06.17.2025: these are scratch notes for elona
A verb has 8 basic forms. These basic forms are created by mapping a root (C-C-C) onto a template, e.g. CaCəC. These templates differ depending on the the pattern of the verb. There are 3 patterns of verbs.
- iiiiii
- PresentCaCəC–CaCəC–CaCəC–
- PastCCiC–CuCəC–CuCəC–
- ResultCCiCaCuCCaCuCəC₃C₃a
- CommandCCuCCaCəCCaCəC
- InfinitiveCCaCaCaCuCəCaCuCə
- ProgressivebəCCaCaCaCuCəCaCuCə
- NounCCaCtaCaCaCtaCaCaCta
- ActiveCaCCanaCaCCanaCaCəC₃C₃ana
The roots of pattern i and pattern ii verbs have one sound in each cluster C. The roots of pattern iii verbs have two sounds in the middle cluster and either one or two sounds in the first cluster.
- patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to change’
- Presentpatəx–sak̭əl–šaxləp–
- Pastptix–suk̭əl–šuxləp–
- Resultptixasuk̭lašuxləppa
- Commandptuxsak̭əlšaxləp
- Infinitiveptaxasak̭uləšaxlupə
- Progressivebəptaxasak̭uləšaxlupə
- Nounptaxtasak̭altašaxlapta
- Activepatxanasak̭lanašaxləppana
Each basic form can be combined with other elements to create more complex forms.
Consider this example. The template for the basic progressive form of pattern i verbs is bəCCaCa. The verb patəx ‘to open’ is a pattern i verb and has the root (p-t-x). The progressive basic form of this verb is bəptaxa ‘opening’. This basic form can be combined with a copula to express a subject and a pronoun suffix to express an object.
- bəptáxəvən ‘I (ms.) am opening.’ < bəptaxa + ivən
- bəptáxovən ‘I (ms.) am opening it (fs.).’ < bəptaxa + o + ivən
A root may contain the sound /y/, the sound /v/, or no sound /∅/. We verb with such a root is called a weak verb. A verb that is not a weak verb and is not an irregular verb is a strong verb.
The basic forms of weak verbs can sound different because the sounds /y/, /v/, /∅/ may interact with the sounds next to them and cause predictable changes.
A strong verb has one root. A weak verb can have multiple roots, where each of its basic form is created by using one or optionally more of its roots.
Consider this example. The verb ʾasək̭ i (∅-s-k̭, y-s-k̭, s-y-k̭) ‘to ascend’ is a weak verb. You can predict this verb is a weak verb either by noticing it has multiple roots or by noticing its roots have the sounds /∅/ and /y/. The basic present form of this verb is created with optionally either the root (∅-s-k̭) or (y-s-k̭). The basic active form is created with the root (y-s-k̭). The other basic forms are created with the root (s-y-k̭). The no sound /∅/ is filled with /ʾ/ and the /y/ is dropped in certain basic forms.
- ʾasək̭ i (∅-s-k̭, y-s-k̭, s-y-k̭) ‘to ascend’
- Presentʾasək̭–,
yasək̭–< (∅-s-k̭) + CaCəC–,
< (y-s-k̭) + CaCəC– - Pastsik̭–< (s-y-k̭) + CCiC–
- Resultsik̭a< (s-y-k̭) + CCiCa
- Commandsuk̭< (s-y-k̭) + CCuC
- Infinitivesyak̭a< (s-y-k̭) + CCaCa
- Progressivebəsyak̭a< (s-y-k̭) + bəCCaCa
- Verbalsyak̭ta< (s-y-k̭) + CCaCta
- Activeyask̭ana< (y-s-k̭) + CaCCana
An irregular verb is a verb whose basic forms are not predictable and best not imagined as having been formed by roots and templates. There are 10 irregular verbs.
- ʾazəl ‘to go’tanə ‘to say’ʾatə ‘to come’mayyə ‘to bring’yavəl ‘to give’⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’⁺maddə ‘to cause to be known’ʾavə ‘to be’mattə ‘to place’⁺masə ‘to be able’
- Presentʾazəl–tanə–ʾatə–mayyə–yavvəl–⁺yaṱṱə–⁺maddə–ʾavə–mattə–⁺masə–, ⁺ʾaməs–, ⁺mayəs–
- Pastxiš–mir–, tuni–ti–muyyi–yuvvil–⁺di–⁺muddi–vi–mutti–⁺msi–, ⁺mis–
- Resultxišamira, tunyatiyyamuyyayuvva⁺diyya⁺muddiyyaviyyamutta, mutva⁺məsya
- Commandxuš, si, setani, taytamehal⁺di⁺maddivimatti
- Infinitivexašatanuyətayamayayava⁺daya⁺madduyəvayamattuyə⁺msaya, ⁺masa, ⁺myasa
- Progressivebərrəxšə, bərrəššə, bəššə, bərrəšxəmara, tanuyəbitayamayayava⁺bəddaya⁺madduyəvayamattuyə⁺msaya, ⁺masa, ⁺myasa
- Nounxaštatanetatetamayetayavalta⁺deta⁺maddetavetamatteta, mattavta⁺mseta
- Activeraxšana, ʾazanatanyanaʾatyanamayyanayavana⁺yaṱṱana⁺maddiyyanamattana, matvana⁺masyana
About 91.8% of verbs are either pattern i verbs or pattern iii verbs.
- PatternProportion of all verbsExample
- iiiabout 52.5%šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to change’
- iabout 39.3%patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- iiabout 8.2%sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
About 35.1% of verbs are weak verbs. Pattern i verbs are disproportionately more weak than other verbs.
- PatternProportion of weak verbsExample
- iabout 55.6%baxə i (b-x-y) ‘to cry’
- iiiabout 37.6%⁺mač̭mə iii (⁺m-č̭m-y) ‘to extinguish’
- iiabout 6.8%⁺ṱašə ii (⁺ṱ-š-y) ‘to hide’
About 79.9% of weak verbs fall into one of 10 distinct kinds. There are 53 distinct kinds of weak verbs.
- KindProportion of weak verbsExample
- i (C-C-y)about 16.7%baxə i (b-x-y) ‘to cry’
- iii (C-C-y)about 15.8%⁺mač̭mə iii (⁺m-č̭m-y) ‘to extinguish’
- i (C-y-C)about 11.2%k̭ayəm i (k̭-y-m) ‘to get up’
- iii (C-Cy-C)about 7.2%manyəx iii (m-ny-x) ‘to rest’
- iii (C-C∅-y)about 6.1%maǧǧəb iii (m-ǧ∅-b) ‘to adore’
- i (C-v-C)about 5.5%lavəš i (l-v-š) ‘to put on clothes’
- ii (C-C-y)about 5.1%⁺ṱašə ii (⁺ṱ-š-y) ‘to hide’
- i (C-C-∅, C-C-y)about 5.1%xazzə i (⁺x-z-∅, ⁺x-z-y) ‘to see’
- i (C-∅-C, C-y-C)about 3.8%⁺rayəš i (⁺r-∅-š, ⁺r-y-š) ‘to wake’
- iii (C-vC-y)about 2.1%k̭ok̭ə iii (k̭-vk̭-y) ‘to croak (frogs)’
Patterns and meaning
The subject and the object are morphological.
You may notice differences
- parək̭ i ‘to finish’ (intr.)
- parək̭ ii ‘to finish’ (tr.)
- maprək̭ iii ‘to cause to be finished by someone’
This section will describe this a bit.
The basic forms of a verb can be combined with other elements to express a subject and an object. For example, the basic progressive form can be combined with a copula to express a subject and a pronoun suffix to express an object.
The subject is usually the thing that does the action. The object is usually the thing that is affected by the action.
A verb with an intransitive unnaccusative sense expresses an event.
An event that leaves the subject changed. The verb does not encode who
The subject is the affectee of the event. The event is spontaneous and the verb does not express what causes.
A verb that has an intransitive reflexive meaning expresses a change in the state of an affectee. This change is encoded as spontaneous and the verb does not encode what causes the change.
The affectee is indicated by the subject. There is no object.
Almost all verbs in this group are pattern i verbs with very few pattern ii verbs.
- patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- davər i (d-v-r) ‘to close’
- baləs i (p-t-x) ‘to bruise’
- capən i (c-p-n) ‘to become hungry’
- ⁺radəx i (__) ‘to boil’
- našəp i (__) ‘to drain off’
- ⁺barəz i (__) ‘to become dry’
- ⁺ṱarəs i (__) ‘to become fat’
- p̂ac̭əx i (p̂-c̭-x) ‘to blossom’
- ⁺č̭aməč̭ i (__) ‘to whither’
- ⁺cayəm i (__) ‘to become black’
- ⁺xabəl ii (__) ‘to become cold’
- iiiiii
- bəCCaCaCaCuCəCaCuCə
- bəptaxa ‘opening’ < patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- sak̭ulə ‘dressing up’ < sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
- šaxlupə ‘changing’ < šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to speak’
- bətxara ‘remembering’ < taxər i (t-x-r) ‘to remember’
- bəškala ‘taking’ < šakəl i (š-k-l) ‘to take’
- ⁺bəšmaṱa ‘breaking’ < ⁺šaməṱ i (⁺š-m-ṱ) ‘to break’
- bəxp̂ak̭a ‘hugging’ < xap̂ək̭ i (x-p̂-k̭) ‘to hug’
- bənšak̭a ‘kissing’ < našək̭ i (n-š-k̭) ‘to kiss’
- šaluxə ‘undressing’ < šaləx ii (š-l-x) ‘to undress’
- zaruzə ‘preparing’ < zarəz ii (z-r-z) ‘to to prepare’
- ⁺šadurə ‘sending’ < ⁺šadər ii (⁺š-d-r) ‘to send’
- mačuxə ‘finding’ < mačəx ii (m-č-x) ‘to find’
- taluk̭ə ‘losing’ < talək̭ ii (t-l-k̭) ‘to lose’
- maǧǧubə ‘liking’ < maǧǧəb iii (m-ǧǧ-b) ‘to like’
- ⁺xallulə ‘washing’ < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’
- garvusə ‘growing up’ < garvəs iii (g-rv-s) ‘to grow up’
- gargušə ‘dragging’ < gargəš iii (g-rg-š) ‘to drag’
- ⁺k̭aṱk̭uṱə ‘chopping’ < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ iii (⁺k̭-ṱk̭-ṱ) ‘to chop’
The basic progressive form can be combined with a copula to express a subject.
- bəptáxələ. ‘He is opening.’ < bəptaxa + ilə
- sak̭úləvət. ‘You (ms.) are dressing up.’ < sak̭ulə + ivət
- šaxlúpəvən. ‘I (ms.) am changing.’ < šaxlupə + ivən
- bətxárələ. ‘He is remembering.’ < bətxara + ilə
- bəškáləla. ‘She is taking.’ < bəškala + ila
- ⁺bəšmáṱəna. ‘They were breaking.’ < ⁺bəšmaṱa + ina
- bəxp̂ák̭əvət. ‘You (ms.) are hugging.’ < bəxp̂ak̭a + ivət
- bənšák̭əvat. ‘You (fs.) are kissing.’ < bənšak̭a + ivat
- šalúxətun. ‘You (pl.) are undressing.’ < šaluxə + itun
- zarúzəvən. ‘I (ms.) am preparing.’ < zaruzə + ivən
- ⁺šadúrəvan. ‘I (fs.) am sending.’ < ⁺šadurə + ivan
- mačúxəvax. ‘We are finding.’ < mačuxə + ivax
- taluk̭ət. ‘You (fs.) are losing.’ < talúk̭əvat < taluk̭ə + ivat
- maǧǧubən. ‘I (fs.) am liking.’ < maǧǧúbəvan < maǧǧubə + ivan
- ⁺xalluləx. ‘We are washing.’ < ⁺xallúləvax < ⁺xallulə + ivax
- garvúsətva. ‘You (fs.) were growing up.’ < garvusə + ītva
- dula gargušə! ‘She is dragging!’ < dula + gargušə
- lela ⁺k̭aṱk̭uṱə. ‘She is not chopping.’ < lela + ⁺k̭aṱk̭uṱə
The basic progressive form can be combined with a pronoun suffix to express an object.
- bəptáxulə. ‘He is opening it (ms.).’ < bəptaxa + u + ilə
- sak̭úlovət. ‘You (ms.) are dressing her up.’ < sak̭ulə + o + ivət
- šaxlúpovən. ‘I (ms.) am changing it (fs.).’ < šaxlupə + o + ivən
- bətxaran꞊ilə. ‘He is remembering us.’ < bətxara + an + ilə
- bəškalela. ‘She is taking them.’ < bəškala + é + ila
- ⁺bəšmaṱena. ‘They were breaking them.’ < ⁺bəšmaṱa + é + ina
- bəxp̂ák̭uvət. ‘You (ms.) are hugging him.’ < bəxp̂ak̭a + u + ivət
- bənšák̭ivat. ‘You (fs.) are kissing me.’ < bənšak̭a + i + ivat
- šalúxotun. ‘You (pl.) are undressing her.’ < šaluxə + o + itun
- zarúzovən. ‘I (ms.) am preparing it (fs.).’ < zaruzə + o + ivən
- ⁺šadúruvan. ‘I (fs.) am sending it (ms.).’ < ⁺šadurə + u + ivan
- mačuxoxun꞊ivax. ‘We are finding you (pl.).’ < mačuxə + oxun + ivax
- taluk̭it. ‘You (fs.) are losing me.’ < talúk̭ivat < taluk̭ə + i + ivat
- maǧǧubon. ‘I (fs.) am liking her.’ < maǧǧúbovan < maǧǧubə + o + ivan
- ⁺xalluléx. ‘We are washing them.’ < ⁺xallulevax < ⁺xallulə + é + ivax
- garvusan꞊ītva. ‘You (fs.) were growing us up.’ < garvusə + an + ītva
- dula gargušé! ‘She is dragging them!’ < dula + gargušə + é
- lela ⁺k̭aṱk̭uṱu. ‘She is not chopping it (ms.).’ < lela + ⁺k̭aṱk̭uṱə + u
When a root (y-C-C) is mapped onto the template bəCCaCa, the sound /–əy–/ becomes /–i–/.
- ⁺bixala ‘eating’ < ʾaxəl i (⁺∅-x-l, ⁺y-x-l) ‘to eat’
When a root (∅-C-C) is mapped onto the template bəCCaCa, the no sound /∅/ is filled with the sound after it.
- bərrák̭a ‘fleeing’ < ʾarək̭ i (∅-r-k̭) ‘to flee’
When a root (C-∅-C) is mapped onto the template CaCuCə, the no sound /∅/ is filled with the sound /v/. The sound /–avu–/ optionally contracts to either /–āv–/ or /–a–/.
- ⁺ṱavulə, ⁺ṱāvlə, ⁺ṱalə ‘playing’ < ⁺ṱavəl ii (⁺ṱ-∅-l) ‘to play’
When a root (C-vC-C) is mapped onto the template CaCuCə, the sound /–av–/ becomes /–o–/.
- k̭ok̭uyə ‘croaking (frog)’ < (k̭-vk̭-y) + CaCuCə < k̭ok̭ə iii (k̭-vk̭-y) ‘to croak (frog)’
- p̂op̂uyə ‘bleating (sheep)’ < (p̂-vp̂-y) + CaCuCə < p̂op̂ə iii (p̂-vp̂-y) ‘to bleat (sheep)’
- č̭oč̭uyə ‘chirping (young birds)’ < (č̭-vč̭-y) + CaCuCə < č̭oč̭ə iii (č̭-vč̭-y) ‘to chirp (young birds)’
When a root (C-C-y) is mapped onto the template CaCuCə, the sound /–uyə–/ becomes /–uvvə–/ among speakers in the north and in the Caucasus.
- manšuvvə ‘forgetting’ < (m-nš-y) + CaCuCə < manšə iii (m-nš-y) ‘to forget’
- ʾazəl ‘to go’tanə ‘to say’ʾatə ‘to come’mayyə ‘to bring’yavəl ‘to give’⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’⁺maddə ‘to cause to be known’ʾavə ‘to be’mattə ‘to place’⁺masə ‘to be able’
- bərrəxšə, bərrəššə, bəššə, bərrəšxəmara, tanuyəbitayamayayava⁺bəddaya⁺madduyəvayamattuyə⁺msaya, ⁺masa, ⁺myasa
There are three other verbs that have an irregular basic progressive form.
- paləx i (p-l-x) ‘to work’gaxəc i (g-x-c) ‘to laugh’baxə i (b-x-y) ‘to cry’
- pəlxanagəxcabəxya
The sound /bə/ of the basic progressive form of pattern i verbs is regularly dropped before sounds at the lips (i.e. /b/, /p̂/, /p/, /m/, /v/, /f/) and is optionally dropped before other sounds.
- ptaxa ‘opening’ < bəptaxa < patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- ⁺p̂laša ‘fighting’ < ⁺bəp̂laša < ⁺p̂aləš i (⁺p̂-l-š) ‘to fight’
- mxaya ‘hitting’ < bəmyaxa < maxə i (m-x-y) ‘to hit’
The sound /aya/ of the basic progressive form of pattern i verbs is optionally contracted to /á/ when nothing is attached.
- ⁺bəddá ‘knowing’ < bəddaya < ⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’
- bitá ‘coming’ < bitaya < ʾatə ‘to come’
- mxa ‘hitting’ < mxaya < bəmxaya < maxə i (m-x-y) ‘to hit’
An optional variant of the template for the basic progressive form of pattern ii and pattern iii verbs is CaCuCa.
- sak̭ula ‘dressing up’ < sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
- šaxlupa ‘changing’ < šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to speak’
The /ə/ contracts when the form is the second or second to last word a pause. In the Caucasus, the /ə/ is dropped in all contexts.
marani !!!!!!
The bəptáxələ forms are progressive forms created with a present copula.
The bəptáxələ forms are used to express an event that is happening in the present moment.
- ʾelona ⁺bək̭ráyəla. ‘Elona is studying.’
The action may be completed by the act of uttering the form.
- ʾana mammuyux꞊ivən ‘I pledge you’
- parpuləvən b-diyyux ‘I beg of you’
- ⁺raba ⁺maxleta ⁺bəṱlabən ‘I greatly beg your pardon’
If the verb expresses a psychological state, the bəptáxələ forms express that the state is in existence in the present moment but might not necessarily be a permanent quality of the subject.
- hammúnəla. ‘She believes.’
- la ʾana lēn ⁺bəddá. ‘I do not know.’
- lēn-⁺bya həč məndi. ‘I do not want anything.’
- lela ⁺bašurə hamzəmma ‘She cannot speak’
Use 2: Main plot of a narrative
The bəptáxələ forms are also used to express events that are happening sequentially in the main plot of a narrative.
- bəšk̭álulə ⁺haji ʾu-⁺bək̭ṱálulə. ⁺xarta labúlulə k̭a-malca. ‘He takes the pilgrim and kills him. After he brings him to the king.’
- ⁺raba məndiyyanə k̭atu tanúyəla. k̭a-bruno ⁺raba nasyattə yávəla. ‘She tells him many things. She gives her son many pieces of advice.’
- ʾe-⁺dān šəmmu bəšmáyulə, furʾun brázələ šopu. ‘When he hears his name, the pharoah dies up on the spot.’
The bəptáxələ forms are also used to express events that overlap temporally or are different aspects of the same event.
The bəptáxələ forms are also used to express a current habitual or repeated activity. The activity is usually not permanent and the speaker can usually identify when the activity began.
- ʾina ʾadiyya laxma b-⁺gazuyl váduna. ‘But now they make it bread with diesel fuel.’
- ʾarp̂í yumanə ʾat lēt ⁺bixala lēt ⁺bəštaya. ‘For fourty days you have not been eating and not been drinking.’
- tre šənnə ʾaxnan bəxxayəx laxxa. ‘For two years we have been living here.’
The bəptáxələ forms are also used to express an event that will happen in the immediate future
- ⁺bérašə ⁺ʾumra bərrəxšəx. ‘Tonight we will go to church.’
- k̭udmə ⁺dolma bašuləx. ‘Tomorrow we will cook dolma.’
The bəptáxəva forms are used to express an event that was happening in the past.
- babi ⁺čay bəštáyəva. ‘My father was drinking tea.’
- k̭udmə ʾaxnan pyáyəxva. ‘Yesterday we were baking (all day).’
- ptana vádənva ʾu-tre nuynə ⁺pləṱlun gu-ʾupra ‘I was ploughing and two fish came out of the soil.’
- ʾana ʾo-yuma žǧíšənva. lēnva taxmunə ⁺spay ⁺rahat. ‘I was confused that day. I was not thinking clearly (literally: well and calm).’
- ⁺palačiyyə ⁺pala ptáxəva k̭atu. ‘Fortune-tellers were reading fortunes for him.’
- ⁺maxleta, mu márətva? ‘Sorry, what were you saying?’
The bəptáxəva forms are also used to express an event that is happening outside the main plot of a narrative. This is usually preliminary background information at the beginning of the narrative.
- xa-yuma ⁺malla ⁺sluta ⁺salúyəva taxmúnələ mu ʾavəd. ‘One day Mullah was praying and he thinks what he should do.’
The bəptáxəva forms are also used to express a past habitual or repeated activity. The activity was not permanent and the speaker can usually identify the time period that the activity was limited to.
- gu-⁺p̂lašət tre bətxarən babi yəmmi leva ⁺bixala. ‘During the Second World War I remember my parents were not eating.’
The bəptáxəva forms are also used to express an event that is about to happen in the immediate future from the perspective of the past.
- bərrə́xšənva ⁺ʾal-macca ʾu-baxti muyyali muttali cəs-⁺haji. ‘I was going (= on my way) to Mecca and I brought my wife and placed her with the pilgrim’
- ⁺xuvva ⁺bənnásiva ʾana k̭atu ⁺spayuyta vídənva. ‘The snake was biting (= was going to bite) me (even though) I had done a good deed for it.’
The bəptaxa forms are progressive forms without a copula.
The bəptaxa forms are used to express circumstances around other events.
- ʾo-malca ⁺raba nanúyələ lá-⁺k̭ṱulli bəxya ⁺raba bənpala ʾak̭lu bənšak̭é. ‘The king pleads “Do not kill me!” weeping, falling, kissing her feet.’
The form mara of the verb ʾamər ‘to say’ has a unique function in narratives.
The verb mara to mark turns in a dialogue.
- mara la ⁺k̭ṱulli mara ʾana la le-⁺k̭aṱlannax ‘She says “Do not kill me!” He says “No, I will not kill you!”’
The form mara is also used to represent the voice of the narrator
- baxta ⁺bəddáyəla. mara ⁺raba honántəva. ‘The wife knows. The story goes: She was very clever.’
- mara ʾətva lətva ʾətva xa-dana malca. ‘The story goes: There was, there was not, there was a king.’
- bitayəl cəs-diva. mara davə bəsk̭alél. ‘He comes to the wolf. The story goes: He takes the gold coins.’
The basic present form is a stem.
- iiiiii
- CaCəC–CaCəC–CaCəC–
- patəx– < patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- sak̭əl– < sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
- šaxləp– < šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to speak’
- taxər– < taxər i (t-x-r) ‘to remember’
- šakəl– < šakəl i (š-k-l) ‘to take’
- ⁺šaməṱ– < ⁺šaməṱ i (⁺š-m-ṱ) ‘to break’
- xap̂ək̭– < xap̂ək̭ i (x-p̂-k̭) ‘to hug’
- našək̭– < našək̭ i (n-š-k̭) ‘to kiss’
- šaləx– < šaləx ii (š-l-x) ‘to undress’
- zarəz– < zarəz ii (z-r-z) ‘to to prepare’
- ⁺šadər– < ⁺šadər ii (⁺š-d-r) ‘to send’
- mačəx– < mačəx ii (m-č-x) ‘to find’
- talək̭– < talək̭ ii (t-l-k̭) ‘to lose’
- maǧǧəb– < maǧǧəb iii (m-ǧǧ-b) ‘to like’
- ⁺xalləl– < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’
- garvəs– < garvəs iii (g-rv-s) ‘to grow up’
- gargəš– < gargəš iii (g-rg-š) ‘to drag’
- ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ– < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ iii (⁺k̭-ṱk̭-ṱ) ‘to chop’
The present stem is combined with the S suffix to express the subject.
- S suffixiiiiii
- CaCəC–CaCəC–CaCəC–
- 3ms.–∅CaCəCCaCəCCaCəC
- 3fs.–aCaCCaCaCCaCaCəC₃C₃a
- 3pl.–iCaCCiCaCCiCaCəC₃C₃i
- 2ms.–ətCaCCətCaCCətCaCəC₃C₃ət
- 2fs.–atCaCCatCaCCatCaCəC₃C₃at
- 2pl.–itunCaCCitunCaCCitunCaCəC₃C₃itun
- 1ms.–ənCaCCənCaCCənCaCəC₃C₃ən
- 1fs.–anCaCCanCaCCanCaCəC₃C₃an
- 1pl.–axCaCCaxCaCCaxCaCəC₃C₃ax
- patəx ‘he opens’ < patəx– + ∅
- sak̭lət ‘you (ms.) dress up’ < sak̭əl– + ət
- šaxləppən ‘I (ms.) change’ < šaxləp– + ən
- taxər ‘he remembers’ < taxər– + ∅
- šakla ‘she takes’ < šakəl– + a
- ⁺šamṱi ‘they break’ < ⁺šaməṱ– + i
- xap̂k̭ət ‘you (ms.) hug’ < xap̂ək̭– + ət
- našk̭at ‘you (fs.) kiss’ < našək̭– + at
- šalxitun ‘you (pl.) undress’ < šaləx– + itun
- zarzən ‘I (ms.) prepare’ < zarəz– + ən
- ⁺šadran ‘I (fs.) send’ < ⁺šadər– + an
- mačxax ‘we find’ < mačəx– + ax
- talk̭at ‘you (fs.) lose’ < talək̭– + at
- maǧǧəbban ‘I (fs.) like’ < maǧǧəb– + an
- ⁺xalləllax ‘we wash’ < ⁺xalləl– + ax
- garvəssət ‘you (fs.) grow up’ < garvəs– + ət
- gargəšša ‘she drags’ < gargəš– + a
- ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱṱa ‘she chops’ < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ– + a
The present stem can be combined with the L suffix to express an object. The L suffix is attached after the S suffix. The stress is on the first syllable of the S suffix.
- patəxlə ‘he opens it (ms.)’ < patəx– + ∅ + lə
- sak̭lətla ‘you (ms.) dress her up’ < sak̭əl– + ət + la
- šaxləppənla ‘I (ms.) change it (fs.)’ < šaxləp– + ən + la
- taxərran ‘he remembers us’ < taxər– + ∅ + lan
- šaklalun ‘she takes them’ < šakəl– + a + lun
- ⁺šamṱilun ‘they break them’ < ⁺šaməṱ– + i + lun
- xap̂k̭ətlə ‘you (ms.) hug him’ < xap̂ək̭– + ət + lə
- našk̭atli ‘you (fs.) kiss me’ < našək̭– + at + li
- šalxítunla ‘you (pl.) undress her’ < šaləx– + itun + la
- zarzənla ‘I (ms.) prepare it (ms.)’ < zarəz– + ən + la
- ⁺šadranlə ‘I (fs.) send it (fs.)’ < ⁺šadər– + an + lə
- mačxáxloxun ‘we find you (pl.)’ < mačəx– + ax + loxun
- talk̭atli ‘you (fs.) lose me’ < talək̭– + at + li
- maǧǧəbbanla ‘I (fs.) like her’ < maǧǧəb– + an + la
- ⁺xalləllaxlun ‘we wash them them’ < ⁺xalləl– + ax + lun
- garvəssətlan ‘you (fs.) grow us up’ < garvəs– + ət + lan
- gargəššalun ‘she drags them’ < gargəš– + a + lun
- ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱṱalə ‘she chops it (ms.)’ < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ– + a + lə
The present stem can be combined with the past suffix va. The past suffix is attached after the S suffix and before the L suffix. The stress is on the first syllable of the S suffix.
- patəxva ‘he opened’ < patəx– + ∅ + va
- sak̭lətva ‘you (ms.) dressed up’ < sak̭əl– + ət + va
- šaxləppənva ‘I (ms.) changed’ < šaxləp– + ən + va
- taxərva ‘he remembered’ < taxər– + ∅ + va
- šaklava ‘she took’ < šakəl– + a + va
- ⁺šamṱiva ‘they broke’ < ⁺šaməṱ– + i + va
- xap̂k̭ətva ‘you (ms.) hugged’ < xap̂ək̭– + ət + va
- našk̭atva ‘you (fs.) kissed’ < našək̭– + at + va
- šalxítunva ‘you (pl.) undressed’ < šaləx– + itun + va
- zarzənva ‘I (ms.) prepared’ < zarəz– + ən + va
- ⁺šadranva ‘I (fs.) sent’ < ⁺šadər– + an + va
- mačxaxva ‘we found’ < mačəx– + ax + va
- talk̭átvali ‘you (fs.) lost me’ < talək̭– + at + va + li
- maǧǧəbbánvala ‘I (fs.) liked her’ < maǧǧəb– + an + va + la
- ⁺xalləlláxvalun ‘we washed them them’ < ⁺xalləl– + ax + va + lun
- garvəssə́tvalan ‘you (fs.) grew us up’ < garvəs– + ət + va + lan
- gargəššávalun ‘she dragged them’ < gargəš– + a + va + lun
- ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱṱávalə ‘she chopped it (ms.)’ < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ– + a + va + lə
The present stem can be combined with the habit prefix ci-, the future prefix bət-, and the negative prefix le-.
When a root (C-y-C) of pattern i and pattern ii verbs is mapped onto the template CaCəC and an S suffix is attached, the sound /–ay–/ becomes /–e–/.
When a root (C-v-C) of pattern i and pattern ii verbs is mapped onto the template CaCəC and an S suffix is attached, the sound /–av–/ becomes /–o–/.
When a root (C-vC-C) of pattern iii verbs is mapped onto the template CaCəC, the sound /–av–/ becomes /–o–/.
When a root (C-C-y) of pattern i and pattern ii verbs is mapped onto the template CaCəC, the sound /–əy–/ becomes /–y–/ before feminine S suffixes and /–ə–/ before other S Suffixes.
When a root (C-C-y) of pattern iii verbs is mapped onto the template CaCəC, the sound /–əy–/ becomes /–iyy–/ before feminine S suffixes and /–ə/ before other S Suffixes.
In pattern i (C-v-y) and ii (C-v-y) verbs, the template Coy– is used for the f. forms and the stem Cavə– for other forms.
In (∅-C-C) verbs, the /∅/ becomes /ʾ/.
Attaching the past suffix or an L suffix to a present form that ends in /ə/ will cause the /ə/ to become /i/. This means the 3ms. and 3pl. forms will sound the same.
- ʾazəl ‘to go’tanə ‘to say’ʾatə ‘to come’mayyə ‘to bring’yavəl ‘to give’⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’⁺maddə ‘to cause to be known’ʾavə ‘to be’mattə ‘to place’⁺masə ‘to be able’
- 3ms.ʾazəltanəʾatəmayyəyavvəl⁺yaṱṱə⁺maddəʾavəmattə⁺masə, ⁺ʾaməs, ⁺mayəs
- 3fs.ʾazatanyaʾatyamayyayavva⁺yaṱṱa⁺maddiyyaʾoyamatta, matva⁺masya, ⁺ʾamsa, ⁺mesa
- 3pl.ʾazitaniʾatimayyiyavvi⁺yaṱṱi⁺maddiyyiʾavimatti, matvi⁺masi, ⁺ʾamsi, ⁺mesi
- 2ms.ʾazəttanətʾatətmayyətyavvət⁺yaṱṱət⁺maddiyyətʾavətmattət, matvət⁺masət, ⁺ʾamsət, ⁺mesət
- 2fs.ʾazattanyatʾatyatmayyatyavvat⁺yaṱṱat⁺maddiyyatʾoyətmattat, matvat⁺masyat, ⁺ʾamsat, ⁺mesat
- 2pl.ʾazituntanitunʾatitunmayyitunyavvitun⁺yaṱṱitun⁺maddiyyitunʾavitunmattitun, matvitun⁺masitun, ⁺ʾamsitun, ⁺mesitun
- 1ms.ʾazəntanənʾatənmayyənyavvən⁺yaṱṱən⁺maddiyyənʾavənmattən, matvən⁺masən, ⁺ʾamsən, ⁺mesən
- 1fs.ʾazantanyanʾatyanmayyanyavvan⁺yaṱṱan⁺maddiyyanʾoyanmattan, matvan⁺masyan, ⁺ʾamsan, ⁺mesan
- 1pl.ʾazaxtanaxʾataxmayyaxyavvax⁺yaṱṱax⁺maddiyyaxʾavaxmattax, matvax⁺masax, ⁺ʾamsax, ⁺mesax
In forms of (C-y-C) weak verbs, the /ayə/ often contracts to /ā/.
- xāplə ‘he showers’ < xayəp
In present forms that contain a sequence like /lləll/, that middle syllable often drops.
- ⁺xalla ‘she washes’ < ⁺xalləlla < ⁺xalləl + -a
- ⁺xalli ‘they wash’ < ⁺xalləlli < ⁺xalləl + -i
- ⁺xallitun ‘they wash’ < ⁺xalləllitun < ⁺xalləl + -itun
In present forms that include one of the prefixes ci, bət, le-, the prefix often contracts. Before /ʾ/, the ci becomes c,
When attached to /ʾ/, the habit suffix becomes ci- c- and the future prefix bət- contracts to p̂ṱ-, ṱ-. Elsewhere, b-, p-, ṱ-, and the negative prefix le-, li-.
In present forms of (∅-C-C) weak verbs, the prefixes bət, ci, le- often contract. The prefix bət becomes p̂ṱ or ṱ. The prefix ci- becomes c-. The prefix le- becomes l- or, strangley, eats the initial sequence /ʾa/.
- ṱ-⁺atət? ‘Will you come?’ < p̂ṱ-⁺atət < bət-⁺ʾatət
- mu c-⁺axli? ‘What do they usually eat?’ < ci-⁺ʾaxli
- l-⁺axlət həč-məndi? ‘Will you not eat anything?’ < lé-⁺ʾaxlət
- le-⁺xlət həč-məndi? ‘Will you not eat anything?’ < lé-⁺ʾaxlət
In Tabriz, the /n/ of the S suffixes is optionally an /m/.
There is an optional long form of the S suffixes that are used more frequently before pauses.
- S suffixiiiiii
- CaCəC–CaCəC–CaCəC–
- 3ms.–niCaCəCniCaCəCniCaCəCni
- 3fs.–aniCaCCaniCaCCaniCaCəC₃C₃ani
- 3pl.–iniCaCCiniCaCCiniCaCəC₃C₃ini
- 2ms.–itənCaCCitənCaCCitənCaCəC₃C₃itən
- 2fs.–atənCaCCatənCaCCatənCaCəC₃C₃atən
- 2pl.–itunaCaCCitunaCaCCitunaCaCəC₃C₃ituna
- 1ms.–inaCaCCinaCaCCinaCaCəC₃C₃ina
- 1fs.–anaCaCCanaCaCCanaCaCəC₃C₃ana
- 1pl.–axənCaCCaxənCaCCaxənCaCəC₃C₃axən
An uncommon optional inflectoin of iii
- S suffixiii
- CaCəC–
- 3ms.–∅CaCəC
- 3fs.–aCaC₂əC₃Ca
- 3pl.–iCaC₂əC₃Ci
- 2ms.–ətCaC₂əC₃Cət
- 2fs.–atCaC₂əC₃Cat
- 2pl.–itunCaC₂əC₃Citun
- 1ms.–ənCaC₂əC₃Cən
- 1fs.–anCaC₂əC₃Can
- 1pl.–axCaC₂əC₃Cax
The patəx forms are created by combining the present template with the S suffix and optionally the L suffix.
The patəx forms are used to express will, e.g.
desire (‘wish, may’),
intention (‘shall’),
command (‘let’s’),
necessity (‘must, ought to, should’),
permission (’may, might’),
possibility (’can, could’),
commands k̭u, xuš
Obligation ɟarəc (and its phonetic variants), +lazəm, majbur,
- ʾatxa garəc ʾodət
- ʾatxa garəc ʾodət
The patəx forms are also used in conditional statements (‘if’) and temporal statements (‘when, whenever, as soon as’) to express a situation that the speaker assumes will happen.
- ʾən-ʾazət ⁺raba pata yavvətlə tanə xmara꞊da díyyilə. ‘If you go and indulge him further (literally: give him a lot of face), he will say “Also the donkey is mine”.’
The patəx forms are also used after other verb forms when expressing actions that have not happened.
The patəx forms are also used to qualify a noun.
Use 5: Main plot of narrative
The patəx forms are also used instead of bəptáxələ forms by speakers in the Caucasus to express an event that is happening in the main plot of a narrative.
The patəxva forms are used with ʾən ‘if’ to express (1) a hypothetical situation in the past that never happened or (2) a situation in the present or future that the speaker assumes will not happen.
Without ʾən, the patəxva forms express ‘if only ...!’.
The patəxva forms are also used after other verb forms when abstractly expressing actions.
The patəxva forms are also used to qualify a noun.
The ci-patəx forms are used to express a habitual or repeated activity. The activity is usually a permanent quality.
The habit prefix ci- is often dropped, especially if the form is elaborating on or summarizing a previous ci-patəx form.
The ci-patəx forms are also used instead of the bəptáxələ forms to express an event that is happening in the present moment. This is restricted to the verbs ⁺bayyə i ‘to want’, ⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’, ʾavə ‘to be’, ⁺masə ‘to be able to’.
The habit prefix ci- is often dropped.
The ci-patəxva forms are used to express a past habitual activity. The activity was usually a permanent quality.
The habit prefix ci- is often dropped, especially if the form is elaborating on or summarizing a previous ci-patəxva form.
The ci-patəx forms are also used instead of the bəptáxəva forms to express an event that was ongoing in the past. This is restricted to the verbs ⁺bayyə i ‘to want’, ⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’, ʾavə ‘to be’, ⁺masə ‘to be able to’.
The habit prefix ci- is often dropped.
The bət-patəx forms are used to express an event that the speaker predicts will happen in the future.
The bət-patəx forms are also used to express an event that the speaker hopes will happen in the future.
In another sense, the bət-patəx forms express an event that will take place if a hypothetical situation happens or if a command is fulfilled.
The bət-patəx forms are also used to express habits that are sequential, elabotate on, or summarize a previous ci-patəx form.
The bət-patəxva forms are used to express an event that will happen in the future from the perspective of the past.
The bət-patəxva forms are also used to express (1) what would have happened if a hypothetical situation in the past had happened or (2) what hypothetically would happen if a situation in the present or future that the speaker does not believe will happen.
The bət-patəxva forms are also used to express habits that are sequential, elabotate on, or summarize a previous ci-patəxva form.
The basic past form is a stem.
- ptix– < patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- suk̭əl– < sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
- šuxləp– < šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to speak’
- txir– < taxər i (t-x-r) ‘to remember’
- škil– < šakəl i (š-k-l) ‘to take’
- ⁺šmiṱ– < ⁺šaməṱ i (⁺š-m-ṱ) ‘to break’
- xp̂ik̭– < xap̂ək̭ i (x-p̂-k̭) ‘to hug’
- nšik̭– < našək̭ i (n-š-k̭) ‘to kiss’
- šuləx– < šaləx ii (š-l-x) ‘to undress’
- zurəz– < zarəz ii (z-r-z) ‘to to prepare’
- ⁺šudər– < ⁺šadər ii (⁺š-d-r) ‘to send’
- mučəx– < mačəx ii (m-č-x) ‘to find’
- tulək̭– < talək̭ ii (t-l-k̭) ‘to lose’
- muǧǧəb– < maǧǧəb iii (m-ǧǧ-b) ‘to like’
- ⁺xulləl– < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’
- gurvəs– < garvəs iii (g-rv-s) ‘to grow up’
- gurgəš– < gargəš iii (g-rg-š) ‘to drag’
- ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱ– < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ iii (⁺k̭-ṱk̭-ṱ) ‘to chop’
The past stem is combined with the L suffix to express the subject. The stress is on the last syllable of the stem.
- ptəxlə. ‘He opened.’ < ptix– + lə
- suk̭əllux. ‘You (ms.) dressed up.’ < suk̭əl– + lux
- šuxləpli. ‘I changed.’ < šuxləp– + li
- txərrə. ‘He remembered.’ < txir– + lə
- škəlla. ‘She took.’ < škil– + la
- ⁺šməṱlun. ‘They broke.’ < ⁺šmiṱ– + lun
- xp̂ək̭lux. ‘You (ms.) hugged.’ < xp̂ik̭– + lux
- nšək̭lax. ‘You (fs.) kissed.’ < nšik̭– + lax
- šulə́xloxun. ‘You (pl.) undressed.’ < šuləx– + loxun
- zurəzli. ‘I prepared.’ < zurəz– + li
- ⁺šudərra. ‘I sent.’ < ⁺šudər– + la
- mučəxlan. ‘We found.’ < mučəx– + lan
- tulək̭lax. ‘You (fs.) lost.’ < tulək̭– + lax
- muǧǧəbli. ‘I liked.’ < muǧǧəb– + li
- ⁺xulləllan. ‘We washed.’ < ⁺xulləl– + lan
- gurvəslax. ‘You (fs.) grew up.’ < gurvəs– + lax
- gurgəšla. ‘She dragged.’ < gurgəš– + la
- ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱla. ‘She chopped.’ < ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱ– + la
The past stem can be combined with the S suffix to express an object. The S suffix is attached before the L suffix. The stress is on the first syllable of the S suffix.
- ptəxlə. ‘He opened it (ms.).’ < ptix– + ∅ + lə
- suk̭lalux. ‘You (ms.) dressed her up.’ < suk̭əl– + a + lux
- šuxləppali. ‘I changed it (fs.).’ < šuxləp– + a + li
- txiraxlə. ‘He remembered us.’ < txir– + ax + lə
- škilela. ‘She took them.’ < škil– + e + la
- ⁺šmiṱelun. ‘They broke them.’ < ⁺šmiṱ– + e + lun
- xp̂ək̭lux. ‘You (ms.) hugged him.’ < xp̂ik̭– + ∅ + lux
- nšik̭anlax. ‘You (fs.) kissed me (fs.).’ < nšik̭– + an + lax
- šulxáloxun. ‘You (pl.) undressed her.’ < šuləx– + a + loxun
- zurzali. ‘I (ms.) prepared it (fs.).’ < zurəz– + a + li
- ⁺šudərra. ‘I (fs.) sent it (ms.).’ < ⁺šudər– + ∅ + la
- mučxóxunlan. ‘We found you (pl.).’ < mučəx– + oxun + lan
- tulk̭ənlax. ‘You (fs.) lost me (ms.).’ < tulək̭– + ən + lax
- muǧǧəbbali. ‘I (fs.) liked her.’ < muǧǧəb– + a + li
- ⁺xulləllelan. ‘We washed them.’ < ⁺xulləl– + e + lan
- gurvəssaxlax. ‘You (fs.) grew us up.’ < gurvəs– + ax + lax
- gurgəššela. ‘She dragged them!’ < gurgəš– + e + la
- ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱla. ‘She chopped it (ms.).’ < ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱ– + ∅ + la
The past stem can be combined with the past suffix va. The past suffix is attached after the S suffix and before the L suffix. The stress is on the last syllable of the stem or the first syllable of the S suffix.
- ptə́xvalə ‘he had opened’ < ptix– + va + lə
- suk̭ə́lvalux ‘you (ms.) had dressed up’ < suk̭əl– + va + lux
- šuxlə́pvali ‘I had changed’ < šuxləp– + va + li
- txə́rvalə ‘he had remembered’ < txir– + va + lə
- škə́lvala ‘she had took’ < škil– + va + la
- ⁺šmə́ṱvalun ‘they had broke’ < ⁺šmiṱ– + va + lun
- xp̂ə́k̭valux ‘you (ms.) had hugged’ < xp̂ik̭– + va + lux
- nšə́k̭valax ‘you (fs.) had kissed’ < nšik̭– + va + lax
- šulə́xloxun ‘you (pl.) had undressed’ < šuləx– + va + loxun
- zurə́zvali ‘I had prepared’ < zurəz– + va + li
- ⁺šudə́rvala ‘I had sent’ < ⁺šudər– + va + la
- mučə́xvalan ‘we had found’ < mučəx– + va + lan
- tulk̭ə́nvalax ‘you (fs.) had lost me (ms.)’ < tulək̭– + ən + va + lax
- muǧǧəbbávali ‘I (fs.) had liked her’ < muǧǧəb– + a + va + li
- ⁺xulləllévalan ‘we had washed them’ < ⁺xulləl– + e + va + lan
- gurvəssáxvalax ‘you (fs.) had grew us up’ < gurvəs– + ax + va + lax
- gurgəššévala ‘she had dragged them’ < gurgəš– + e + va + la
- ⁺k̭uṱk̭ə́ṱvala ‘she had chopped it (ms.)’ < ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱ– + ∅ + va + la
- L suffixiiiiii
- CCiC–CuCəC–CuCəC–
- 3ms.–ləCCəCləCuCəCləCuCəClə
- 3fs.–laCCəClaCuCəClaCuCəCla
- 3pl.–lunCCəClunCuCəClunCuCəClun
- 2ms.–luxCCəCluxCuCəCluxCuCəClux
- 2fs.–laxCCəClaxCuCəClaxCuCəClax
- 2pl.–loxunCCəCloxunCuCəCloxunCuCəCloxun
- 1ss.–liCCəCliCuCəCliCuCəCli
- 1pl.–anCCəCanCuCəCanCuCəCan
- S suffixiiiiii
- CCiC–CuCəC–CuCəC–
- 3ms.–∅CCiC–CuCəC–CuCəC–
- 3fs.–aCCiCa–CuCCa–CuCəC₃C₃a–
- 3pl.–eCCiCe–CuCCe–CuCəC₃C₃e–
- 2ms.–ətCCiCət–CuCCət–CuCəC₃C₃ət–
- 2fs.–atCCiCat–CuCCat–CuCəC₃C₃at–
- 2pl.–itunCCiCitun–CuCCitun–CuCəC₃C₃itun–
- 1ms.–ənCCiCən–CuCCən–CuCəC₃C₃ən–
- 1fs.–anCCiCan–CuCCan–CuCəC₃C₃an–
- 1pl.–axCCiCax–CuCCax–CuCəC₃C₃ax–
becomes CCi– and CəCy– before an S suffix.
becomes Cvi– and Cəvy–, Cuy– before an S suffix.
becomes CuvəC– and CuC– before an S suffix.
becomes Ci– and Ciyy– before an S suffix.
(C-y-C), (y-C-C), (C-∅-C), (∅-C-C) the sound is dropped.
- (C-C-y) the stem is CCi– and CəCy– with the S suffix.
- i (C-v-y) the stem Cvi- and either Cəvy–, Cuy– with the S suffix
- ii (C-v-C) the stem CuvəC– and CuC– with the S suffix
- (C-y-∅) the stem Ci– and Ciyy– with the S suffix
- (C-y-C), (y-C-C), (C-∅-C), (∅-C-C) the sound is dropped.
- ʾazəl ‘to go’tanə ‘to say’ʾatə ‘to come’mayyə ‘to bring’yavəl ‘to give’⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’⁺maddə ‘to cause to be known’ʾavə ‘to be’mattə ‘to place’⁺masə ‘to be able’
- xiš–mir–, tuni–ti–muyyi–yuvvil–⁺di–⁺muddi–vi–mutti–⁺msi–, ⁺mis–
The ptəxlə forms are used to express a punctual event that happened in the recent past.
- ⁺xori tilə. ‘My friend .’
- ʾannə taza tilun. ‘They just came.’
- ʾana ʾadí-šmili. ‘I just now heard.’
- __ ‘“
The event may have been happening up to but not including the present moment. If the event was happening right up to the present moment, a near copula may be used for emphasis.
Exposition, the events may be in the far past.
Usually, the bəptáxələ forms are used to express events in the main plot of a narrative.
The ptəxlə forms are used to express events in the subplots of the narrative.
Opening events, preliminary events.
Breaking away from events of the protagonist. Social taboo
Denouement
The ptəxlə forms are used in conditional statements (‘if’) and temporal statements (‘when, whenever, as soon as’) to express an event that temporally or logically precedes the conditional event.
- har-mərri šlámalux k̭ṱullə! ‘As soon as I say “hello” kill him!’
The ptəxlə forms of some psychological verbs are idiomatically translated into present. xazzə, xadə, ⁺yaṱṱə
- xzilax mu vədlax b-riši? ‘Do you see what you did to me?’
- ⁺raba xdili k̭a-xazzənnux. ‘I am very pleased to see you.’
- dilax mu-vila? ‘Do you know what happened?’
The ptəxlə forms are also used to express an event that is about to happen in the immediate future.
- ʾana xəšli! ‘I am going!’
- tili! tili! ‘I am coming! I am coming!’
- har-mərri k̭ədli bšəlli pálṱunli! ‘As soon as I say “I am burning, I am cooking”, take me out!’
The ptəxvalə forms are used to express an event that temporally precede other events in the past from the viewpoint of the past.
- iiiiii
- ms.CCiCaCuCCaCuCəCCa
- fs.CCəCtaCuCəCtaCuCəCta
- pl.CCiCəCuCCəCuCəCCə
- ptixa ptəxta ptixə < ptixa i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- suk̭la suk̭əlta suk̭lə < sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
- šuxləppa šuxləpta šuxləppə < šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to speak’
- txira txərta txirə < taxər i (t-x-r) ‘to remember’
- škila škəlta škilə < šakəl i (š-k-l) ‘to take’
- ⁺šmiṱa ⁺šməṱta ⁺šmiṱə < ⁺šaməṱ i (⁺š-m-ṱ) ‘to break’
- xp̂ik̭a xp̂ək̭ta xp̂ik̭ə < xap̂ək̭ i (x-p̂-k̭) ‘to hug’
- nšik̭a nšək̭ta nšik̭ə < našək̭ i (n-š-k̭) ‘to kiss’
- šulxa šuləxta šulxə < šaləx ii (š-l-x) ‘to undress’
- zurza zurəzta zurzə < zarəz ii (z-r-z) ‘to to prepare’
- ⁺šudra ⁺šudərta ⁺šudrə < ⁺šadər ii (⁺š-d-r) ‘to send’
- mučxa mučəxta mučxə < mačəx ii (m-č-x) ‘to find’
- tulk̭a tulək̭ta tulk̭ə < talək̭ ii (t-l-k̭) ‘to lose’
- muǧǧəbba muǧǧəbta muǧǧəbbə < maǧǧəb iii (m-ǧǧ-b) ‘to like’
- ⁺xulləlla ⁺xulləlta ⁺xulləllə < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’
- gurvəssa gurvəsta gurvəssə < garvəs iii (g-rv-s) ‘to grow up’
- gurgəšša gurgəšta gurgəššə < gargəš iii (g-rg-š) ‘to drag’
- ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱṱa ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱta ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱṱə < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ iii (⁺k̭-ṱk̭-ṱ) ‘to chop’
The basic result form can be combined with a copula to express a subject.
- ptíxələ. ‘He has opened.’ < ptixa + ilə
- súk̭ləvət. ‘You (ms.) have dressed up.’ < suk̭la + ivət
- šuxlə́ppəvən. ‘I (ms.) have changed.’ < šuxləppa + ivən
- txírələ. ‘He has remembered.’ < txira + ilə
- škə́ltəla. ‘She has taken.’ < škəlta + ila
- ⁺šmíṱəna. ‘They have broken.’ < ⁺šmiṱa + ina
- xp̂ík̭əvət. ‘You (ms.) have hugged.’ < xp̂ik̭a + ivət
- nšə́k̭təvat. ‘You (fs.) have kissed.’ < nšək̭ta + ivat
- šúlxətun. ‘You (pl.) have undressed.’ < šulxa + itun
- zúrzəvən. ‘I (ms.) have prepared.’ < zurza + ivən
- ⁺šudə́rtəvat. ‘I (fs.) have sent.’ < ⁺šudərta + ivan
- múčxəvax. ‘We have found.’ < mučxa + ivax
- tulək̭tət. ‘You (fs.) have lost.’ < tulə́k̭təvat < tulək̭ta + ivat
- muǧǧəbtən. ‘I (fs.) have liked.’ < muǧǧə́btəvan < muǧǧubta + ivan
- ⁺xulləlləx. ‘We have washed.’ < ⁺xullə́lləvax < ⁺xulləllə + ivax
- gurvə́stətva. ‘You (fs.) had grown up.’ < gurvəsta + ītva
- dula gurgəšta! ‘She has dragged!’ < dula + gurgəšta
- lela ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱta. ‘She has not chopped.’ < lela + ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱta
The basic result form can be combined with a pronoun suffix to express an object.
- ptíxulə. ‘He has opened it (ms.).’ < ptixa + u + ilə
- súk̭lovət. ‘You (ms.) have dressed her up.’ < suk̭la + o + ivət
- šuxlə́ppovən. ‘I (ms.) have changed it (fs.).’ < šuxləppa + o + ivən
- txíran꞊ilə. ‘He has remembered us.’ < txira + an + ilə
- škəltéla. ‘She has taken them.’ < škəlta + é + ila
- ⁺šmiṱéna. ‘They have broken them.’ < ⁺šmiṱa + é + ina
- xp̂ík̭uvət. ‘You (ms.) have hugged him.’ < xp̂ik̭a + u + ivət
- nšə́k̭tivat. ‘You (fs.) have kissed me.’ < nšək̭ta + i + ivat
- šúlxotun. ‘You (pl.) have undressed her.’ < šulxa + o + itun
- zúrzovən. ‘I (ms.) have prepared it (fs.).’ < zurza + o + ivən
- ⁺šudə́rtuvat. ‘I (fs.) have sent it (ms.).’ < ⁺šudərta + u + ivan
- mučxoxun꞊ivax. ‘We have found you (pl.).’ < mučxa + oxun + ivax
- tulək̭tit. ‘You (fs.) have lost me.’ < tulə́k̭tivat < taluk̭ə + i + ivat
- muǧǧəbton. ‘I (fs.) have liked her.’ < muǧǧə́btovan < maǧǧubə + o + ivan
- ⁺xulləlléx. ‘We have washed them.’ < ⁺xulləllevax < ⁺xallulə + é + ivax
- gurvəstan꞊ītva. ‘You (fs.) had grown us up.’ < garvusə + an + ītva
- dula gurgəšté! ‘She has dragged them!’ < dula + gurgəšta + é
- lela ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱtu. ‘She has not chopped it (ms.).’ < lela + ⁺k̭uṱk̭əṱta + u
- (C-C-y) the stem CCita and CəCya.
- (C-y-∅) the stem Cita– and Ciyya– with the S suffix
- ii (C-v-C) the stem CuvəCta and CuCa with the S suffix
- (C-y-C), (y-C-C), (C-∅-C), (∅-C-C) the sound is dropped.
In (C-y-C) weak pattern I verbs, the /y/ drops.
- xipa ‘showered’ < xayəp I (x-y-p) ‘to shower’
- xəpta ‘showered’ < xayəp I (x-y-p) ‘to shower’
- xipə ‘showered’ < xayəp I (x-y-p) ‘to shower’
In (C-C-y) weak pattern I verbs, weird sound changes happen.
- dərya ‘poured’ < darə I (d-r-y) ‘to pour’
- drita ‘poured’ < darə I (d-r-y) ‘to pour’
- dəryə ‘poured’ < darə I (d-r-y) ‘to pour’
- i (C-v-y) the Cvita and either Cəvya, Cuya with the S suffix
- ʾazəl ‘to go’tanə ‘to say’ʾatə ‘to come’mayyə ‘to bring’yavəl ‘to give’⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’⁺maddə ‘to cause to be known’ʾavə ‘to be’mattə ‘to place’⁺masə ‘to be able’
- ms.xišamira, tunyatiyyamuyyayuvva⁺diyya⁺muddiyyaviyyamutta, mutva⁺məsya
- fs.xəštamərta, tunitatitamuyyitayuvvəlta⁺dita⁺mudditavitamuttita, muttəvta⁺msita
- pl.xišəmirə, tunyətiyyamuyyəyuvvə⁺diyyə⁺muddiyyəviyyəmuttə, mutvə⁺məsyə
In result forms that contain a sequence like /CCəCC/, that middle syllable often drops.
- ⁺xulla ‘washed’ < ⁺xulləlla < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’,
The ptíxələ forms are used to express a state in the present that is the result of some event implied to have happened in the past. For example, the form ptíxələ in (1) gaurantees the door is open in the present moment, which implies that the door opened in the past. Compare this to the form ptəxlə in (2), which gaurantees the event that the door opened in the recent past, which only implies but dor not gaurantee that the door is still open.
- ⁺tarra ptíxələ ‘the door is opened’
- ⁺tarra ptəxlə. ‘the door opened’
in the present moment that is the result of an event that happened in the past. These forms do not gaurantee that the event actually happened and only imply that it happened.
- ⁺tarra ptəxlə ‘the door opened’
- ⁺tarra ptíxələ ‘the door has opened’
The result forms of intransitive reflexive verbs express time-stable qualities.
The ptíxələ forms are also used instead of the ptəxlə forms to express an event that happened in the past that the speaker either did not witness directly themselves or is somehow psychologically distanced from.
The ptíxələ forms are also used to express circumstances around events in the present.
The ptíxəva forms are used to express a state in the past that was that result of an event that happened in the past.
The ptíxəva forms are used instead of the ptəxlə forms to express an event that happened in the far past.
The ptíxəva forms are also used to express preliminary background information at the beginning of the narrative.
The ptixa forms are used to express circumstances around other events.
The noun form is a noun.
- IIIIII
- fs.CCaCtaCaCaCtaCaCaCta
- pl.CCaCyatəCaCaCyatəCaCaCyatə
- ptaxta ptaxyatə ‘opening’ < patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- sak̭ulə sak̭uyatə ‘dressing up’ < sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
- šaxlapta šaxlapyatə ‘changing’ < šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to speak’
- txarta txaryatə ‘remembering’ < taxər i (t-x-r) ‘to remember’
- škalta škalyatə ‘taking’ < šakəl i (š-k-l) ‘to take’
- ⁺šmaṱta ⁺šmaṱyatə ‘breaking’ < ⁺šaməṱ i (⁺š-m-ṱ) ‘to break’
- xp̂ak̭ta xp̂ak̭yatə ‘hugging’ < xap̂ək̭ i (x-p̂-k̭) ‘to hug’
- nšak̭ta nšak̭yatə ‘kissing’ < našək̭ i (n-š-k̭) ‘to kiss’
- šalaxta šalaxyatə ‘undressing’ < šaləx ii (š-l-x) ‘to undress’
- zarazta zarazyatə ‘preparing’ < zarəz ii (z-r-z) ‘to to prepare’
- ⁺šadarta ⁺šadaryatə ‘sending’ < ⁺šadər ii (⁺š-d-r) ‘to send’
- mačaxta mačaxyatə ‘finding’ < mačəx ii (m-č-x) ‘to find’
- talak̭ta talak̭yatə ‘losing’ < talək̭ ii (t-l-k̭) ‘to lose’
- maǧǧabta maǧǧabyatə ‘liking’ < maǧǧəb iii (m-ǧǧ-b) ‘to like’
- ⁺xallalta ⁺xallalyatə ‘washing’ < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’
- garvasta garvasyatə ‘growing up’ < garvəs iii (g-rv-s) ‘to grow up’
- gargašta gargašyatə ‘dragging’ < gargəš iii (g-rg-š) ‘to drag’
- ⁺k̭aṱk̭aṱta ⁺k̭aṱk̭aṱyatə ‘chopping’ < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ iii (⁺k̭-ṱk̭-ṱ) ‘to chop’
The template for the noun form of pattern iii (C₁-C₂C₁-C₂) verbs is optionally C₁əC₂C₂a-C₁əC₂.
- ⁺k̭ərra-⁺k̭ər ‘croaking’ < ⁺k̭ark̭ər iii (⁺k̭-rk̭-r) ‘to croak’
- ⁺k̭əṱṱa-⁺k̭əṱ ‘cluck’ < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ iii (⁺k̭-ṱk̭-ṱ) ‘to cluck (hen)’
- ⁺bərra-⁺bər ‘roaring sound’ < ⁺barbər iii (⁺b-rb-r) ‘to roar’
- gəmma-gəm ‘humming’ < gamgəm iii (g-mg-m) ‘to hum’
- xəšša-xəš ‘rustling sound’ < xašxəš iii (x-šx-š) ‘to rustle (leaves)’
- k̭əžža-k̭əž ‘sizzling, rattling’ < k̭ažk̭əž iii (k̭-žk̭-ž) ‘to sizzle, to rattle (rain)’
- ⁺k̭əšša-⁺k̭əš ‘cracking sound’ < ⁺k̭ašk̭əš iii (⁺k̭-šk̭-š) ‘to make a cracking sound’
- nəcca-nəc ‘groaning’ < nacnəc iii (n-cn-c) ‘to groan (in pain)’
- gərra-gər ‘low roar’ < gargər iii (g-rg-r) ‘to make a low roar’
- ⁺šərra-⁺šər ‘plashing sound’ < ⁺šaršər iii (⁺š-rš-r) ‘to plash (water)’
- ⁺bək̭k̭a-⁺bək̭ ‘bubbling sound’ < ⁺bak̭bək̭ iii (⁺b-k̭b-k̭) ‘to bubble’
- čək̭k̭a-čək̭ ‘sound of chattering’ < čak̭čək̭ iii (č-k̭č-k̭) ‘to chatter; to rattle’
- č̭ənna-č̭ən ‘sound of buzzing’ < č̭anč̭ən iii (č̭-nč̭-n) ‘to buzz (ear)’
- c̭ərra-c̭ər ‘buzzing (of ear)’ < c̭arc̭ər iii (c̭-rc̭-r) ‘to become deaf
- ⁺mərra-⁺mər ‘whining sound’ < ⁺marmər iii (⁺m-rm-r) ‘to whine (cat)’
- p̂əṱṱa-p̂əṱ ‘whispering’ < p̂aṱp̂əṱ iii (p̂-ṱp̂-ṱ) ‘to whisper’
- ⁺təppa-⁺təp ‘stamping sound’ < ⁺taptəp iii (⁺t-pt-p) ‘to stamp’
- hərra-hər ‘loud laughing’ < harhər iii (h-rh-r) ‘to laugh loudly’
- dəcca-dəc ‘throbbing < dacdəc iii (d-cd-c) ‘to throb’
The two parts of these forms are spoken seperately and the last consonant is doubled when combined with suffixes.
- hərra hərro ‘her loud laughing’
In pattern i (C-C-y), ii (C-C-y), and iii (C-C-y) verbs the /ay/ sequence becomes /e/.
In pattern iii (C-vC-C) verb, the /av/ becomes /o/.
In pattern ii (C-∅-C) verb, the /∅/ becomes /v/ and optionally contracts to /ā/.
- ʾazəl ‘to go’tanə ‘to say’ʾatə ‘to come’mayyə ‘to bring’yavəl ‘to give’⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’⁺maddə ‘to cause to be known’ʾavə ‘to be’mattə ‘to place’⁺masə ‘to be able’
- fs.xaštatanetatetamayetayavalta⁺deta⁺maddetavetamatteta, mattavta⁺mseta
- pl.xašyatətaneyatəteyatəmayeyatəyavalyatə⁺deyatə⁺maddeyatəveyatəmatteyatə, mattavyatə⁺mseyatə
Speakers often use irregular, unpredictable variations of the noun form.
- hrəmma-hrəm ‘neighing’ < harhəm iii (h-rh-m) ‘to neigh’
- ⁺tappa-⁺tap ‘galloping’ < taptəp iii (t-pt-p) ‘to pound’
- ⁺mərč̭a-⁺mərč̭ ‘sound of sucking out (by lips)’ < ⁺marəč̭ i (⁺m-r-č̭) ‘to squeeze out’
The noun form is used to express the concept of the event expressed by the verb.
- miyya k̭a-s̆teta ‘water for drinking’
- ʾana malupon sxeta ‘I have taught her swimming.’
- ʾana bligən b-ctavta ‘I am busy with writing.’
- ʾana bəzdayən mən-zmarta. ‘I am afraid of singing.’
- ctáva k̭arbúnələ ⁺ʾal-pràk̭ta
- la zmartu ‘Without his singing, ...’
The noun form is also used to express a particular instance of the event expressed by the verb.
- mətla mən-xa-xamxamta. ‘She died from a fever.’
- xzilax ptaxtət madrasa? ‘Did you see the opening of a school?’
- hamzamtu ⁺raba ⁺spay꞊va ‘His speech was very good?’
- ʾana bəzdayən mən-zmartu. ‘I am afraid of his singing.’
The noun form is also used to express some object strongly associatio that is usually the object of the verb.
- zmərrə zmarta. ‘He sang a song.’
- štilə šteta. ‘He drank a drink.’
- ptaxa ‘opening’ < patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- sak̭ulə ‘dressing up’ < sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
- šaxlupə ‘changing’ < šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to speak’
- txara ‘remembering’ < taxər i (t-x-r) ‘to remember’
- škala ‘taking’ < šakəl i (š-k-l) ‘to take’
- ⁺šmaṱa ‘breaking’ < ⁺šaməṱ i (⁺š-m-ṱ) ‘to break’
- xp̂ak̭a ‘hugging’ < xap̂ək̭ i (x-p̂-k̭) ‘to hug’
- nšak̭a ‘kissing’ < našək̭ i (n-š-k̭) ‘to kiss’
- šaluxə ‘undressing’ < šaləx ii (š-l-x) ‘to undress’
- zaruzə ‘preparing’ < zarəz ii (z-r-z) ‘to to prepare’
- ⁺šadurə ‘sending’ < ⁺šadər ii (⁺š-d-r) ‘to send’
- mačuxə ‘finding’ < mačəx ii (m-č-x) ‘to find’
- taluk̭ə ‘losing’ < talək̭ ii (t-l-k̭) ‘to lose’
- maǧǧubə ‘liking’ < maǧǧəb iii (m-ǧǧ-b) ‘to like’
- ⁺xallulə ‘washing’ < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’
- garvusə ‘growing up’ < garvəs iii (g-rv-s) ‘to grow up’
- gargušə ‘dragging’ < gargəš iii (g-rg-š) ‘to drag’
- ⁺k̭aṱk̭uṱə ‘chopping’ < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ iii (⁺k̭-ṱk̭-ṱ) ‘to chop’
When a root (C-∅-C) is mapped onto the template CaCuCə, the sound /a∅u/ becomes /avu/ and optionally contracts to either /āv/ or /a/.
- ⁺ṱavulə, ⁺ṱāvlə, ⁺ṱalə ‘playing’ < (⁺ṱ-∅-l) + CaCuCə < ⁺ṱavəl ii (⁺ṱ-∅-l) ‘to play’
- ⁺savurə, ⁺sāvrə, ⁺sarə ‘riviling’ < (⁺s-∅-r) + CaCuCə < ⁺savər ii (⁺s-∅-r) ‘to revile’
When a root (C-vC-C) is mapped onto the template CaCuCə, the sound /av/ becomes /o/.
- k̭ok̭uyə ‘croaking (frog)’ < (k̭-vk̭-y) + CaCuCə < k̭ok̭ə iii (k̭-vk̭-y) ‘to croak (frog)’
- p̂op̂uyə ‘bleating (sheep)’ < (p̂-vp̂-y) + CaCuCə < p̂op̂ə iii (p̂-vp̂-y) ‘to bleat (sheep)’
- č̭oč̭uyə ‘chirping (young birds)’ < (č̭-vč̭-y) + CaCuCə < č̭oč̭ə iii (č̭-vč̭-y) ‘to chirp (young birds)’
When a root (C-C-y) is mapped onto the template CaCuCə, the sound /uyə/ becomes /uvvə/ for speakers in the north and in the Caucasus.
- k̭ok̭uvvə ‘croaking (frog)’ < (k̭-vk̭-y) + CaCuCə < k̭ok̭ə iii (k̭-vk̭-y) ‘to croak (frog)’
- tanuvvə ‘telling’ < (t-n-y) + CaCuCə < tanə ii (t-n-y) ‘to tell’
- manšuvvə ‘forgetting’ < (⁺m-nš-y) + CaCuCə < ⁺mač̭mə iii (⁺m-nš-y) ‘to forget’
- ʾazəl ‘to go’tanə ‘to say’ʾatə ‘to come’mayyə ‘to bring’yavəl ‘to give’⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’⁺maddə ‘to cause to be known’ʾavə ‘to be’mattə ‘to place’⁺masə ‘to be able’
- Infinitivexašatanuyətayamayayava⁺daya⁺madduyəvayamattuyə⁺msaya, ⁺masa, ⁺myasa
There are two additional verbs that have an irregular infinitive form.
- gaxəc i (g-x-c) ‘to laugh’baxə i (b-x-y) ‘to cry’
- gəxca, gxacabəxya, bxaya
Speakers often use irregular, unpredictable variations of the infinitive form.
- bajú-baju xəšlə. ‘He went along crawling.’ < bajbəj iii (b-jb-j) ‘to crawl’
- ləngú-ləngo xəšlə. ‘He went along limping.’ < langən iii (l-ng-n) ‘to limp’
- p̂əč̭p̂á-p̂əč̭p̂a xəšlə. ‘He went along whispering.’ < p̂ač̭p̂əč̭ iii (p̂-č̭p̂-č̭) ‘to whisper’
A final /aya/ sound optionally becomes /a/.
In pattern ii (C-∅-C) movies /avu/ sound optionally becomes /ā/.
When the infinitive is repeated, the final syllable of the first form is stressed and /ə/ becomes /i/.
In pattern ii and iii verbs, the final /ə/ optionally becomes /a/.
In pattern ii (C-C-y) and iii (C-C-y) verbs, the sequence /uyə/ optionally becomes /uvvə/.
- tanuvvə ‘telling’ < ii (t-n-y)
- manšuvvə ‘forgetting’ < iii (⁺m-č̭m-y)
- maxnuvvə ‘missing’ < iii (⁺m-xn-y)
The infinitive form is used as an adverb when repeated twice.
- ʾana bərrəxšən rk̭ada rk̭ada švara švara ‘I am going dancing and leaping.’
- vərrun p̂ač̭p̂uč̭í p̂ač̭p̂uč̭ə ʾax-axta. ‘They entered whispering like this.’
- vərrə gu-ʾotaǧ ⁺xalá ⁺xala ‘He entered the room eating.’
- k̭a-mú mtayá mtaya bərrəxšət? ‘Why are you walking so slowly?’ (literally: dying dying)
- dugla duglala ⁺dayá ⁺daya. ‘She conciously told the lie.’ (literally: knowing knowing)
The progressive is sometimes used here instead.
The infinitive form is also used as an adverb with the word la.
This can be combined with words like ⁺hala, the pronoun suffix, or other nouns.
The infinitive form is also used in certain emphatic expressions. This is restricted to pattern i verbs and the verbal noun form is used here for pattern ii and pattern iii verbs.
The infinitive form is also used with the verb ʾavə to qualify a noun.
This can also be used with the verbs ⁺bayyə ‘to want’, ⁺šarə ‘to to begin’, ʾatə ‘to come’. When used with ʾatə, a prefix l- is put before the infinitive form.
The basic active form is a noun.
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- ms.CaCCanaCaCCanaCaCəC₃C₃ana
- fs.CaCCantaCaCCantaCaCəC₃C₃anta
- pl.CaCCanəCaCCanəCaCəC₃C₃anə
- ms. patxana fs. patxanta pl. patxanə ‘opener’ < patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- ms. sak̭lana fs. sak̭lanta pl. sak̭lanə ‘dresser upper’ < sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
- ms. šaxləppana fs. šaxləppanta pl. šaxləppanə ‘changer’ < šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to speak’
- ms. taxrana fs. taxranta pl. taxranə ‘rememberer’ < taxər i (t-x-r) ‘to remember’
- ms. šaklana fs. šaklanta pl. šaklanə ‘taker’ < šakəl i (š-k-l) ‘to take’
- ms. ⁺šamṱana fs. ⁺šamṱanta pl. ⁺šamṱanə ‘breaker’ < ⁺šaməṱ i (⁺š-m-ṱ) ‘to break’
- ms. xap̂k̭ana fs. xap̂k̭anta pl. xap̂k̭anə ‘hugger’ < xap̂ək̭ i (x-p̂-k̭) ‘to hug’
- ms. našk̭ana fs. našk̭anta pl. našk̭anə ‘kisser’ < našək̭ i (n-š-k̭) ‘to kiss’
- ms. šalxana fs. šalxanta pl. šalxanə ‘undresser’ < šaləx ii (š-l-x) ‘to undress’
- ms. zarzana fs. zarzanta pl. zarzanə ‘preparer’ < zarəz ii (z-r-z) ‘to to prepare’
- ms. ⁺šadrana fs. ⁺šadranta pl. ⁺šadranə ‘sender’ < ⁺šadər ii (⁺š-d-r) ‘to send’
- ms. mačxana fs. mačxanta pl. mačxanə ‘finder’ < mačəx ii (m-č-x) ‘to find’
- ms. talk̭ana fs. talk̭anta pl. talk̭anə ‘loser’ < talək̭ ii (t-l-k̭) ‘to lose’
- ms. maǧǧəbbana fs. maǧǧəbbanta pl. maǧǧəbbanə ‘liker’ < maǧǧəb iii (m-ǧǧ-b) ‘to like’
- ms. ⁺xalləllana fs. ⁺xalləllanta pl. ⁺xalləllanə ‘washer’ < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’
- ms. garvəssana fs. garvəssanta pl. garvəssanə ‘grower upper’ < garvəs iii (g-rv-s) ‘to grow up’
- ms. gargəššana fs. gargəššanta pl. gargəššanə ‘dragger’ < gargəš iii (g-rg-š) ‘to drag’
- ms. ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱṱana fs. ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱṱanta pl. ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱṱanə ‘chopper’ < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ iii (⁺k̭-ṱk̭-ṱ) ‘to chop’
When a root (C-y-C) maps onto the template CaCCana, or (C-yC-C) onto CaCəC₃C₃ana, the sound /–ay–/ becomes /–e–/.
When a root (C-v-C) maps onto the template CaCCana, or (C-vC-C) onto CaCəC₃C₃ana, the sound /–av–/ becomes /–o–/.
When a root (C-C-y) maps onto the template CaCəC₃C₃ana, the sound /–əyy–/ sequence becomes /–iyy–/.
- ʾazəl ‘to go’tanə ‘to say’ʾatə ‘to come’mayyə ‘to bring’yavəl ‘to give’⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’⁺maddə ‘to cause to be known’ʾavə ‘to be’mattə ‘to place’⁺masə ‘to be able’
- ms.raxšana, ʾazanatanyanaʾatyanamayyanayavana⁺yaṱṱana⁺maddiyyanamattana, matvana⁺masyana
- fs.raxšanta, ʾazantatanyantaʾatyantamayyantayavanta⁺yaṱṱanta⁺maddiyyantamattanta, matvanta⁺masyanta
- pl.raxšanə, ʾazanətanyanəʾatyanəmayyanəyavanə⁺yaṱṱanə⁺maddiyyanəmattanə, matvanə⁺masyanə
There are six additional verbs that are irregular here.
- zamər i (z-m-r) ‘to sing’rak̭əd i (r-k̭-d) ‘to dance’catəv i (c-t-v) ‘to write’paləx i (p-l-x) ‘to work’racəv i (r-c-v) ‘to ride’ganəv i (g-n-v) ‘to steal’
- ms.zamararak̭adacatavapalaxaricavaginava
- fs.zamartarak̭adtacatavtapalaxtaricavtaginota
- pl.zamarərak̭adəcatavəpalaxəricavəginavə
The active form is used to express the agent that performs the action expressed by the verb.
The active form is often combined with other nouns with the suffix ‘of’ –ət.
The active form can be combined with other nouns without the suffix -ət.
The active form is also used as an adjective.
- bərrəxšən mačxan goran xa-⁺gora gorana. ‘I am going to find and marry a marrying man.’
- ⁺raba hamzəmmana nášələ. ‘He is a very talkative man.’
The active form is also used to express an event that the speaker knows will happen but does not know when it will happen. This is restricted to the verbs ʾatə ‘to come’, ʾazəl ‘to go’, ⁺dayər i ‘to return’, payəš i ‘to stay’, parək̭ i ‘to finish’.
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- s.CCuCCaCəCCaCəC
- pl.CCuCunCaCCunCáCəC₃C₃un
- ptux! ptuxun! ‘Open!’ < patəx i (p-t-x) ‘to open’
- sak̭əl! sak̭lun! ‘Dress up!’ < sak̭əl ii (s-k̭-l) ‘to dress up’
- šaxləp! šaxlpun! ‘Change!’ < šaxləp iii (š-xl-p) ‘to speak’
- txur! txurun! ‘Remember!’ < taxər i (t-x-r) ‘to remember’
- škul! škulun! ‘Take!’ < šakəl i (š-k-l) ‘to take’
- ⁺šmuṱ! ⁺šmuṱun! ‘Break!’ < ⁺šaməṱ i (⁺š-m-ṱ) ‘to break’
- xp̂uk̭! xp̂uk̭un! ‘Hug!’ < xap̂ək̭ i (x-p̂-k̭) ‘to hug’
- nšuk̭! nšuk̭un! ‘Kiss!’ < našək̭ i (n-š-k̭) ‘to kiss’
- šaləx! šalxun! ‘Undress!’ < šaləx ii (š-l-x) ‘to undress’
- zarəz! zarzun! ‘Prepare!’ < zarəz ii (z-r-z) ‘to to prepare’
- ⁺šadər! ⁺šadrun! ‘Send!’ < ⁺šadər ii (⁺š-d-r) ‘to send’
- mačəx! mačxun! ‘Find!’ < mačəx ii (m-č-x) ‘to find’
- talək̭! talk̭un! ‘Lose!’ < talək̭ ii (t-l-k̭) ‘to lose’
- maǧǧəb! máǧǧəbbun! ‘liker’ < maǧǧəb iii (m-ǧǧ-b) ‘to like’
- ⁺xalləl! ⁺xálləllun! ‘Wash!’ < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’
- garvəs! gárvəssun! ‘Grow up!’ < garvəs iii (g-rv-s) ‘to grow up’
- gargəš! gárgəššun! ‘Drag!’ < gargəš iii (g-rg-š) ‘to drag’
- ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ! ⁺k̭áṱk̭əṱṱun! ‘Chop!’ < ⁺k̭aṱk̭əṱ iii (⁺k̭-ṱk̭-ṱ) ‘to chop’
The basic command forms can be combined with the L suffix to express an object. The stress remains on the first syllable.
- ʾat ptuxla! ‘You (s.), open it (fs.)!’
- ʾat tánili! ‘You (s.), tell me!’
- ʾaxnoxun máčxunlun! ‘You (pl.), find them!’
In pattern i (C-C-y) weak verbs, the sound /–uy–/ becomes /–i–/ and the sound /–m–/ is inserted before the pl. ending –un.
- s. msi! pl. msimun! ‘Wash!’ < masə i (m-s-y) ‘to wash (clothes)’
In pattern ii (C-C-y) weak verbs and pattern iii (C-C-y) weak verbs, the sound /–əy–/ becomes /–i–/ and the sound /–m–/ is inserted before the pl. ending –un.
- s. ⁺sali! pl. ⁺sálimun! ‘Pray!’ < ⁺sali ii (⁺s-l-y) ‘to pray’
- s. mazdi! pl. mázdimun! ‘Frigthen!’ < mazdə iii (m-zd-y) ‘to frighten’
In pattern i (C-y-C) weak verbs, the sound /y/ is dropped.
- s. xup! pl. xupun! ‘Wash!’ < _xayəp_ i (_x-y-p_) ‘to wash (self)’ >
In pattern i (C-v-C) weak verbs, the /v/ is optionally dropped.
- s. švuk̭!, šuk̭! pl. švuk̭un!, šuk̭un! ‘Leave!’ < š-v-k̭ i (š-v-k̭) ‘to leave’
In pattern ii (C-∅-C) weak verbs, the command forms are the following.
- s. ⁺ṱāl! pl. ⁺ṱalun ‘Play!’ < ⁺ṱavəl i (⁺ṱ-∅-l) ‘to play’
In pattern iii (C-v-y) weak verbs, the sound /–av–/ becomes /–o–/.
- s. modi! pl. módimun! ‘Confess!’ < m-vd-y iii (m-vd-y) ‘to confess’
- ʾazəl ‘to go’tanə ‘to say’ʾatə ‘to come’mayyə ‘to bring’yavəl ‘to give’⁺yaṱṱə ‘to know’⁺maddə ‘to cause to be known’ʾavə ‘to be’mattə ‘to place’⁺masə ‘to be able’
- s.xuš, si, setani, taytamehal⁺di⁺maddivimatti-
- pl.xušun, simun, semuntánimun, taymuntemunmemunhallun⁺dimun⁺máddimunvimunmáttimun-
There is one other verb that is irregular here.
- k̭ayəm i (k̭-y-m) ‘to rise’
- s.k̭u
- pl.k̭umun
In command forms that contain a sequence like /lləll/, becomes ll.
- ⁺xallun! ‘Wash them!’ < ⁺xálləllun < ⁺xalləl iii (⁺x-ll-l) ‘to wash’
- ⁺šarra! ‘Prove it!’ < ⁺šárrərra < ⁺šarrər iii (⁺š-rr-r) ‘to prove’
- cúlloxun hájjunnə! ‘All of you, encourage him!’ < hájjəjjunnə < hajjəj iii (h-jj-j) ‘to encourage’
The verb gaššək̭ has the irregular contracted forms gaš, ga.
When attaching an L suffix to the s. command form of the verb k̭ayəm i ‘to rise’, the sound /y/ is optionally inserted.
- kulux!, kuylux! ‘Get up!’
The command forms are used to command that an action be begun to be performed immediately or in the immediate future. The action can be multiple events over a period of time.
- ⁺həššər vi! ‘Be careful!’
- ⁺lablun ⁺k̭ṱúlunlə. jaldə! ‘Take and kill him. Quickly!’
- ʾarp̂í yumanə ⁺xul, šti, xup. ‘For forty days eat, drink, wash.’
The command can be strengthened with di, d-.
- di ta ⁺babá! ‘Come, bah!’
- di hamzəm ⁺babá! ‘Speak, bah!’
- d-šuk̭li ⁺babá! ‘Leave me, bah!’
- d-⁺sli ⁺babá! ‘Come down, bah!’
- d-xuš mən-pati ⁺babá! ‘Go from my face (= get outta my face), bah!’
The command can be made a polite, whether insincere or not, invitation with xa or xa-dana.
- xa ⁺xul xač̭č̭a! ‘Go on, eat a little bit!’
- xa zmur! ‘Go on, sing!’
- xa gaššək̭! ‘Have a look!’
- xa ⁺ṱmilə! ‘Have a taste of it!’
- xa ta-laxxa! ‘Come here!’
- xa-ɟáššək̭ mù k̭avvúmə ɟu-+ʾátrət dìyyan! ‘Just take a look what is happening in
our land!’ (A 1:39)
The command can be negated with la.
- xina bassa la-vud! ‘Enough, do not do (that)!’
- pummux lá-ptuxla! ‘Do not open your mouth!’
- lá-hamzəm ʾax-ʾatxa! ‘Do not speak like that!’
- ʾida lá-mxi! ‘Do not touch!’
- lá-⁺k̭ṱulli. ‘Do not kill me.’
- xa la hamzəm ‘Please do not speak.’
On commands that are invitations to do something for the persons own benifit, usually related to movement, the L suffix does not express anything.
- ʾat silux beta! ‘You go home.’
- talax Nənvə! ‘Come to Nineveh!’
- šk̭ullax xá-dana ʾərba! ‘Take a sheep!’
The verb ʾavə ‘to be’ can be combined with the progressive forms and result forms.
The verb payəš can be combined with the result forms to express passive voice.