Regular verbs consist of the root + an ending:
To conjugate the verb, the existing ending must be replaced with a new ending in accordance with subject and tense. There are three different conjugation patterns for regular verbs, based on the ending of the verb. These patterns are:
hvènn
lìpén
vinsitèn
àlinò
In all tenses, verbs are conjugated for person (first, second, third, indefinite), gender (neutral, masculine, feminine), familiar vs. formal, and animate vs. inanimate.
- lìp|én = to cry
- an|òn = to burn
- duma|nìn = to belong to
To conjugate the verb, the existing ending must be replaced with a new ending in accordance with subject and tense. There are three different conjugation patterns for regular verbs, based on the ending of the verb. These patterns are:
- 1st conjugation: Verbs with an ending consisting of a vowel/diphthong + consonant(s)
hvènn
lìpén
- 2nd conjugation: Verbs with an ending consisting of a consonant + vowel/diphthong + consonant(s)
vinsitèn
- 3rd conjugation: Verbs ending with a vowel/diphthong
àlinò
In all tenses, verbs are conjugated for person (first, second, third, indefinite), gender (neutral, masculine, feminine), familiar vs. formal, and animate vs. inanimate.
- Person: First person corresponds to "I"/"we", second person to "you", and third person to "he"/"she"/"it"/"they". Indefinite corresponds to "one" or the indefinite "you", as in "To get to the park, one/you must follow the path". It is also used for the indefinite "it", as in "It is raining."
- Gender: The masculine conjugation is used when the subject is male; the feminine conjugation when the subject is female; and the neutral conjugation when the subject's gender is unknown, unspecified, or neither male nor female.
- When the subject is plural, the neutral conjugation is used unless referring to a group of individuals who are all male or all female.
- Respectful: The respectful conjugation is used to refer to an individual one holds in high respect. It is similar to the idea of a formal you, but it does not inherently carry the connotation of formality nor indicate the level of familiarity between the speaker and the person being spoken to or about.
- The respectful conjugation is generally restricted to the 2nd and 3rd person, but it may also be used in the 1st person with a similar implication of egotistical self-importance as referring to oneself in the 3rd person.
- Inanimate: The inanimate conjugation is used when referring to inanimate objects in the 3rd person.
- Plants are considered animate, while bacteria and other microorganisms are generally considered inanimate.
- When referring to inanimate objects in the 1st or 2nd person, the neutral conjugation is used.
- One may choose to use the animate 3rd person when referring to inanimate objects that resemble living creatures (ex. dolls, toy animals, statues) or that one means to personify.
1st Conjugation
Endings are given in the order of neutral, masculine, feminine, respectful.
*Conjugation endings replace the tense ending. Endings without an asterisk are added to the tense ending.
Endings are given in the order of neutral, masculine, feminine, respectful.
*Conjugation endings replace the tense ending. Endings without an asterisk are added to the tense ending.
Present Tense*
**When the verb stem ends with V, -un becomes -ùn.
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1st person: -an, -un**, -án, -én
2nd person: -iya, -iyu, -iyá, -iyé 3nd person: -isha, -ishu, -ishá, -ishé Inanimate: -ił Indefinite: -at´ |
Fołnan. = I turn.
Fołniya. = You turn. Fołnisha. = He/she/it turns. Fołnił. = It turns. Fołnat. = One turns. |
Far-past tense
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1st person: -sa, -su, -sá, -sé
2nd person: -ya, -yu, -yá, -yé 3nd person: -sha, -shu, -shá, -shé Inanimate: -oł* Indefinite: -ot´* |
Fołnoitsa. = I turned long ago.
Fołnoitya. = You turned long ago. Fołnoitsha. = He/she/it turned long ago. Fołnoł. = It turned long ago. Fołnot. = One turned long ago. |
Near-past Tense
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1st person: -sa, -su, -sá, -sé
2nd person: -ya, -yu, -yá, -yé 3nd person: -sha, -shu, -shá, -shé Inanimate: -ł Indefinite: -t´ |
Fołnaisa. = I turned recently.
Fołnaiya. = You turned recently. Fołnaisha. = He/she/it turned recently. Fołnaił. = It turned recently. Fołnait´. = One turned recently. |
Hodiernal-past Tense
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1st person: -sa, -su, -sá, -sé
2nd person: -ya, -yu, -yá, -yé 3nd person: -sha, -shu, -shá, -shé Inanimate: -èł* Indefinite: -èt´* |
Fołnètsa. = I turned today.
Fołnètya. = You turned today. Fołnètsha. = He/she/it turned today. Fołnèł. = It turned today. Fołnèt. = One turned today. |
'Not Yet' / 'So Far' Tense
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1st person: -sa, -su, -sá, -sé
2nd person: -ya, -yu, -yá, -yé 3nd person: -sha, -shu, -shá, -shé Inanimate: -ił Indefinite: -la |
Fołnałsa. = I have so far turned.
Fołnałya. = You have so far turned. Fołnałsha. = He/she/it has so far turned. Fołnalił. = It has so far turned. Fołnałla. = One has so far turned. |
Hodiernal-future Tense
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1st person: -sa, -su, -sá, -sé
2nd person: -ya, -yu, -yá, -yé 3nd person: -sha, -shu, -shá, -shé Inanimate: -òdił* Indefinite: -òdat´* |
Fołnòdésa. = I will turn today.
Fołnòdéya. = You will turn today. Fołnòdésha. = He/she/it will turn today. Fołnòdił. = It will turn today. Fołnòdat. = One will turn today. |
Near-future Tense
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1st person: -sa, -su, -sá, -sé
2nd person: -ya, -yu, -yá, -yé 3nd person: -sha, -shu, -shá, -shé Inanimate: -ił Indefinite: -at´ |
Fołnaimsa. = I will turn soon.
Fołnaimya. = You will turn soon. Fołnaimsha. = He/she/it will turn soon. Fołnaimił. = It will turn soon. Fołnaimat. = One will turn soon. |
Far-future Tense
|
1st person: -sa, -su, -sá, -sé
2nd person: -ya, -yu, -yá, -yé 3nd person: -sha, -shu, -shá, -shé Inanimate: -ił Indefinite: -oit´* |
Fołnoinsa. = I will turn.
Fołnoinya. = You will turn. Fołnoinsha. = He/she/it will turn. Fołnoinił. = It will turn. Fołnoit. = One will turn. |
2nd Conjugation
With verbs that follow the 2nd conjugation, both the ending and the preceding vowel are replaced in the present tense conjugation and the construction of the past tense and future tense forms. The conjugated endings then follow the same pattern as 1st conjugation.
3rd Conjugation
In the 3rd conjugation, the final vowel is replaced by the conjugated ending, and in most cases, the preceding vowel is shortened.