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Most Tamil finite
verbs are marked for `agreement' in person, number and gender (PNG) with
their subjects. (`Finite' verbs are verbs which can stand alone in a sentence
without needing another verb, auxiliary verb, or whatever, to make the
sentence complete and grammatical.) This means that a suffix, called a PNG marker, is added to the verb; it follows the tense marker and is the same
for all tenses, except for the neuter present and future, which does not
have the same form as the neuter PNG marker in the past, for example.
Furthermore, some verbs have unpredictable neuter PNG forms in the past,
as well. Non-neuter PNG markers, however, are regular.
The following are complete paradigms, in all persons, of the verbs ÂÔ
vaa `come', Ø½Ô poo `go', ½Ôç paaru `see', Éç
iru `be located', ¶Ô¤½Õà saappidu `eat', ÂÔõÞ
vaangu `buy, fetch, get, take', Âÿ»Õà vandidu `come for sure',
½Ü pa8i `study'. Note a number of anomalies: the neuter future is
based on the infinitive, rather than using the future marker; the neuter
plural is not distinguished, so neuter singular functions for both; the
feminine polite form is the same as the plural non-polite. The first person
plural pronoun is distinguished for `exclusive' and `inclusive': inclusive
includes the addressee, exclusive excludes the addressee.
Vasu Renganathan
Sat Nov 2 21:16:08 EST 1996