaˍ g'a ve yoˬ}
man thirty (clf) hunt
\glt `Thirty men went hunting'
\glend
\end{examples}

For a more indefinite or general amount the phrase `aˬ~laˬ' (about) or `aˬ~laˬ~hk'e' (nearly) can be added.

\begin{examples}
\item
\gll Chaw {aˬ laˬ} {shehˆ chi} g'aˇ {shaˍ g'a ve yoˬ}
man about thirty (clf) hunt
\glt About thirty men went hunting
\glend
\end{examples}
