Kala Verbs

Verbs

tense / aspect

The present tense is unmarked:

• na ina

1.S eat

I eat / I am eating.

The future tense is marked with the suffix -tli.

• na inatli

1.S eat.FUT

I will eat / I am about to eat.

Past tenses, including perfect and pluperfect, are marked with the suffix -ye.

• na inaye

1.S eat.PAST

I eat / I was eating / I have eaten / I had eaten.

Kala does not distinguish perfect and imperfect aspects of the verb (e.g. ‘I ate’, ‘I used to eat’, ‘I have eaten’, ‘I had eaten’). However, one can easily clarify the temporal sequence of two actions by marking the earlier one with the adverbial tsa (‘already’).

mood

modal particles

The conditional mood is formed with the particle iya.

• iya na ina

COND 1.S eat

I might be eating.

The imperative mood is formed with the particle kya.

• kya ina

IMP eat

Eat!

modal affixes

The negative mood is formed with the suffix -k.

• na inak

1.S eat.NEG

I do not eat / I am not eating.

The volitive mood is formed with the suffix -ue (from ueha - to want, desire).

• na inaue

1.S eat.VOL

I want to eat.

The necessitative mood is formed with the suffix -he (from heya - to need, require).

• na inahe

1.S eat.NEC

I need to eat.

The abilitative mood is formed with the suffix -pa (from pala - to be able).

• na inapa

1.S eat.ABIL

I am able to eat./ I can eat.

The permissive mood is formed with the suffix -myo (from myonta - to allow, permit).

• ha inamyo

3.S eat.PERM

She is allowed to eat. / She may eat.

voice

The passive voice is formed by attaching the accusative prefix e- to the pronoun or by placing the topic marker ke immediately before the patient of the verb.

• ena ina

ACC.1.S eat

I am eaten. / I am being eaten.

• eha anyaye

ACC.3.S see.PAST

She was seen. / He was being watched.

• ke mihu itsa

TOP cat love

The cat is loved. / The cat is being loved.

Index

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