a. 歇 h’ih, a moment; this particle gives a past sense to the phrases in which it occurs, and is perhaps most accurately designated an aorist.
- 看歇戲否 k’ön‘ h’ih h’í‘ ’vá, have you seen the play?
- 去歇兩囘 k’í‘ h’ih ’liáng wé‘, I have gone twice.
b. 者 ’tsé, 哩 ’lí; these particles express that the action is completed, or determined on. m. 了 ’liaú. Their English grammatical equivalent is usually the passive participle joined with the auxiliary verb to be.
- 買好拉者 ’má ’hau ’lá ’tsé, they are bought.
- 賣脱者 má‘ t’eh ’tsé, it is sold.
- 我去者 ’ngú k’í‘ ’tsé, I am going.
c. 過 kú‘, past; this particle has the sense of the preterite tense.
- 到過兩囘 tau‘ kú‘ ’liáng wé‘, I have gone twice.
- 花種過多少 hwó tsóng‘ kú‘ tú ’sau, how many flowers have you planted?
- 路跑過幾化里 lú‘ pau‘ kú‘ ’ki hó‘ ’li, how many miles of road have we walked?
Obs. 有 ’yeu and 可 ’k’ó, employed in some dialects as signs of the past, are never so used in this.
d. 歇者 h’ih ’tsé or h’ih ’lá ’tsé, express perfect time.
- 認得過歇者 niung‘ tuh kú‘ h’ih ’tsé, have known him.
- 忒伊話歇者 t’eh í wó‘ h’ih ’tsé, have told him.
- 鐘敲歇拉者 tsóng k’au h’ih ’lá ’tsé, bell has rung.
- 托撥歇者 t’ok peh h’ih ’tsé, have entrusted to him.
e. 過歇 kú‘ h’ih, form a perfect farther in the past than the above.