Verbs are divided into many classes, such as singular, plural, frequentative, applicative, and compulsive. Plural-verbs—murha, to run, one person; vopobo, to run, many. Frequentatives are formed with the verb himu, to go; for example, vaita, to call; vaitahimu, to call frequently. Applicatives are made by changing the terminal vowel of the verb into i, and adding the terminal da—tubanu, to lower; tubanida, to lower something. Compulsive verbs are formed with the affix tuda—hukiaridatuda, to compel to count. A large number of adverbs are used, of which I give only a few specimens:
| Where | ua, ubai | Near here | iavu |
| Here | ia | High | tai |
| Here (moving) | ay | Yesterday | taco |
| Near | mia | How, as | xa, astu, xaco |
| Nearer | miacu | No | pima |
| PREPOSITIONS. | |||
| Before | vaita | Since | oiti |
| For | iquiti, vusio | With | bumata, buma |
| Upon | damana | Of | amidurhu |
| In | aba | ||
| CONJUNCTIONS. | |||
| And | upu, cosi | Or | aspumusi, aspi |
| But | posa | Then | bunoga |
| Because | coiva | Although | apcada |
Substantives are generally placed after the adjectives. To signify possession the name of the possessor is simply prefixed—Pedro onnigga, wife of Pedro. Prepositions are affixed.[VII'-4] Of the different dialects there are four specimens, of which one differs to such an extent as to be hardly recognizable. Neither the names of these dialects nor the places where they were spoken are given with any of them by the authorities. The first which I give is by the missionary Father Pfefferkorn, and differs most from any of the others.
Diosch ( God ) ini ( my ) mam, ( dear, ) ami si ( I very ) schoic ( sorry am ) tat, wus ( towards ) in' ( my ) ipudakit. ( heart of ) Ant' ( I ) apotuta ( have done ) si ( very ) sia ( much ) pitana, ( ugly, ) apt' ( thou ) um ( me ) soreto ( punish wilt ) taikisa ( fire in ) pia ( no ) humac ( single ) tasch ( time ) pia ( not ) etonni ( burning ) tat. ( is. )
The next, a Lord's Prayer, is from a Doctrina Christiana:
T'oga ti dama ca tum' ami da cama s'cuga m'aguna mu tuguiga, tubui divianna simu tuodidaga. Cosasi m'huga cugai kiti ti dama catum' ami gusuda huco bupo gusudana ia duburh' aba. Siari vugadi ti coadaga vutu ica tas' aba cati maca. Vpu gat' oanida pima s'cugati tuidiga cos' as' ati pima tuguitoa t'obaga to buy pima s'cuga tuidiga. Pima t' huhuguida tudana vpu pima s'cuga tuidiga, co' pi ti duguvonidani pima scuga ami durhu. Doda hapu muduna Jhs.
The next is a Lord's Prayer from Hervás:
T'oca titauacatum ami dacama; scuc amu aca mu tukica; ta hui dibiana ma tuotidaca; cosassi mu cussuma amocacugai titamacatum apa hapa cussudana inatuburch apa mui siarim t'hukiacugai buto ca tu maca. Pim' upu ca tukitoa pima scuca ta tuica cosas ati pima tukitoa t'oopa amidurch pima scuca tuitic; pim' upu ca ta dakitoa co diablo ta hiatokidara; cupto ta itucuubundana pim scuc amidurch.
The fourth, also a Lord's Prayer, is from the collection of the Mexican Geographical Society: