Classical Arithide conjugation

Classical Arithide verbs are divided into two conjugations based on their infinitive endings, namely -ān (the first conjugation) and -ēn (the second conjugation). Whereas all vowel-stem verbs take -ān in the infinitive, the converse is not true, and the distinction between the two verb classes in terms of semantic and lexical meaning is not entirely clear, although it has been noted that all causative forms take as their infinitive -ēn.

Verbs in each class are conjugated for three voices, three basic aspects, five derivative aspects, seven moods and four tenses, on a cascading hierarchy as above. I.e., to the root form of the verb would first be appended affixes indicating voice, followed by aspect, then mood and subsequently tense. The indicative perfective active is not generally marked, hence the existence of four tense-only forms. Certain aspects and moods in Classical Arithide form separate infinitives from the main verb, but as semi-independent verbs are not always able to take the full range of verb conjugations.

Voice & transitivity

The three voices of the verb distinguish the grammatical function of the agent of an action: the subject with the active, a prepositional complement in the ablative with the passive, and the indirect object with the causative.

Verbs can be

Active

• Jānos rero taka. John hits the ball.

In the active voice, the agent of an action is the grammatical subject. The active voice requires no additional marking.

Passive

• Reros etel Jōnōn takosta. The ball is hit by John.

Causative

• Jāge Inae rero takara. Jack makes John hit the ball.

Aspects

• Imperfective, indicating the progression of an action
  • Habitual/Generic I walk to work every day. Mangoes grow on trees.
  • Protractive* I walk on and on; I go on walking.
  • Inceptive* I begin to walk.
  • Prospective* I am about to walk.
  • Frequentative* I walk around.
• Perfective, indicating the completion of an action
  • Habitual I used to walk to work every dat. Mangoes used to grow on trees.
• Perfect I have walked to the cinema (and am now there).

Moods

• Indicative, stating facts, strong beliefs
• Subjunctive*, used with wishes, hopes, doubts, conditions
• Optative* I want to walk.
• Jussive* I want you to walk.
• Imperative Walk!
• Cohortative Let's walk.
• Negative¹

I do not walk.

¹ There are technically two types of the negative mood in Classical Arithide, but traditionally have been conflated into one by the Dethrians, who were not generally able to effectively distinguish between the two (see Classical Arithide conjugation#Negative moods for more information).

Tenses

• Present
• Past
• Progressive, technically an aspect, derived from the imperfective, but covers the continuous tenses of English
• Future

Of the above, those marked with an asterisk form separate verbs (i.e. take their own infinitives), which usually do not hold the full conjugation range. Additionally, the interrogative mood is marked with the auxiliary particle da.