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The Na`vi verb
taron 'hunt'
Tense – first position
<am> Distant past – 'hunted'
<ìm> Immediate past – 'just hunted'
No infix for present tense
<ìy> Immediate future – 'about to hunt'
<ay> Distant future 'will hunt'
Aspect -first position
<ol> Perfective – action in the past
that is complete. View from outside
the action.
<er> Imperfective Continuing action,
involved in action or view from
inside the action.
Mood -first position
No infix -Indicative -ordinary state
<iv> Subjunctive – See note to left.
Second position infixes
Affect – Only one used per verb.
No infix indicates that speaker feels
indifference about the action.
<ei>,<eiy> Speaker happy about
the action – laudative
<äng>,<eng> Speaker not happy
about action – perjorative
<uy> Formal, when pronouns formal
<ats> Evidential, uncertain about
action.
Second position
First position
Function modifying prefixes
sä- Instrumental noun deriving
prefix.
tì- noun deriving prefix.
nì- Adverb deriving prefix.
Note: These are not productive.
Noun deriving suffix
-yu Nominative agent noun deriving
Suffix. Productive.
Example sentences
Intransitive verb:
Oe tswayon
I(subjective) fly (vin)
Transitive verb: - note noun case markings
Oel ngati kameie
I(agent) you(patient) see(vtr)
Ditransitive verb: - ditrct and indirect object
Oel kì'ongit nga-ru ting
I(agent) fruit(patient) you(ind obj) give(vtr)
Modal verb:
Oe tsun nivume lì'fyat leNa'vi
I(subj.) be able(vim) learn(vtr + <iv>)
language(patient) of the people(adj)
Note: No case markings on subject, but object case marked if controlled verb Is transitive.
Maximally infixed: - note positions of infixes
po täpeykìyeverkeiup nìnäk (base verb terkup)
He(subj) cause to apparently kill self (glad to see it happen)(vin) by drinking(adv)
Prepared by 'Eylan Ayfalulukanä
Ver 4.0 01-23-2012
Participles - first position
<awn> Passive participle
<us> Active participle
These infixes cannot be used with any other first position infixes. They make the verb an adjective, which must be used with -a-
Valency – pre-first position
<äp> Reflexive – Acts on itself. Makes verb intransitive.
<eyk> Causative – An active vs. a passive change. Makes verb transitive. Valency infixes may be stacked as in <äpeyk>
Fused infixes – first position
Mood Indicative subjunctive
Aspect Perf imperf none perf imperf
Tense
<am> <alm> <arm> <imv> -- --
<ìm> <ìlm> <ìrm> <imv> -- --
Present <ol> <er> <iv> <ilv> <irv>
<ìy> <ìly> <ìry> <ìyev>* -- --
<ay> <aly> <ary> <iyev>* -- --
*Note that <iyev> and <ìyev> may be interchanged.
Determinative infixes - first position
<asy> - 'I will fly'
<ìsy>- 'I will fly soon'
The Subjunctive mood <iv> is used to
Express a want, wish, hope of command. It is also used in the controlled verbs of modal constructions. The subjunctive mood is very important in Na'vi.
Pre-first position
Gerunds are formed by using a prefix and an infix: tì- + <us>. Example tìusaron 'hunting'. Na'vi gerunds are true adjectives, and may not take noun arguments.
Si-construction verbs are created by adding an unbound si to the end of a noun or adjective. The infixes go in the si part. These verbs are always intransitive. The use of si is unproductive.