Lesson 3
Subject-Predicate
Goal: In this lesson you will learn how to form sentences with subject + predicate pattern. Consider the following vocabulary:
|
Word |
Gloss |
|
hu& |
‘I’ |
|
Ame |
‘We’ (Exclusive) |
|
Aap8e |
‘We’ (Inclusive) |
|
tu& |
‘You’ (Singular) |
|
tme |
‘You’ (Plural and Honorific) |
|
te |
‘He’ , ‘She’ |
|
te8I |
‘She’ (Used only when the male and female difference is crucial.) |
|
teAo |
‘They’ |
|
i=xk |
‘a male teacher’ |
|
i=ixka |
‘a female teacher’ |
|
W&cu& |
‘tall’ |
|
Aa |
‘this’ |
|
pelu& |
‘that’ |
2. Making subject + predicate sentences in present tense.
Read the following sentences:
1.
hu& 2okro 2u&.
‘I am a boy.’
2. Ame 2okra 2IAe.
‘We are boys’
3. Aap8e 2okra 2IAe.
‘We are boys.’
4. tu& 2okro 2e.
‘You are a boy.’
5. tme 2okra 2o.
‘You are boys.’
6. te 2okro 2e.
‘He is a boy.’
7. teAo 2okra 2e.
‘They are boys.’
8. hu& 2okrI
2u&.
‘I am a girl.’
9. Ame 2okrIAo 2IAe.
‘We are girls’
10. Aap8e 2okrIAo 2IAe.
‘We are girls.’
12. tu& 2okrI 2e.
‘You are a girl.’
13. tme 2okrIAo 2o.
‘You are girls.’
14. te 2okrI 2e.
‘She is a girl.’
15. teAo 2okrIAo 2e.
‘They are girls.’
16. Aa 2okro W&co
2e.
‘This boy is tall.’
17. Aa 2okra W&ca
2e.
‘These boys are tall.’
18. Aa 2okrI W&cI
2e.
‘This girl is tall.’
19. Aa 2okrIAo W&cI
2e.
‘These girls are tall.’
20. Aa 2okru&
W&cu& 2e.
‘This child is tall.’
21. Aa 2okra&
W&ca& 2e.
‘These children are tall.’
22. pelo 2okro W&co
2e.
‘That boy is tall.’
23. pela 2okra W&ca
2e.
‘Those boys are tall.’
24. pelI 2okrI W&cI
2e.
‘That girl is tall.’
25. pelI 2okrIAo
W&cI 2e.
‘Those girls are tall.’
26. pelu&
2okru& W&cu& 2e.
‘That child is tall.’
27. pela&
2okra& W&ca& 2e.
‘Those children are tall.’
3. Notes:
A. The linking verb 2\- agrees with the subject in number and person. Following table summarizes various forms of the 2\-.
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
1st person |
2u& |
2IAe |
|
2nd person |
2e |
2o |
|
3rd person |
2e |
2e |
B.
The adjective W&cu&
(W&c\- + -w& neuter gender marker) agrees with the subject in gender and number.
C.
Demonstrative pronoun pelu&
(pel\- + -w& neuter gender marker) agrees with the noun in gender and number.
4. Making subject + predicate sentences in past tense.
Read the following sentences:
1. hu& i=xk hto.
‘I was a teacher.’ (male speaker)
2. Ame i=xk hta.
‘We were teachers.’ (male speakers)
3. tu& i=xk hto.
‘You were a teacher.’ (male
listener)
4. tme i=xk hta.
‘You were teachers.’ (male
listeners)
5. te i=xk hto.
‘He was a teacher.’
6. teAo i=xk hta.
‘They were teachers.’ (persons
referred to are all male)
7. hu& i=ixka htI.
‘I was a teacher’ (female speaker)
8. Ame i=ixka
hta&.
‘We were teachers.’ (female
speakers)
9. tu& i=ixka htI.
‘You were a teacher.’ (listener is
a female)
10. tme i=ixka
hta&.
‘You were teachers.’ (listeners are
females)
11. te i=ixka htI.
‘She was a teacher.’
12. teAo i=ixka
hta&.
‘They were teachers.’ (persons
referred to are all females)
13. mIna sarI i=ixka
htI.
‘Mina was a good teacher.’
14. mIna Ane nIma sarI
i=ixkaAo htI.
‘Mina and Nima were good teachers.’
15. Aa 2okro saro hto.
‘This boy was good.’
16. Aa 2okraAo sara
hta.
‘These boys were good.’
17. Aa 2okrI sarI htI.
‘This girl was good.’
18. Aa 2okrIAo sarI
htI.
‘These girls were good.’
19. pelo 2okro saro
hto.
‘That biy was good.’
20. pela 2okra sara
hta.
‘Those boys were good.’
21. pelI 2okrI sarI
htI.
‘That girl was good.’
22. pelI 2okrIAo sarI
htI.
‘Those girls were good.’
3. Notes:
A. The linking verb ht\- agrees with the subject in gender and number. Following table summarizes various forms of the ht\-.
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
Masculine |
hto |
hta |
|
Feminine |
htI |
hta& |
|
Neuter |
htu& |
4. Making subject + predicate sentences in future tense
Read the following sentences:
1. hu& i=xk ho;=.
‘I would be a male teacher.’
2. Ame i=xko
ho;=u&.
‘We would be male teachers.’
3. tu& i=xk ho;=.
‘You would be a male teacher.’
4. tme i=xko h=o.
‘You would be male teachers.’
5. te i=xk h=e.
‘He would be a teacher.’
6. teAo i=xko h=e.
‘They would be male teachers.’
7. hu& i=ixka
ho;=.
‘I would be a female teacher.’
8. Ame i=ixkaAo
ho;=u&.
‘We would be female teachers.’
9. tu& i=ixka
ho;=.
‘You would be a female teacher.’
10. tme i=ixkaAo h=o.
‘You would be female teachers.’
11. te i=ixka h=e.
‘She would be a teacher.’
12. teAo i=ixkaAo h=e.
‘They would be female teachers.’
3. Notes: The linking verb ho\- agrees with the subject in person only. Following table summarizes various forms of the ho-.
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
1st person |
ho;= / h;= |
ho;=u& / h;=u& |
|
2nd person |
h=e |
h=o |
|
3rd person |
h=e |
h=o |
Word
|
Gloss |
Nouns |
|
|
i=xk |
‘a male teacher’ |
|
i=ixka |
‘a female teacher’ |
|
baXk |
‘a male child’ |
|
bailka |
‘a female child’ |
|
ivd\ya9IR |
‘a male student’ |
|
ivd\ya9IRnI |
‘a female student’ |
|
sonI |
‘a male goldsmith’ |
|
sonar8 |
‘goldsmith’s wife’ |
|
su9ar |
‘a male carpenter’ |
|
su9ar8 |
‘a carpenter’s wife’ |
|
kutro |
‘a male dog’ |
|
kUtrI |
‘a female dog’ |
|
glU6Iyu& |
‘a puppy’ |
|
ibla6o |
‘a male cat’ |
|
ibla6I |
‘a female cat’ |
Adjectives |
|
|
ja6u& |
‘fat’ |
|
patXu& |
‘slim’ |
|
saru& |
‘good’ |
|
mo4u& |
‘big’ |
|
ho&i=yar |
‘clever’ |