Sunday, June 19, 2011

BASIC GRAMMAR : UM, part 3

PRESENT AND PRESENT PROGRESSIVE TENSE

As we have seen, kånta simply means the verb "sing" or the noun "song."

It can be used as an imperative, an order, a command to one or two people, "Kånta!"

Putting the infix UM inside the word gives it motion, but in the past tense.

Kumånta yo'.  I sang.

To give it motion in the present, we have to DUPLICATE a syllable, usually the first syllable.

KåntaKå-kånta.  Duplicating tells us that the action is happening NOW.

Try this now with : BAILA, HÅNAO, CHOCHO.  (Dance, go, eat)

Ba-baila.  Hå-hånao. Cho-chocho.

Notice that in baila, we drop the "i" when we duplicate the first syllable.  Two vowels in a row are called a diphthong.  In duplication, one usually drops the second vowel.

For example, saosao (to wipe) becomes så-sao-sao.

Now try this on your own with : TOHGE, PESKA. (Stand, fish)

Just as we dopped the "n" in kånta to make it kåkånta, guess what you needed to do with the "h" in tohge when you duplicated?

Now that you know how to duplicate, let's add the UM infix.

Kumåkånta.  Bumabaila.  Humåhånao.   Someone is singing/dancing/going NOW.

Kumåkånta yo'.  I sing.  I am singing.
Humåhånao gue'.  She goes.  She is going.
Humåhånao hao.  You go.  You are going.

Two people ONLY :

Tumotohge hamyo.  You (two) stand/are standing.
Bumabaila siha.  They (two) dance/are dancing.

Three or more people : another lesson!

Practice now with : GIMEN (to drink) and CHÅLEK (to laugh)

No comments:

Post a Comment