Exercise XXV.
Why is your mother troubled?—She troubles at receiving no news from her son who is in Spain—She must be not troubled about him, for whenever he gets into a bad scrape, he knows how to get out of it again—Last year, when we were to hunt together, night grow upon us (guicagabhian camé) very far from our house—Where did you pass the night?—At first I was very afflicted, but your brother not so: on the contrary, he tranquillized me, so that I lost my restlessness—We found at last a shepherd's hut where we spent the night—There I had opportunity to observe the cleverness of your brother—A few canes of a truss of straw served him to make a comfortable bed—He used a bottle as a candlestick, and with two or three birds he prepared the most comfortable supper—Where we awoke in the morning we were as rested and healthy as if we had slept on the most comfortable bed in the world.
Twenty Sixth Lesson
Defective Verbs.
The defective verbs of this dialect are employed but in coexistent past, putting the person in genitive case. They are eight in number, as follows:
1.o Apat, governs the subordinate verb in the subjunctive mood, as:
| You had better not come. | Apat nga ualá icao muanhi. |
2.o Buuti, signifies, from what I can see, in my opinion, and must be placed at the end of the sentence, Thus:
| In my opinion, that is what he said. | Mao man cana, buuti ang gui-ingon nia. |
3.o Matod or polong, is made use of, when citing the saying or sentence of any one, as:
| Says St. Austin. | Matod or polong ni San Agustin. |
| According to what I say or said. | Matod co, polong co. |
| According to what the holy Bible says. | Matod sa santos nga Sulát. |
4.o Abi. This verb is employed in the coexistent past, placing the personal pronoun in genitive case, as:
| Did you think I was not here? | ¿Abi mo ba nga ualá acó dinhi? |
| He thought I had told it. | Abi nia acoy nagaingon. |
5.o Bacut co, Baut co. It is employed with the first person of the absolute preterit of indicative mood, thus:
| I thought he would come home. | Baut co nga muanhi sia sa balay. |
6.o Ambut.
| I do not know where is the Father. | Ambut hain ba ang Pare. |
7.o Conó. This verb must be always placed at the end of the sentence, and answers to the English dictions “It is said” “They or people say”.
| People say Mr. John has died. | Namatay conó si señor Juan. |
| It is said that she is very handsome. | Ma-anindut conó sia. |
8.o Bantug.