Magin_Edward-thesis

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Table 7.
Verb suffixes
Non-past
Past
person & number Post consonant Post vowel Post consonant Post vowel
1SG -im -m -im -m
2SG -î -î -î -î
3SG -it -t -Ø -Ø
1PL -în -în -în -în
2PL & 3PL -in -n -in -n
The future tense is periphrastic, employing the word dê. It appears immediately
after the subject, but before the object, as illustrated in (48). The subject Şirîn, a woman’s
name, is followed by dê, ‘will’ and then the object birinc, ‘rice.’ The verb çêkit, ‘make,’
is last in the sentence. In (49) dê is found next to the verb because this is an intransitive
sentence and no object or prepositional phrase occurs. The GOAL argument, mala te, ‘your
house,’ follows the verb, its normal position.
(48) Şirîn dê birincê çê_k-it
Shireen will rice-OBL.F make_do.PRS-3SG
Shireen will make rice.
(49) em dê ê-în mal-a te (Şirîn and Buşra 2006:185)
1DP will come.PRS-1PL house-EZ.F 2O
‘We will come to your house.’
To negate a sentence in the future tense, one must drop the word dê and insert the
negative affix where appropriate. This contrast is shown in the following examples. In
(51), the negative aspect affix, na, must be inserted between the two parts of the complex
verb. There is therefore nothing in the sentence to signify future tense; it is understood
from the context.
(50) ez dê nan-î çê-k-im (Şirîn and Buşra 2006:165)
1D will bread-OBL.M make-do.PRS-1SG
‘I will make bread.’
(51) ez nan-î çê-na-k-im
1D bread-OBL.M make-NEG-do.PRS-1SG
‘I won’t make bread.’