Adyghe grammar

A Circassian noun can be in one of the following two states: singular or plural

Singular nouns have zero morpheme (no prefixes / suffixes), while plural nouns use the additional хэ morpheme, which is attached to the main form of the word. For example: singular: унэ "home", тхылъ "book", plural: унэ-хэ-р "homes", тхылъ-хэ-р "books".

Unlike English verbs, Circassian verbs use -х- or -а- morphemes to form their plural versions. The second morpheme is attached to the verb in front of the verb's root, and the first is attached after it. For example: ар макӏо "he is going", ахэр макӏо-х "they are going"; ащ ыӏуагъ "he said", ахэмэ а-ӏуагъ "they said".

Circassian nouns usually have either definite or indefinite form. The idea behind this concept is close to the idea of definite/indefinite articles in English. The definite form of Circassian nouns have -р or -м (noun cases) formats at the end of the word. For example: кӏалэ "boy" – indefinite noun (has none of the definite formats) - it can be used in generalizations or when the boy is unknown to either the "speaker" or "listener" (a/an or zero article in English); кӏалэр, кӏалэм "the boy" – it is used when the mentioned boy is well known to both the "speaker" and "listener".

Adyghe has four different noun cases, each with corresponding suffixes: absolutive, ergative, instrumental, and adverbial.

The absolutive case of a definite noun is marked by the affix -р /-r/ both in the singular and plural forms (e.g. кӏалэр [t͡ʃʼaːɮar] 'the boy', кӏалэхэр [t͡ʃʼaːɮaxar] ('the boys'), шыр [ʃər] 'the horse'). The absolutive case usually expresses subject in conjunction with intransitive verbs or direct object in conjunction with transitive verbs: For example:

In the following example, Кӏалэр is in the absolutive case, it points to the subject (the boy), and the sentence is in the absolutive form with an intransitive verb (кӏуагъэ);

кӏалэр	еджапӏэм	кӏуагъэ
кӏалэ-р	еджапӏэ-м	кӏо-агъэ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	jad͡ʒaːpʼam	kʷʼaːʁa]
the boy (abs.)	the school (erg.)	(s)he went
"the boy went to the school"

In the following example, джанэр is in the absolutive case, it points to the direct object (the shirt which is being laundred), and the sentence is in the ergative form (after the form of its subject - Бзылъфыгъэм) with a transitive verb (егыкӏы).

бзылъфыгъэм	джанэр	егыкӏы
бзылъфыгъ-эм	джанэ-р	егыкӏы
[bzəɬfəʁam	d͡ʒaːnar	jaɣət͡ʃʼə]
the woman (erg.)	the shirt (abs.)	(s)he laundries it
"the woman laundries the shirt"

A noun in the ergative case is marked by the affix -м /-m/ (e.g. кӏалэм [t͡ʃʼaːɮam] 'the boy's', кӏалэхэм [t͡ʃʼaːɮaxam] 'the boys'', шым [ʃəm] 'the horse). This case has two roles: Ergative role and Oblique role.

• The Ergative role functions as subject in conjunction with transitive verbs.

лӏым	машӏор	егъэкӏуасэ
лӏы-м	машӏо-р	егъэкӏуасэ
[ɬʼəm	maːʃʷʼar	jaʁakʷʼaːsa]
the man (erg.)	the fire (abs.)	(s)he extinguishes it
"the man extinguishes the fire"

• The Oblique role functions as indirect object with both transitive and intransitive verbs.

An example with an intransitive verb еджэ "reads" and indirect object тхылъым "book".

кӏалэр	тхылъым	еджэ
кӏалэ-р	тхылъ-ым	еджэ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	txəɬəm	jad͡ʒa]
the boy (abs.)	the book (obl.)	(s)he reads
"the boy reads the book"
Litrary: "the boy is involved in reading the book"

An example with an transitive verb реты "gives" and indirect object пшъашъэм "girl".

кӏалэм	мыӏэрысэр	пшъашъэм	реты
кӏалэ-м	мыӏэрыс-р	пшъашъэ-м	реты
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	məʔarəsər	pʂaːʂam	rajtə]
the boy (erg.)	the apple (abs.)	the girl (obl.)	(s)he gives it to
"the boy gives the apple to the girl"

The Ergative-Oblique case can also be used as an adverbial modifier. For example: Студентхэм мафэм ӏоф ашӏагъ "The students have worked during the day" (мафэм – adverbial modifier of time); Кӏалэхэр мэзым кӏуагъэх "The boys went to the forest" (мэзым – adverbial modifier of place).

Indefinite nouns are marked by the suffix -кӏэ : тхылъ-кӏэ, "by/with a book", ӏэ-кӏэ "by/with a hand". Definite nouns express this case using the ergative suffix -м in conjunction with the affix -кӏэ: уатэ-м-кӏэ "by/with the hammer", тхылъы-м-кӏэ "by/with the book". The instrumental case expresses instruments (tools or means), directions or purposes of action.

In the following example, the instrumental case is used to indicate a instrument (tool):

ыцӏэр	къэлэмымкӏэ	къытхыгъ
ы-цIэ-эр	къэлэм-ымкIэ	къы-тхы-ыгъ
[ət͡sʼar	qalaməmt͡ʃʼa	qətxəʁ]
his name (abs.)	pencil (ins.)	he wrote
"he wrote his name with the pencil"

In the following example, the instrumental case is used to indicate a purpose of action:

тыгъужъыр	бжыхьэм	былымхэмкӏэ	дэи
тыгъужъы-р	бжыхьэ-м	былымхэ-мкӏэ	дэи
[təʁʷəʐər	bʒəħam	bəɮəmxamt͡ʃʼa	dajə]
the wolf (abs.)	autumn (erg.)	for the cattle (ins.)	bad
"The wolf during autumn is bad for the cattle."

In the following example, the instrumental case is used to indicate a direction:

хымкӏэ	жьыбгъэр	къэкӏыщтыгъэ
хы-мкӏэ	жьыбгъэ-р	къэкӏыщтыгъэ
[xəmt͡ʃʼa	ʑəbʁar	qat͡ʃʼəɕtəʁa]
from the sea (ins.)	the wind (abs.)	it was coming
"the wind was blowing from the sea"

Has the suffix -эу /aw/ (e.g. кӏалэу [t͡ʃʼaːɮaw] 'boy'), шэу [ʃaw] 'horse'). The adverbial case usually expresses a transition into something, or defines the subject/object of a verb. It points to the real (literal, not grammatical) subject in the sentence. For example:

лӏыр	профессорэу	хъугъэ
лӏыр	профессор-эу	хъу-гъэ
[ɬʼər	profesoraw	χʷəʁa]
man (abs.)	professor (adv.)	(s)he became
"The man became a professor."

лӏыжъэу	щысыгъэр	кӏожьыгъэ
лӏыжъэ-у	щысыгъэ-р	кӏожьыгъэ
[ɬʼəʐər	ɕəsəʁar	kʷʼaʑəʁa]
old man (adv.)	the one that sit	(s)he returned
"The old man who had sat there, left."

лӏыр	тхьэматэу	дзэм	къыхэкӏыжьыгъ
лӏы-р	тхьэматэ-у	дзэ-м	къыхэкӏыжьыгъ
[ɬʼər	tħamaːtaw	d͡zam	qəxat͡ʃʼəʑəʁ]
man (abs.)	leader (adv.)	army (obl.)	(s)he returned
"The man has returned from the army as an officer."

Сomposition and suffixation are the most typical ways to form Circassian nouns. There are different ways of composing words, for example: мэзчэ́т (мэз "forest", чэт "chicken"), псычэ́т (псы "water", чэт "chicken", duck), мэкъумэ́щ "agriculture" (мэкъу "hay", мэщы́ "millet"), шхапӏэ "cafeteria" (шхэн "eat", пӏэ "place").

The following suffixes are used to form Circassian nouns:

Organic form is used when referring to relatives and body parts. Singular Circassian nouns of the organic form are expressed by the following prefixes:

Plural nouns have these prefixes:

Proprietary form is used when referring to property, objects, concepts, ideas and attributes. Singular Circassian nouns of the proprietary form are expressed by the following prefixes:

Plural nouns have these prefixes:

Verbs in Adyghe can be transitive or intransitive.

In a sentence with a transitive verb, nouns in the absolutive case (marked as -р) play the role of direct object. In the sentences of this type the noun in the subject's position is in the ergative case (marked as -м):

Кӏалэм письмэр етхы "The boy is writing the letter";

Пхъашӏэм уатэр къыштагъ "The carpenter took the hammer";

Хьэм тхьакӏумкӏыхьэр къыубытыгъ "The dog has caught the rabbit".

In these sentences the verbs етхы "is writing", къыштагъ "took", къыубытыгъ "has caught" are transitive verbs, and the nouns письмэр "letter", уатэр "hammer", тхьакӏумкӏыхьэр "rabbit" are in the absolutive case (suffix -р) and express direct object in the sentences, while the nouns кӏалэм "boy", пхъашӏэм "carpenter", хьэм "dog" are subjects expressed in the ergative case.

In a sentence with an intransitive verb, there is no direct object, and the real subject is usually expressed by a noun in the absolutive case

Чэмахъор щыт "The cowherd is standing (there)";

Пэсакӏор макӏо "The security guard is going";

Лӏыр мэчъые "The man is sleeping".

In these sentences with intransitive verbs, nouns that the play role of subject are expressed in the absolutive case: чэмахъо-р "cowherd", пэсакӏо-р "guard", лӏы-р "man".

There are verbs in the Adygeh language that in different contexts and situations can be used both as transitive and intransitive. For example:

Апчыр мэкъутэ "The glass is being broken",

Кӏалэм апчыр екъутэ "The boy is breaking the glass".

In the first sentence the verb мэкъутэ "is being broken" is used as an intransitive verb that creates an absolutive construction. In the second sentence the verb е-къутэ "is breaking" creates an ergative construction. Both of the verbs are formed from the verb къутэ-н "to break".

In the Adyghe language, intransitive verbs can have indirect objects in a sentence. The indirect objects are expressed by a noun in the oblique case (which is also marked as -м). For example:

Кӏалэр пшъашъэм ебэу "The boy kisses the girl",

Лӏыр чъыгым чӏэлъ "The man lays under the tree".

Кӏалэр тхылъым еджэ "The boy reads the book".

In these sentences with intransitive verbs, nouns that play the role of indirect object are expressed in the oblique case: пшъашъэ-м "girl", чъыгы-м "tree", тхылъы-м "book".

Intransitive verbs can be turned into transitive with the causative prefix гъэ- (meaning "to force, to make"). For example:

Ар мачъэ "He is running", but Ащ ар е-гъа-чъэ "He forces him to run",

Ар мэкуо "He is screaming", but Ащ ар е-гъэ-куо "He makes him scream".

The verbs in the first sentences мачъэ "is running", мэкуо "is screaming" are intransitive, and the verbs in the second sentences егъачъэ "forces ... to run", егъэкуо "makes ... scream" are already transitive.

Adyghe verbs can be either dynamic or static.

Dynamic verbs express (process of) actions that are taking place (natural role of verbs in English):

Сэ сэчъэ "I am running";

Сэ сэцӏэнлъэ "I am crawling",

Сэ сэлъэгъу "I am seeing",

Сэ сэӏо "I am saying".

Static verbs express states or results of actions:

Сэ сыщыт "I am standing",

Сэ сыщылъ "I am lying.",

Сэ сыпхъашӏ "I am a carpenter",

Сэ сытракторист "I am a tractor-driver".

Certain verbs in English with one meaning can have two forms in Adyghe, one static and the other dynamic. For instance, the verb тӏысын "to sit down" is a dynamic verb that expresses someone moving into a sitting position, in contrast to щысын "to be sitting" which expresses the static of a person sitting.

Ныор пхъэнтӏэкӏум ис "The old-woman is sitting on the chair",

Ныор пхъэнтӏэкӏум мэтӏысы "The old-woman is sitting down on the chair".

Adyghe verbs have different forms to express different persons (ex. "I", "You" and "They"). These forms are, mostly, created with specific prefixes. This is what it looks like in singular:

сэ-тхэ "I write",

о-тхэ "You write",

ма-тхэ "writes";

and in plural:

тэ-тхэ "We write",

шъо-тхэ "You write",

ма-тхэ-х "They write".

Adyghe verbs have several forms to express different tenses, here are some of them:

The following prefixes increase the valency by one, meaning, they introduce another argument (person) in the verb.

Imperative mood of second person in singular has no additional affixes: штэ "take", кӏо "go", тхы "write"; in plural the affix -шъу is added in front of the verbs: шъу-къакӏу "you (plural) go", шъу-тхы "you (plural) write", шъу-штэ "you (plural) take".

Conditional mood is expressed with suffix -мэ: сы-кӏо-мэ "if I go", сы-чъэ-мэ "if I run", с-шӏэ-мэ "if I do".

Concessive mood is expressed with suffix -ми: сы-кӏо-ми "even if I go", сы-чъэ-ми "even if I run", с-шӏэ-ми "even if I do".

Optative mood is expressed with the complex suffix -гъо-т: у-кӏуа-гъо-т "would you go", п-тхы-гъа-гъо-т "would you write".

Interrogative form is expressed with the affix -а: мад-а? "is he sewing?", макӏу-а? "is he going".

Negative interrogative form is expressed with the affix -ба: ма-кӏо-ба "isn't he is going?", мэ-гыкӏэ-ба "isn't he washing?".

Present participles in the Circassian language are formed from the appropriate dynamic verbs with the suffix -рэ:

кӏо-рэ-р "one that's walking",

чъэ-рэ-р "one that's running".

Participles can also be created from static verbs. In this case no additional morphological modifications are required. For example: щысыр "sitting", щылъыр "lying". In the past and future tenses participles have no special morphological attributes, in other words, their form is identical to the main form of the verb. The forms of participles in different grammatical cases are equal to the forms of the appropriate verbs. The same is also true for their time-tenses.

Masdar (a form of verb close to gerund) in Adyghe is formed by adding the suffix -н (-n):

тхы-н "a write (writing)",

чъэ-н "a run (running)",

штэ-н "a take (taking)",

гущыӏэ-н "a talk (talking)",

дзы-н "a throw (throwing)".

ар	тхэн	дах
ар	тхэ-н	дах
[aːr	txan	daːx]
that (abs.)	writing (Masdar)	beautiful
"That is a beautiful writing"

Masdar has grammatical cases:

Absolutive чъэны-р,

Ergative чъэны-м,

Instrumental чъэны-м-кӏэ,

Adverbial чъэн-эу

университетэм	ущеджэныр	къины
университет-эм	ущеджэ-н-ыр	къины
[ʊnɪvɪrsɪˈtetam	ɕajd͡ʒanər	qəjnə]
university (erg.)	studying in (Masdar)	hard
"Studying in the university is hard."

компьютерым	джэгуныр	тхъагъо
компьютер-ым	джэгу-н-ыр	тхъагъо
[kʰɔmpjʊtərəm	d͡ʒagʷənər	tχaːʁʷa]
computer (erg.)	playing (Masdar)	fun
"Playing the computer is fun."

Masdar also can have different forms for different persons:

сы-чъэн "I will run",

у-чъэн "you will run",

чъэн "he will run".

пчэдыжьым	учъэныр	дэгъу
пчэдыжь-ым	у-чъэ-н-ыр	дэгъу
[pt͡ʃadəʑəm	wət͡ʂanər	daʁʷə]
morning (erg.)	you running (Masdar)	good
"[You] running is good in the morning."

In the Adyghe language negative form of a word is expressed with different morphemes (prefixes, suffixes). In participles, adverbial participles, masdars, imperative, interrogative and other forms of verbs their negative from is expressed with the prefix -мы, which, usually, goes before the root morpheme, that describes the main meaning:

у-мы-тх "you don't write",

у-мы-ӏуат "you don't disclose",

сы-къы-пфэ-мы-щэмэ "if you can't bring me",

у-къа-мы-гъа-кӏомэ "if you aren't forced to come".

In verbs the negative meaning can also be expressed with the suffix -эп/-п, which usually goes after the suffixes of time-tenses. For example:

сы-тэджырэ-п "I am not getting up",

сы-тэ-джыгъэ-п "I have not got up",

сы-тэджыщтэ-п "I will not get up".

The following suffixes are added to nouns:

The following suffixes are added to adjectives:

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"

To indicate a thought or an opinion of someone, the prefix шӏо~ (ʃʷʼa~) is added to the adjective. This can also be used on nouns but it is very uncommon. For example:

• дахэ "pretty" → шӏодах "it's pretty for him.
• дэхагъ "as pretty" → шӏодэхагъ "it was pretty for him.
• ӏэшӏу "tasty" → шӏоӏэшӀу "it is tasty for him.
• плъыжьы "red" → шӏоплъыжьы "it is red for him.

кӏалэхэмэ	ашӏодахэп	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	мыӏэрысэм	иуасэ	пшӏолъапӏа?
мы	мыӏэрысэ-м	и-уасэ	п-шӏо-лъапӏ-а?
[mə	məʔarəsam	jəwaːsa	pʃʷaɬaːpʼaː]
this	apple (erg.)	its cost	is it expensive for you?
"Is this apple expensive for you?"

All different forms of шӏо~.

The suffix ~гъэ (~ʁa) is appended to indicate a measure of a certain adjective. Usually it is used for measurable adjectives like length, height, weight, size, strength and speed but it can be used on any adjective such as good, tasty, beauty and etc. This suffix can be used to scale adjectives, for instance, the word ӏэшӏу-гъэ (from the adjective ӏэшӏу "tasty") can be used to express different levels/qualities of tastiness. This suffix turns the adjective to a noun.

• кӏыхьэ /t͡ʃʼaħə/ - long → кӏыхьагъэ /t͡ʃʼaħaːʁa/ - 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.
• ӏэшӏу /ʔaʃʷʼə/ - tasty → ӏэшӏугъэ /ʔaʃʷʼəʁa/ - level of tastiness.
• дэгъу /daʁʷə/ - good → дэгъугъэ /daʁʷəʁa/ - level of goodness.

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]
boy (erg.)	strength	it is laying in
"The boy has strength in him."

The suffix ~гъакӏэ (~ʁaːt͡ʃʼa) is appended to adjectives to form nouns meaning "the state of being the adjective", in contract to the suffix ~гъэ which is used to measure and scale the adjective. Some examples:

• кӏыхьэ /t͡ʃʼaħə/ - long → кӏыхьэгъакӏэ /t͡ʃʼaħəʁaːt͡ʃʼa/ - lengthiness; longness.
• псынкӏэ /psənt͡ʃʼa/ - fast → псынкӏэгъакӏэ /psənt͡ʃʼaʁaːt͡ʃʼa/ - speediness.
• кӏуачӏэ /kʷʼaːt͡ʃʼa/ - strong → кӏочӏэгъакӏэ /kʷʼat͡ʃʼaʁaːt͡ʃʼa/ - strongness.
• дахэ /daːxa/ - pretty → дэхэгъакӏэ /daxaʁaːt͡ʃʼa/ - prettiness.
• дэгъу /daʁʷə/ - good → дэгъугъакӏэ /daʁʷəʁaːt͡ʃʼa/ - goodness.

лӏыжъым	ишӏугъакӏэ	пае,	зэкӏэм	яунэ	къырагъэблагъэ
лӏыжъы-м	и-шӏу-гъакӏэ	пае	зэкӏэ-м	я-унэ	къырагъэблагъэ
[ɬʼəʐəm	jəʃʷʼəʁaːt͡ʃʼa	paja	zat͡ʃʼam	jaːwəna	qəraːʁabɮaːʁa]
old man (erg.)	his goodness	due to	everyone (erg.)	their house	they welcome him
"Due to the old man's goodness, everyone welcomes him to their house."

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."

• адэ - "there" (invisible).
• модэ - "there" (visible).
• мыдэ - "here".

модэкӏэ	тучаныр	ӏут
модэ-кӏэ	тучан-ыр	ӏут
[modat͡ʃʼa	tut͡ʃaːnər	ʔʷərt]
over there (ins.)	shop (abs.)	it is standing
"The shop is placed over there."

адэ	кӏалэр	кӏуагъэ
адэ	кӏалэ-р	кӏу-агъэ
[aːda	t͡ʃʼaːɮar	kʷʼaːʁa]
there	boy (abs.)	(S)he went
"The boy went there."

• непэ - "today".
• непенэу - "all day long".
• тыгъуасэ - "yesterday".
• тыгъуасэнахьыпэ - "day before yesterday".
• неущы - "tomorrow".
• неущмыкӏэ - "the day after tomorrow".
• гъэрекӏо - "last year".
• мыгъэ - "this year".
• къакӏорэгъэ - "next year".
• джы - "now".
• джырэкӏэ - "for now".
• джыкӏэ - "so far".
• жыри - "again"
• джыри - "still"
• джыдэдэм - "right now".
• джынэс - "until now".
• пчэдыжьым - "at morning".
• щэджагъом - "at noon".
• щэджэгъоужым - "at afternoon".
• пчыхьэм - "at evening".
• чэщым - "in the night".
• зэманым - "in the past".
• тӏэкӏушӏэмэ (тӏэкӏу машӏэмэ) - "soon".
• бэшӏэмэ (бэ машӏэмэ) - "later".
• тӏэкӏушӏагъэу - "recently".
• бэшӏагъэу - "long time ago".
• пэтырэу - "while".
• етӏанэ (етӏуанэ) - "afterwards"
• пасэу - "early"
• кӏасэу - "lately"
• ренэу - "always"

тӏэкӏушӏэмэ	тышхэнэу	тыкӏощт
тӏэкӏушӏэмэ	ты-шхэ-нэу	ты-кӏо-щт
[tʼakʷʼʃʼama	təʃxanaw	təkʷʼaɕt]
soon	we (to) eat	we will go
"Soon we will go to eat."

непэ	пасэу	еджапӏэм	тынэсышъугъ
непэ	пасэу	еджапӏэм	тынэсышъугъ
[najpa	paːsaw	jad͡ʒaːpʼam	tənasəʃʷəʁ]
today	early	school (erg.)	we could arrive
"Today we successfully arrived school early."

• макӏэ - "few".
• тӏэкӏу - "a bit".
• тӏэкӏурэ - "few times, for a short period of time".
• бэ "a lot".
• бэрэ "a lot of times, for a long period of time".
• ӏаджэ "many".
• хъои "plenty".
• апӏэ "load of".
• заулэ "several".
• сыдэу "so".

шхыныр	сыдэу	фабэ
шхыны-р	сыдэу	фабэ
[ʃxənər	sədaw	faːba]
food (abs.)	so	hot
"The food is so hot."

кӏалэм	ахъщэ	бэ	иӏ
кӏалэ-м	ахъщэ	бэ	иӏ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	aːχɕa	ba	jəʔ]
boy (erg.)	money	a lot	(s)he has
"The boy has a lot of money."

чэщым	лӏыр	тӏэкӏурэ	макӏо
чэщы-м	лӏы-р	тӏэкӏурэ	макӏо
t͡ʃaɕəm	ɬʼər	tʼakʷʼra	maːkʷʼa]
night (erg.)	man (abs.)	short period of time	(s)he went
"In the night, the man goes for a small period of time."

Adverbs of this group are formed from the appropriate qualitative adjectives using the suffix ~эу /~aw/. Adverbs in this group describe the manner in which the verb was done.

• къабзэ "clean" → къабзэу "cleanly"
• чыжьэ "far" → чыжьэу "far",
• псынкӏэ "quick" → псынкӏэу "quickly",
• дахэ "beautiful" → дахэу "beautifully",
• благъэ "near" → благъэу "nearly".
• лъэш "powerful" → лъэшэу "powerfully".
• шъабэ "soft" → шъабэу "softly"
• пытэ "firm" → пытэу "firmly"

кӏалэр	чыжьэу	чъагъэ
кӏалэ-р	чыжьэ-у	чъ-агъэ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	t͡ʃəʑaw	t͡ʂaːʁa]
boy (abs.)	far (adv)	(s)he ran
"The boy ran far."

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."

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

Adverbs can be produced different ways and from different parts of speech. The most productive ways to form adverbs are:

suffixing (adding ~эу to adjectives):

дахэ́-у "beautifully" (from дахэ́ "beautiful"),

шъабэ́-у "softly" (from шъабэ́ "soft"),

пытэ́-у "firmly" (from пытэ́ "firm");

concatenating:

неущпчэдыжьы́ "tomorrow morning" (неущы́ "tomorrow" + пчэдыжьы́ "morning"),

щэджэгъоужы́м "after dinner" (щэджа́гъу "dinner time" + уж "after");

rethinking or transfer of some forms of words of different parts of speech into adverbs:

пчыхьэ́м "nights" (пчыхьэ́м "evening", ergative case),

лӏыгъэкӏэ "forcibly" (лӏыгъэкӏэ "by courage", instrumental case).

In a sentence adverbs play role of adverbials:

Сэ дэгъоу сэ́джэ "I study well";

Лэжьакӏохэр пчэдыжьым жьэ́у къэтэджых "Workers get up early at morning" and so on.

Adyghe has the word нахь /naːħ/ "rather, actually" which can be used to introduce a clarification or a contradiction in a sentence, for instance, the speaker would use this word when clarifying his statement in contract to the listener's belief. Some examples:

• кӏуагъэ "(s)he went" → кӏуагъэ нахь "rather (s)he went".
• къины "hard" → къины нахь "rather it is hard".
• кӏалэ "boy" → кӏалэ нахь "rather it is a boy".

кӏалэр	кӏуагъэп,	чъагъэ	нахь
кӏалэ-р	кӏу-агъ-эп,	чъ-агъэ	нахь
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	kʷʼaːʁap	t͡ʂaːʁa	naːħ]
boy (abs.)	(s)he went	(s)he ran	rather
"The boy didn't walk, rather he ran."

фылымым	теплъыгъэ	нахь
фылым-ым	т-еплъы-гъэ	нахь
[fələməm	tajpɬəʁa	naːħ]
film (erg.)	we watched it	rather
"We actually watched the film."

Among simple Circassian conjunctions are:

• ыкӏи - "and".
• е - "or".
• ау - "but".

Сэ	сыкӏуагъ	къалэм,	ау	къэзгъэзэжьыгъэп
[sa	səkʷʼaːʁ	qaːɮam	aːw	qazʁazaʑəʁap]
I	I went	city (erg.)	but	I didn't return
"I went to the city, but I haven't returned."

Сэ	непенэу	сэлажьэ	ыкӏи	сычъыягъэп	тыгъуасэ	чэщым
[sa	najpajnaw	saɮaːʑa	ət͡ʃʼəj	sət͡ʂaːʁap	təʁʷaːsa	t͡ʃaʃə]
I	this whole day	I am working	and	I haven't slept	yesterday	in the night (erg.)
"I have been working this while day and I haven't slept yesterday night."

• ау щытми - "however".
• ары шъхьай - "but".
• ащ шъхьакӏэ - "however".
• ары пакӏопышъ - "not only", "but".
• арти - "so".
• армэ (ащтэумэ) - "if so".
• арми (ащтэуми) - "even if so".
• армырмэ - "if not, else, otherwise".
• армырми - "even if not, either way".
• нахь мышӏэми - "despite".
• зэ-зэ - "here-and-there".
• е-е - "either-or".
• сыда пӏомэ - "because".
• ащ къыхэкӏыкӏэ - "due to".
• сыдигъокӏи - "in any case".
• сыдми - "either way".

унэм	тигъэс,	сыда пӏомэ	непэ	къещхыщт
[wənam	təjʁas	sədaː pʔʷʼama	najpa	qajɕxəɕt]
house (erg.)	let us stay inside	because	today	it will rain
"Let us stay inside the house, because today it will rain."

армэ,	неущы	къычӏегъэдзагъэу	седжэу	сыублэщт	экзамыным	фэшӏыкӏэ
[aːrma	najwɕə	qət͡ʂʼajʁad͡zaːʁaw	sajd͡ʒaw	səwbɮaɕt	akzaːmənəm	faʃʼət͡ʃʼa]
if that so	tomorrow	starting from	studying (adv.)	I will start	exam (erg.)	for
"If that so, I will start studying for the exam starting from tomorrow."

• ары "yes".
• хъун, хъущт "fine, OK".
• адэ "of course (expresses confidence)".

For example:

- Непэ тадэжь къакӏоба. - Хъун. "- Come to us today. - OK";
- Къэсӏуагъэр къыбгурыӏуагъа? - Ары. "- Have you understood what I have said? - Yes";
Адэ, непэ тыдэкӏыни тыкъэшхэщт. "Certainly, we will go out today and eat."

• хьау "no".

For example: Хьау, хьау, зыми сэ сыфаеп "No, no, I don't want a thing";

• шӏуа "perhaps".

For example: Сыдигъо шӏуа автобусыр къызыкӏощтыр? "When perhaps will the bus come?";

• адэ "well".
• кӏо "well".

For example:

Адэ, Пщымаф, гущыӏэу птыгъэр пгъэцэкӏэжьын фай. "Well, Pshimaf, you must keep your word".
Кӏо, кӏалэр еджэн фаи къытдэкӏышъугъэп. "Well, because the boy needs to study he couldn't come out with us.

• мары "this is it",
• моры "that is it".

For example: Мары машинэу зигугъу къыпфэсшӏыгъагъэр "This is the car which I have told you about";

• еу "come on".

For example: Еу, псынкӏэу зегъахь! "Come on, get out of here quickly".

• ашъыу "er", "uh", "I mean" (said when one has made a mistake in speech, before one corrects it)

For example: Уатэр къэсфэхь, Ашъыу, отычэр къэсфэхь " Bring me the hammer, er, I mean, bring me the ax".

• ашъыу "argh", "ugh" (an expression of bad mood or vexation or dissatisfaction)

For example: Ашъыу!, зэ щыгъэт "Ugh!, shut up for a moment".

• хъугъэ "that's enough" (an expression of giving up)

For example: Хъугъэ!, некӏо тыкӏожьыщт "That's enough, let's return".

• еоой "alas"

For example: еоой, идж сыд цӏыфым ышӏэжьыщтэр? "Alas, what will the person do now?".

The demonstratives can be used to express different things like:

Location: адэ "there", модэ "there", мыдэ "here" and тэдэ "where?".

Area: ау "there", моу "there", мыу "here", джэу "there" and тэу "where?".

Similarity: ащфэд "like that", мощфэд "like", мыщфэд "like this" and тэщфэд "like what?".

Action: ащтэу "like that", мощтэу "like", мыщтэу "like this", джэщтэу "like that" and тэщтэу "how?".

Time: ащыгъум "at that moment", мыщыгъум "at this moment" and тэщыгъум "at what time?".

Indicatory: ары "that one", моры "that one", мары "thus one", джэры "that one" and тэры "which one?".

• 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.

• 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 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 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 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".

• 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): .
• Caucasus Studies 1 CIRCASSIAN Clause Structure Mukhadin Kumakhov & Karina Vamling