Adjectives form a real plural by appending the suffix -agi, -aki to the base. This applies, however, only to a limited number of adjectives, like:
| atchúla old, pl. | atchúlagi |
| hí`li good, | hí`lagi |
| tcháti red, | tchátaki |
| yíktchi strong, | yíktchaki |
The majority of the adjectives and of the attributive verbs derived from them form derivatives, which in some instances may be called distributive, in others frequentative and iterative forms. They are formed by a partial reduplication of the radix, when the basis is monosyllabic, or often of the last syllable of the basis, when the word is polysyllabic. Examples:
lásti black, láslati black here and black there; verbified: lánis, laslánis it is black.
hállui high, hálhawi each of them high.
súfki deep, súfsuki deep each, or deep in spots.
súlgi many, súlsugi many of each.
hólwaki bad, holwahóki each bad.
líkwi rotten; lík'howi (animals), líkliwi (vegetables).
kotchúkni short, kotchúntchoki short in spots.
sílkosi narrow, sílsikosi narrow in places, from sílki strip.
Adjectives are made negative by appending the privative particle -go, -gu, -ko, -ku: ítskisusi having a mother, itskisusiko motherless; hí`li good, hí`ligo not good, bad.
Gradation of adjectives and of attributive verbs formed from these can be effected in different ways, which are more perfect and expressive here than in those Indian languages which can express gradation only by syntactic means.
A comparative is formed by prefixing isim-, isin-, isi-, apheretically sim-, sin-, si- to the adjective or the attributive verb, the two objects compared standing usually before the adjective or verb. This prefix is composed of the particle isi-, is- and the possessive pronoun im-, in-, i- of the third person (s. and pl.), and corresponds somewhat to our than, as. The object compared stands in the absolute case.
kát'tcha yahá isin`lákit ómis the panther (kát'tcha) is larger (`lako large) than the wolf (yahá; ómis is so).
tchátu tchátu-χunáp-hatki (i-)síntchalatuit ómis iron (tchátu) is harder than silver.
ma tchī′panat ma hóktudshi (i-)simmáhis this boy is taller than that girl.