The phonology and morphology of Filomeno Mata Totonac

4.7.3 Tense. “Tense markers situate an event or state in time with respect to some point of
reference, usually the moment of speech.” (Mithun 1994:152). FM Totonac has two such tense
markers, future na- and past #-; verbs without either tense marker are understood by speakers to
be in the present tense.
4.7.3.1 Future tense. As depicted in Table 4.5, the future tense marker na- is found only on
verbs in realis mood and imperfective aspect. In main clauses and most subordinate clauses, its
presence indicates that the action of the verb occurs after the utterance time as in example 48, or
after the time of the action of another verb in the sentence, as in example 49.
48) naktlawayáa
/na-k-tlawa-yaa/
FUT-1SUB-make-IMPF
‘we’re going to make it’
49) kiwáni na’án
/kin-wan-nii-li& na-‘an/
1OBJ-tell-DAT FUT-go
‘he told me he will/would go’
Note that in example 49, the action of going must take place after the time of the telling event,
but the time of utterance is irrelevant. This example is equally felicitous whether followed by ‘ .
. and he has gone.’ or ‘ . . . and he still plans to’.
As noted in §4.7.1.1.1, the negative and future na- may not be combined to form a negative
future proposition in main clauses, but in subordinate clauses they may be:
50) máski "aanapína ksikúlan
/maski #aa=na-pin-aa-[cg] k-sikulan/
although-NEG-FUT-go2-IMPF-2SUB.sg LOC-church
‘although you won’t go to church’
The future tense is also often required in the complement to certain verbs where most Indo-
European languages would use an infinitive. This infinitival usage is found following verbs and
invariant particles such as kwesa ‘have to’, lakaskin ‘need’, #lakaskinka ‘it is necessary’,
lak$a’an ‘it is one’s turn to’, and maaqa#mat ‘convince’. (As described in §4.7.1.1.4, verbs in
irrealis mood can sometimes substitute for future tense forms in these contexts.)
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