VERBS.

The verbs appear to be more or less irregular in their paradigms. I had not sufficient opportunity to examine their structure on an extended scale, so as to reduce them to some form of classification, and the natives from whom I gathered my information regarding the language had no knowledge whatever of the rules guiding their speech. The different tenses offered in the following forms of conjugations have been derived from the replies to questions requiring answers in the present, past, and future respectively, through the medium of the Persian language, and I trust they may be found generally correct.

The infinitive ends in ing, and is often used as a verbal noun. Example—jang kaning sharaf, quarrelling is not good (or proper)—rást páning shar e, speaking the truth is good (or right). The infinitive sign is generally added to the root, which is the same as the imperative, as hin, go; hining, to go—haraf, ask; harafing, to ask. But there are many exceptions to this, as bar, come; baning, to come—kar, do; kaning, to do, &c.

Some verbs form the past tenses on a different root to that from which the present tenses are formed, as will be seen by the list of verbs given at the end of this paper. The rules might be easily worked out with a little leisure for their study.

Transitives are formed from intransitives by interposing f between the root and infinitive sign, as khuling, to fear; khulfing, to frighten—harsing, to change; harsfing, to alter—túling, to sit; túlfing, to seat, &c.

Causals are formed from these transitives by changing the f to íf or ef, as khulfing, to frighten; khulífing, to cause to frighten—túlfing, to seat; túlífing, to cause to seat, &c.

The paradigms of the substantive verb, and two intransitive and two transitive verbs, are here given as models for all other verbs. Irregularities are only to be ascertained by a practical acquaintance with the language, but they do not seem to be numerous.

The substantive verb maning, “to be or become,” is thus conjugated:—

Imperative Mood.
Singular. Plural.
ní mares be thou. num mabo be you.
o mare let him be. ofk marer let them be.
Indicative Mood.
Present.
Singular. Plural.
í ut I am. nan un we are.
ní us thou art. num ure you are.
o are-e he, she, it is. ofk arer-or they are.
Aorist.
Singular. Plural.
í asitut I may be. nan asitun we may be.
ní asitus thou mayest be. num asiture you may be.
o asite he, etc. may be. ofk asitor they may be.
Imperfect.
Singular. Plural.
í asut I was. nan asun we were.
ní asus thou wast. num asure you were.
o asak he, etc. was. ofk asor they were.
Continuative Imperfect.
Singular. Plural.
í masut I was being. nan masun we were being.
ní masus thou wast being. num masure you were being.
o masak he, etc. was being. ofk masor they were being.
Perfect.
Singular. Plural.
í masasut I have been. nan masasun we have been.
ní masasus thou hast been. num masasure you have been.
o masas he, etc. has been. ofk masasor they have been.
Past.
Singular. Plural.
í masunut I had been. nan masunun we had been.
ní masunus thou hast been. num masunure you had been.
o masune he, etc. has been. ofk masunor they had been.
Future Present.
Singular. Plural.
í marew I will be. nan maren we will be.
ní mares thou wilt be. num marere you will be.
o marek he, etc. will be. ofk marer they will be.
Future Past.
Singular. Plural.
í marot I will have been. nan maron we will have been.
ní maros thou wilt have been. num morore you will have been.
o maroe he, etc. will have been. ofk maror they will have been.

The intransitive verbs “to come” and “to go” are thus conjugated:—

Imperative Mood.
Singular. Plural.
ní bank-bar come thou. num babo come you.
o bare let him come. ofk barer let them come.
Indicative Mood.
Present.
Singular. Plural.
í bareva I am coming. nan barena we are coming.
ní baresa thou art coming. num barere you are coming.
o bare he, etc. is coming. ofk barera they are coming.
Aorist.
Singular. Plural.
í barew I may come. nan baren we may come.
ní bares thou mayest come. num barere you may come.
o barek he, etc. may come. ofk barer they may come.
Imperfect.
Singular. Plural.
í basut I came. nan basun we came.
ní basus thou camest. num basure you came.
o basak he, etc. came. ofk basor they came.
Perfect.
Singular. Plural.
í basasut I have come. nan basasun we have come.
ní basasus thou hast come. num basasure you have come.
o basas he, etc. has come. ofk basasor they have come.
Past.
Singular. Plural.
í basunut I had come. nan basunun we had come.
ní basunus thou hadst come. num basunure you had come.
o basune he, etc. had come. ofk basunor they had come.
Future Present.
Singular. Plural.
í barew I will come. nan baren we will come.
ní bares thou wilt come. num barere you will come.
o barek he, etc. will come. ofk barer they will come.
Future Past.
Singular. Plural.
í barot I will have come. nan baron we will have come.
ní baros thou wilt have come. num barore you will have come.
o baroe he, etc. will have come. ofk baror they will have come.

The verb “to go”:—

Imperative Mood.
Singular. Plural.
ní hinak-hin go thou. num hinbo go you.
o káe let him, etc. go. ofk kára let them go.
Indicative Mood.
Present.
Singular. Plural.
í káwa I am going. nan kána we are going.
ní kása thou art going. num káre you are going.
o káe he, etc. is going. ofk kára they are going.
Aorist.
Singular. Plural.
í káw I may go. nan kán we may go.
ní kás thou mayest go. num káre you may go.
o káek he, etc. may go. ofk kár they may go.
Imperfect.
Singular. Plural.
í hinát I went. nan hinán we went.
ní hinás thou wentest. num hináre you went.
o hinák he, etc. went. ofk hinár they went.
Perfect.
Singular. Plural.
í hinásut I have gone. nan hinásun we have gone.
ní hinásus thou hast gone. num hinásure you have gone.
o hinásas he, etc. had gone. ofk hinásor they have gone.
Past.
Singular. Plural.
í hinánut I had gone. nan hinánun we had gone.
ní hinánus thou hadst gone. num hinánure you had gone.
o hináne he, etc. had gone. ofk hinánor they had gone.
Future Present.
Singular. Plural.
í káw I will go. nan kán we will go.
ní kás thou wilt go. num káre you will go.
o káek he, etc. will go. ofk kár they will go.
Future Past.
Singular. Plural.
í kot I will have gone. nan kon we will have gone.
ní kos thou wilt have gone. num kore you will have gone.
o koe he, etc. wilt have gone. ofk kor they will have gone.

The above may be taken as examples of all intransitive verbs. But the different roots for the present and past tenses can only be acquired by practice.

The transitive verbs “to do” and “to beat” are thus conjugated.

The verb “to do or make.”

Imperative Mood.
Singular. Plural.
ní karak-kar do thou. num kabo do you.
o ke let him, etc. do. ofk kera let them do.
Indicative Mood.
Present.
Singular. Plural.
í keva I am doing. nan kena we are doing.
ní kesa thou art doing. num kere you are doing.
o ke he, etc. is doing. ofk kera they are doing.
Aorist.
Singular. Plural.
í kev I may do. nan ken we may do.
ní kes thou mayest do. num kere you may do.
o kek he, etc. may do. ofk ker they may do.
Imperfect.
Singular. Plural.
í karet I did. nan karen we did.
ní kares thou didst. num karere you did.
o karek he, etc. did. ofk karer they did.
Perfect.
Singular. Plural.
í karesut I have done. nan karesun we have done.
ní karesus thou hast done. num karesure you have done.
o karesas he, etc. has done. ofk karesor they have done.
Past.
Singular. Plural.
í karenut I had done. nan karenun we had done.
ní karenus thou hadst done. num karenure you had done.
o karene he, etc. had done. ofk karenor they had done.
Future Present.
Singular. Plural.
í kev I will do. nan ken we will do.
ní kes thou wilt do. num kere you will do.
o kek he, etc. will do. ofk ker they will do.
Future Past.
Singular. Plural.
í karot I will have done. nan karon we will have done.
ní karos thou wilt have done. num karore you will have done.
o karoe he, etc. will have done. ofk karor they will have done.

The verb “to beat or strike.”

Imperative Mood.
Singular. Plural.
ní khalt beat thou. num khalbo beat you.
o khale let him beat. ofk khalera let them beat.
Indicative Mood.
Present.
Singular. Plural.
í khaleva I am beating. nan khalena we are beating.
ní khalesa thou art beating. num khalere you are beating.
o khale he, etc. is beating. ofk khalera they are beating.
Aorist.
Singular. Plural.
í khalev I may beat. nan khalen we may beat.
ní khales thou mayest beat. num khalere you may beat.
o khalek he, etc. may beat. ofk khaler they may beat.
Imperfect.
Singular. Plural.
í khalet I beat. nan khalken we beat.
ní khalkes thou beatest. num khalkere you beat.
o khalk he, etc. beat. ofk khalker they beat.
Perfect.
Singular. Plural.
í khalesut I have beaten. nan khalesun we have beaten.
ní khalesus thou hast beaten. num khalesure you have beaten.
o khalesas he, etc. has beaten. ofk khalesor they have beaten.
Past.
Singular. Plural.
í khalenut I had beaten. nan khalenun we had beaten.
ní khalenus thou hadst beaten. num khalenure you had beaten.
o khalene he, etc. had beaten. ofk khalenor they had beaten.
Future Present.
Singular. Plural.
í khalev I will beat. nan khalen we will beat.
ní khales thou wilt beat. num khalere you will beat.
o khalek he, etc. will beat. ofk khaler they will beat.
Future Past.
Singular. Plural.
í khalot I will have beaten. nan khalon we will have beaten.
ní khalos thou wilt have beaten. num khalore you will have beaten.
o kaloe he, etc. will have beaten. ofk khalor they will have beaten.

The passive voice of transitive verbs is formed by conjugating the past participle with the substantive verb maning, “to be.” Thus:—

Imperative Mood.
Singular. Plural.
ní khalk mares be thou beaten. num khalk mabo be thou beaten.
o khalk mare be he, etc. beaten. ofk khalk marer be they beaten.
Indicative Mood.
Present.
Singular. Plural.
í khalkut I am beaten. nan khalkun we are beaten.
ní khalkus thou art beaten. num khalkure you are beaten.
o khalk are-e he, etc. is beaten. ofk khalkarer they are beaten.
Imperfect.
Singular. Plural.
í khalk asut I was beaten. nan khalk asun we were beaten.
ní khalk asus thou wast beaten. num khalk asure you were beaten.
o khalk asak he, etc. was beaten. ofk khalk asor they were beaten.
Perfect.
Singular. Plural.
í khalk masasut I have been beaten. nan khalk masasun we have been beaten.
ní khalk masasus thou hast been beaten. num khalk masasure you have been beaten.
o khalk masas he, etc. has been beaten. ofk khalk masasor they have been beaten.
Past.
Singular. Plural.
í khalk masunut I had been beaten. nan khalk masunun we had been beaten.
ní khalk masunus thou hadst been beaten. num khalk masunure you had been beaten.
o khalk masune he, etc. had been beaten. ofk khalk masunor they had been beaten.
Future Present.
Singular. Plural.
í khalk marew I will be beaten. nan khalk maren we will be beaten.
ní khalk mares thou wilt be beaten. num khalk marere you will be beaten.
o khalk marek he, etc. will be beaten. ofk khalk marer they will be beaten.

The other tenses can be supplied from the paradigm of the substantive verb. Negation is expressed by interposing f or af between the first two syllables of the verb, as bafarew, I will not come—kafarek, he did not do it—í khor afut, I am not blind—dá kárem o hech gáhas kafarot, he will never have done this deed—ní tifes, thou wilt not give? Prohibition is expressed by na or ma, don’t, placed before the imperative, as na kar, do not—ma khalt, do not beat. But the f is also used in an imperative sense, as nájor mafarew, may you not be ill—pa, speak; paf, don’t speak—ka, do; kafa or kapa, don’t.

With nouns negation is expressed by afak added to the word, as jor-afak, not well, sick—nyám-afak, not justice, unjust—zor afak, not strong, weak.