Verbs.
I. Conjugation.
The Fuyuge verb is conjugated by modifications of the terminal syllables, or by a particle added to the subject.
II. The Particle, Ga.
The particle ga (often g’ before a vowel) is generally used with the past tense, and is rarely absent in the positive form of the verb. But it may be used also with the present and future. With the present it seems to indicate reference to a preceding action in the sense of “being on the point of,” “ready to.” With the future it has almost the sense of “go.”
Ex. Ake ga nembe na, the men have eaten the bird; amu g’anga the women are gone; naga bulitsi gatsi, I am going to go away to the garden; naga sue, I am going away.
Note (1). Ga always immediately follows the subject, except with the past of the verb ange(ge), to go, which always has g’anga.
(2). When the subject is not a pronoun, the pronoun of the 3rd pers. sing. is often expressed.
(3). Ga never appears to be used in a negative expression.
Ex. Naga ipitsial’ uruv’ ema, I have killed with the gun a toucan; mel ul’ etsi g’anga, the child to his village has gone; Okom’ ug’ nemb’ ema, Okome has killed a bird; ake kupa me na, the men have not eaten the potatoes.
III. Person and Number.
These are not expressed by the verb in Fuyuge.
IV. Tense and Mode.
1. There are three principal tenses, present, past and future. The present is found in the indicative and imperative modes, the past in the indicative only, and the future in the indicative and subjunctive. Besides these, there is a method of expressing the infinitive, a passive participle, and two forms of verbal adjectives.
2. Paradigm of tenses and modes.
| ememe, pierce | umbubi, wash | isiei, follow | |
| Indicative present | ememe | umbubi | isiei |
| Indicative past (1) | ema(me) | umbubi(ne) | isia |
| Indicative past (2) | emo(ne) | ||
| Indicative future | ematsi(me) | umbubitsi(me) | isiatsi |
| Imperative (1) | ema | umbubi | isia |
| Imperative (2) | emau | umbubu | |
| Subjunctive (1) | emo(le) | umbubi(ne) | isio(me) |
| Subjunctive (2) | emo(me) | ||
| Infinitive | ema(me) | umbubi(me) | isie(me) |
| Past participle | emam(ane) | umbubim(ane) | |
| Verbal adjective (1) | emabul(ane) | umbubibul(ane) | |
| Verbal adjective (2) | ememond(ana) |
If the Imperative be regarded as the stem, there appear to be three Conjugations, but Dr. Strong gives four based on past tense, thus: i. Verbs with monosyllabic roots, 2. Verbs with roots in a, 3. Verbs with roots in i, 4. Verbs with roots in e.
His examples are:—
| 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | |
| nen, eat | itede, cut | ongai, break | bole, leave | |
| Present | nene | itede | ongai | bolo |
| Past | na | ita | ongai | bole |
| Future | natsi | itatsi | ongaitsi | bolatsi |
| Imperative | nu | ito | ongai | bo(le) |
| Subjunctive | no | ito | ongai | bolo |
| Infinitive | namubabe | itamubabe | ongaimubabe | bolamane |
| Past participle | namane | itaname | ongaimane | bolamane |
| Adjectival | nab’ula(ne) | itedondona | ongaibula(ne) | bolabula(ne) |
3. Notes on the foregoing paradigms.
a. Indicative present.
Most verbs double the last syllable of the stem, which in the first conjugation always ends in e. There are, however, some exceptions, especially among verbs in i, and those which have a verbal suffix. The syllable -te when doubled is always -tede.
Ex. Nag alili, I see; nani e gadi, I build (tie up) the house; nani okid’ atede, I light the fire.
b. Indicative past.
The difference between the two forms, both of which are preceded by the particle ga, is not yet clearly made out. The ending e seems to refer to the time when the action finished, whilst -a has a more general signification.
Ex. Naga ne, I have eaten, naga kupa na, I ate the potatoes. There is another form which replaces the final syllable of the present tense by -ua. Verbs in -i add -ua to the final syllable. But it is uncertain whether this expresses the near past, or includes an idea of movement.
Ex. na bul’ elelua, I have just worked in the garden; nu a gadi ua, you have just tied up the fence.
c. Indicative future.
If the syllables preceding the suffix -tsi also contain -tsi-ti. In monosyllabic verbs especially, a second form of the future is often found, which retains the doubling of the present tense.
Ex. etsiati, will come; nenetsi, will eat; yeyetsi, will take. For ga with the future, see below.
d. Imperative.
The first form of the imperative has less force than the second. In the first conjugation the second form always terminates in -au, even when the first form is irregular. The last syllable of the imperative is often lost, especially when the ending is -li.
Ex. aitodede, runs, imperat. aitode and aitodau; itulili, ward off, imperat. itu; bole, leaves, imperat. bole, bo, and bolau; ameme, puts, imperat. a and ama.
The imperative is only used for the second person. In the first and third (sometimes even in the second) it is replaced by the subjunctive.
Ex. di ango, let us go; to n’alo, speak, that I may know; go di go, go that we may go.
e. Subjunctive.
The two forms of the subjunctive are distinguished only in composition, and have not yet been clearly understood. The last syllable besides is rarely heard except in questions, and refers then to the interrogative form. The subjunctive without a conjunction is used in simple phrases consisting only of subject and object.
Ex. kuku gadi, di no, roll the tobacco (make cigarette), that we may smoke (eat).
f. Infinitive.
The forms given as infinitive are uncertain. They may be verbal nouns. They are used in phrases such as: nam’ u babe, father of eating, for ’a great eater’: tsimilim’ u babe, father of licking, cf. andaval’ u babe, father of crying, one who causes crying.
g. Past Participle.
This does not easily lose the final syllable when it ends a sentence. In other cases, when it is followed by the word it qualifies it loses -ane, if the qualified word begins with a vowel, and -ne in other cases.
Ex. iy’ ongaimane, the cut tree, indiv’ ongaima ya, or ongaim’ indi’ ya, take the broken knife, g’usangaman’ ul’ ande, the thing of death.
The past participle of some verbs has not yet been ascertained.
h. Verbal Adjectives.
The exact difference between the two forms is not accurately ascertained. The first seems to indicate an instrument, and is equivalent to the phrase “used for,” the second appears to indicate habitual rather than momentary use. When qualifying persons -onde is used for -ondana.
Ex. indi kupa fifitabula, knife for scraping potatoes; ai safatsilibula, a yam which has rotted; kulule iy’ adedondona, a hammer for striking wood; nuni oyatonde, you are only joking; nani falawa me nonde, I don’t eat bread.
In composition -ande, or at least -nde, is lost when the word qualified follows.
Ex. ai filibulanda, a yam for planting, filibula’ ai ne i, give me the yam for planting; ambe nenondana, the eatable banana, nenond’ ambe ya, take the eatable banana.
V. Negation.
The negative of the verb is formed by the particle me or mi preceding. In the imperative it also precedes, but when emphasis is laid upon the negation mi follows. The difference between me and mi is not clear, but me appears to be used only before verbs beginning with a consonant, and mi with other verbs.
A negative participle or infinitive does not appear. For the verbal adjective the suffix -ua(ne) is used.
Ex. Na mi alele, I do not understand; nani matsine mi engatsi, I will not put on the (shell) bracelet; mi unde, do not fear; kolose mi, do not play; me ya, do not take; nenond’ an’ ua, what is not eaten.
VI. Interrogative.
The interrogative is only employed with reference to the verb itself, not to the complements. It changes with the conjugation and varies for present, past and future tense.
| Present. | Past 1. | Past 2. | Future 1. | Future 2. |
| ememoma? | emama? | emena? | emolà? | emómà? |
| umbubima? | umbibia? | umbubina? | umbubila? | umbubima? |
The present in the first conjugation keeps the reduplication of the stem, and changes the final e to -oma. The second conjugation simply adds -ma. The interrogative in the past simply changes the e of the positive indicative to a in both forms. The future is formed in the same way from the subjunctive with a stress upon the final a in the first conjugation.
Ex. Nuga malele yera? have you taken the book? uga nemb’ emama? has he killed the bird? nu aiti golà? would you start to-morrow? kupa g’ilama? are the potatoes cooked?
Note (1). The future interrogative replies to the question, “Can I...”? or “Should I...”?
(2). The interrogative of the near past (cf.p. 318, 3, b) is formed by substituting -una for -ua.
Ex. nug’ em’ aliluna? Have you just come to see the village?
(3). The form of the second future as umbibia is rarely heard, except with the verb alili, see, from which comes ’Aria? see?
(4). The negative interrogative is formed like the simple negative by me or mi preceding the verb.
The questions “What should I do?” “What should I say,” How should I begin it?” are translated by the expression do(le)... maiti, from do(le)? where?
Ex. dotamaiti? how should I say? dol’ imaiti? what should I do? do yela maiti? how shall I call?
VII. Substantive Verb.
1. In the present tense there is no substantive verb. The predicate and subject are combined as in the examples already given (cf. p. 312, 2). But when the present indicates a state in opposition to one preceding it, ga is used before the adjective, or if in opposition to a future state, the verb ando follows.
Ex. Kuku ga ko, the tobacco is bad; balava ga ua, the bread is finished; indi ga kouatu, the knife is on the box; ambe g’ifa, the banana is good; ambe gos’ ando, the banana is (still) green (not ripe).
The past is more difficult to express. It always requires an adverb of time.
Ex. Mele maleke ifa, audati ga ko, the child formerly was good, now he is bad.
3. For other tenses the verb is translated only by the auxiliaries -elele and -angege, for which cf. p. 322, 7.
VIII. Auxiliary Verbs.
1. The particle ga may be used to make any expression whatever attributive.
Ex. Yu g’ua, the water is finished (i.e., is not); malele ga kouatsi, the book is in the box.
In such examples there is almost the sense of a past action, as if it were “The water (has become) nothing,” “the book has been put (is already in) the box.”
2. The verbs ete, tede, to say, or to do, and elele, to become, are often used to form a noun stem into a verb. Ete and tede give the sense of sounding, elele gives the sense of using whatever the noun expresses.
Ex.
fioli, flute, fioliete, to play the flute.
yuve, water, yuv’ elele, to bathe.
ule, thunder, ulonete, to thunder.
ivule, dye, ivul’ elele, to paint one’s self.
andavale, crying, andav’ ete, to weep.
bule, earth, bul’ elele, to cultivate.
3. The Tenses, etc., of these verbs are found as follows:
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Pres. indic. | ete or tede. | elele. | Imperative. | ta. | elau, ele, e. |
| Past indic. | te(ne). | elame. | Subjunctive. | to(me), to(le). | elo(me), elo(le). |
| Past indic. | ta(me). | elene. | Infinitive. | ta(me). | ela(me). |
| Future indic. | tatsi(me). | elatsi(me). | Verbal adj. | tond(ana). | ? |
4. The negative is formed regularly by mi.
Ex. nani yu mi elatsi, I shall not bathe; degu mi e, don’t get dirty.
5. The interrogative is regular.
Pres. or past, tena? or tama? elena? or elama? Fut. toma? and tola? eloma? and elola?
6. The auxiliaries ete, tede, elele, should be distinguished from the regular verb, tede or ta, to make. The latter is a distinct verb used when the result of the action is to produce a new thing.
Ex. Sambari tatsi, will make a wall; ombo tatsi, will make a sieve.
7. The verbs elele and angege, both meaning “to become,” may be regarded as auxiliary verbs when they are used with adjectives, often taking the place of a substantive verb. In this use elele is never, and angege very rarely used in the past tense, the particle ga taking their place.
Both are regular except in the imperative, which has respectively ela and elau, ange and angau.
Ex. Ifan’ eloma? will he become handsome? ifa mi elatsi? he will not be handsome? indi g’ ifa, the knife is good; yuv’ uan angatsi, the water will cease (become nothing); mel g’ us’ anga, or me g’ use, the child is dead.
IX. Verbal Suffixes.
1. The suffix -i, added to a noun stem, forms generally a neuter verb.
Ex. abe, work, abi, to work; iso(ne), smoke, isoni, to give forth smoke; kese, a clean vegetable, kesi, to clean vegetables.
2. The suffix -tede, added to a noun stem, forms usually an active verb.
Ex. foye, ashes, foitede, to cook in ashes; gurube, neck, gurutede, to hang at the neck.
3. The suffix of manner defining the verb, is formed by adding the adjective with the final syllable changed to -i.
Note (1). The suffix of manner is always added to the infinitive form of the preceding verb.
(2). In the negative these compound verbs are considered a single word.
Ex. te, say, ifane, good, tam’ ifani, to say well. i, do, koye, bad, i’koi, to do badly. ilele, cook, akane, small, ilam’akani, to half-cook.
4. The suffix -matede appears to have a causative signification.
Ex. ga koda (perhaps the past of kodede,) pierced, komatede, to pierce (of a man); ga siuda, extinguished, siumatede, to extinguish.
Note. This suffix appears in some examples as a separate verb in the same sense.
Ex. yuv’ olola mata, warm up the water; indi koi matatsi, the knife will become bad.
The negative is not known.
5. The suffixes -meme and -ngo are added to neuter verbs. The first has an active meaning, the second is passive.
Ex. yu, to be upright, yuma, to put upright, yungo, to be upright. yari(?), yarima, to hang, yaringo, to be hanging.
Note (1). Meme is regularly conjugated; -ngo is imperfectly known.
(2). Negative forms are me yumatsi, will not place upright, mi yaringo, not hanging.
6. The auxiliary verbs, except ga, may perhaps be included among the suffixes (see p. 322, VIII.).
X. Verbal Prefixes.
The prefix ya- renders a neuter verb active or causative.
Ex. yaigege, to go down, yeyaigege, to carry down. faikadede, to come back, yefaika(dede), to give back. yu, to stand up, yeyu, to set up.
XI. Irregular Verbs.
1. Many verbs are irregular in the imperative.
Ex.
| angege, imperat. | ange, go. |
| atede, imperat. | ade, kindle, burn. |
| ende, imperat. | ende, undo. |
| etsie, imperat. | etsie, come up (ladder). |
| faikadede, imperat. | faika(dede), go back. |
| idede, imperat. | de, gather, pluck. |
| isie, imperat. | isia, follow; |
| itede, imperat. | ide, sting, bite. |
| itulili, imperat. | itu(li), split. |
| ivori, imperat. | ivo(ri), wipe. |
| kosisi, imperat. | kose, turn. |
| telele, imperat. | te(le), come. |
| yelele, imperat. | ye(le), call. |
2. Other irregular verbs are the following. Only those forms known are entered.
Aitodede, to run: imperat. attode, infin. aitode(me).
ando and ande, to be there: fut. andetsi, imperat. ande, subj. ando, and ande.
bole, to leave: past, bo(le), imperat. bo(le).
ete, to tell: past, ete and elete, imperat. eta and ta.
faduatsiete, to ache (head): fut. faduatatsi.
iei, to throw: fut. iatsi, imperat. ia.
indi, to give;, imperat. i(nde), subj. i(ndi).
ingale, to carry (on shoulder): past, ingala and inge, imperat. inga, subj. ingo.
itede and ito, to lay down: past, ito and ita, near past, itova, imperat. ito.
songe, to go: pres. and past, se, near past, sova, imperat. so(nge), subj. so, interrog. sona?
sue, to walk, go: pres. sue, fut. susuetsi.
utsisi, to draw: fut. utsist, imperat. ude.
Note (1). The verbs ando and ito are not yet accurately understood.
(2). The verb ete has a double conjugation, the initial e being retained or omitted at will. The past elete is used in reporting the words of another person.
(3). The verb faduatsiete is a type of several verbs which end in ete, preceded by the syllable tsi. All these appear to lose tsi in the future, although some have both forms.
Ex. kiovatsiete, to cry (of black parrot): fut. kiovatatsi and kiovatsitatsi.
puatsiete, to make a cracking noise: fut. puatatsi and puatsiatsi.
(4). The verb sue in the meaning “go away” always has ga.
Ex. nu ga sua? na ga sua, are you going away? I am going away.
The verb angege, to go, in the past tense has the particle ga prefixed to the verb instead of suffixed to the pronoun.
Ex. na nul etsi ganga, I went to your village.
XII. Notes on Some Verbs.
1. Tede and i.
There is a difference in the meaning of the verbs tede, (ete) and i, both used for “do” or “make.” The first is used when the object by which one obtains the action is indicated, the second is used when the action only is expressed, and might then be translated by the phrase “to go to work, to set about.”
Ex. olon’ete, to snore, make a sound with the olo(ne hole, i.e., the nostrils, ung’ul ’olo. na (melauk’) i koitsi, I shall do the thing wrong.
2. Gege, angege, engege, songe.
All of these have the general meaning of “go.” Their differences are not yet clearly understood. Engege appears to mean “go up.” Songe is specially employed when the following phrase indicates a final proposition, or an answer to the questions “Where do you come from?” or “Where are you going?”
Ex. nuni o’ gega, thou hast passed down there; di engo, let us go up; na song’ em’ aritsi, I am going to see the village; nu do sona? where have you been? (or, where do you come from?); na bulitsi sova, I have been in the garden (or, I have come from the garden).
3. Idede.
This verb has a general meaning besides the special one “to gather.”
Ex. fang’ idede, to set a trap; di yu molots’ idoma? should we make a water-pipe?
4. Ameme.
This verb has the general meaning of passing, or making anything pass, through an opening. The object which has the opening does not take suffixes.
Ex. kupa ulin’ ama, put the potatoes in the pot; na ul’ olol’ amene, I passed it through the hole; iso nu emana? andavete, does the smoke irritate you? you are weeping.