Seuna verbs
In finite form, the verb has always three slots after the main word. These slots are for subject, mood and tense.
The subject slots are filled as follows ;-
I | -a- | we(exc.) | -au- |
we(inc.) | -ai- | ||
you | -i- | you(pl.) | -e- |
he/she | -o- | they | -u- |
There is also an impersonal passive form of the verb. For ths -oi- is used for singular and -eu- is used for plural.
Verbs
A I AU we I you E you (pl) AI we (inc.) U he, she, it O they ……….. 7 person
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R indicative RT negative indicative S dubitative, evidential ... "I guess" presumed from evidence ST negative dubitative F dubitative, hearsay ... "they say" FT negative dubitative Y imperative
RW passive SW passive evidential FW passive hearsay
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E present tense O general tense U future ................. NAU = "this" as when applied to a undivulged sequence of events......... UWA future particle i.e. the book that must be read ??? I past ................. NAI = "that" as when applied to a sequence of events ......... IYA past or passive particle ??? A perfect UA future perfect IA past perfect AI simultaneous AU consequential tense …… 9 tenses
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The active verb is formed by first taking off the final vowl. Then suffixing the person to the verb, followed by the mood and then the tense. Foe example
TIMPA = to hit, hitting
TIMPIRE(TIMP + I + R + E) = You are hitting
Also N can be added to the end of all that to give reciprocal voice, and S for reflexive.
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Verbs to nouns
SOLBE = to drink
SOLBELA = a drinker SOLBEMA = a machine that drinks
SOLBO = a drink, a beverage(verbal noun representing a substancive)
The copula
This is exactly the same as the person mood tense verb tag
ARE = I am (I am being) AURE = we are IRE = you are ERE = you are, you lot are, you'll is AIRE = we (inc.) are RE = he, she, it is ……. Note that the 'U' is left out. ORE = they are
• … The 'O' is also left out if the noun that 'they' represent is inclused in the sentence
The copula has all the person, mood and tense tags that a regular verb has. Note the difference in meaning between the to tenses “E”, and “O”. They roughly correspond in function to the to verbs “estar” and “ser”. i.e.
ARE ill = I am sick ARO ill = I am an invalid
Negatives
OMBE = to eat OMBARE = I am eating
Any verb is negated by putting a T after the R.
OMBARTE = I am not eating
There is also a more emphatic negative. This involves putting a KA in front of the verb.
KA OMBARTE = I am not eating ... Notice that the T is retained.
This KA is used in two other verbal situations with a non-emphatic sense (see below)
RO HAGADI = She is beautiful KA RO HAGADI = She is not beatiful
KA OMBE = not to eat
And it also turns up sentence finally as one way to ask a question.
Imperative
The imperative forms are SOLBIYA = drink, SOLBEYA = drink (to two or more people) Now the way to negate a verb is to stick KI in front of it ie. KI SOLBARE = I am not drinking The way to negate an imperative is to stick KYA in front of the verb. Ie KYA SOLBE = don't drink, KYA SOLBE = don't drink (to two or more people) KYA IRO SOLBESI = don't be inclined to drink KYA IRO SOLBEDA = don't be drunk
Index
- Introduction to Seuna
- Seuna : Chapter 1
- Seuna word shape
- The script of Seuna
- Seuna sentence structure
- Seuna pronouns
- Seuna nouns
- Seuna verbs (1)
- Seuna adjectives
- Seuna demonstratives
- Seuna verbs (2)
- Asking a question in Seuna
- Seuna relative clauses
- Seuna verbs (3)
- Methods for deriving words in Seuna
- List of all Seuna derivational affixes
- Numbers in Seuna
- Naming people in Seuna
- The Seuna calendar
- Seuna units