The Mafulu Part 27

_itede_ and _ito_, to lay down: past, _ito_ and _ita_, near past, _itova_, imperat. _ito_.

_songe_, to go: pres. and past, _se_, near past, _sova_, imperat. _so(nge)_, subj. _so_, interrog. _sona?_ _sue_, to walk, go: pres. _sue_, fut. _susuetsi_.

_utsisi_, to draw: fut. _utsist_, imperat. _ude_.

Note (1). The verbs _ando_ and _ito_ are not yet accurately understood.

(2). The verb _ete_ has a double conjugation, the initial _e_ being retained or omitted at will. The past _elete_ is used in reporting the words of another person.

(3). The verb _faduatsiete_ is a type of several verbs which end in _ete_, preceded by the syllable _tsi_. All these appear to lose _tsi_ in the future, although some have both forms.

Ex. _kiovatsiete_, to cry (of black parrot): fut. _kiovatatsi_ and _kiovatsitatsi_.

_puatsiete_, to make a cracking noise: fut. _puatatsi_ and _puatsiatsi_.

(4). The verb _sue_ in the meaning "go away" always has _ga_.

Ex. _nu ga sua? na ga sua_, are you going away? I am going away.

The verb _angege_, to go, in the past tense has the particle ga prefixed to the verb instead of suffixed to the p.r.o.noun.

Ex. _na nul etsi ganga_, I went to your village.

XII. Notes on Some Verbs.

1. _Tede_ and _i_.

There is a difference in the meaning of the verbs _tede_, (_ete_) and _i_, both used for "do" or "make." The first is used when the object by which one obtains the action is indicated, the second is used when the action only is expressed, and might then be translated by the phrase "to go to work, to set about."

Ex. _olon'ete_, to snore, make a sound with the _olo_(_ne_ hole, _i.e._, the nostrils, _ung'ul 'olo. na (melauk') i koitsi_, I shall do the thing wrong.

2. _Gege, angege, engege, songe._

All of these have the general meaning of "go." Their differences are not yet clearly understood. _Engege_ appears to mean "go up." _Songe_ is specially employed when the following phrase indicates a final proposition, or an answer to the questions "Where do you come from?" or "Where are you going?"

Ex. _nuni o' gega_, thou hast pa.s.sed down there; _di engo_, let us go up; _na song' em' aritsi_, I am going to see the village; _nu do sona_? where have you been? (or, where do you come from?); _na bulitsi sova_, I have been in the garden (or, I have come from the garden).

3. _Idede_.

This verb has a general meaning besides the special one "to gather."

Ex. _fang' idede_, to set a trap; _di yu molots' idoma_? should we make a water-pipe?

4. _Ameme_.

This verb has the general meaning of pa.s.sing, or making anything pa.s.s, through an opening. The object which has the opening does not take suffixes.

Ex. _kupa ulin' ama_, put the potatoes in the pot; _na ul' olol'

amene_, I pa.s.sed it through the hole; _iso nu emana? andavete_, does the smoke irritate you? you are weeping.

Adverbs.

I. Adverbs generally precede the verb which they modify. The exceptions are the interrogative na? (is it not so?) which always comes at the end of the sentence, and _-ta_ (at first), which follows the verb.

Ex. _aiti balava natsi_, to-morrow bread I shall eat; _aiti nu inditsi na_? to-morrow I will give it you, shall I not? _kuku neta_, I eat the tobacco at first.

Note.--This _ta_ appears to be almost a conjunction, and the phrase might be translated "when I shall have smoked (eaten) the tobacco."

II. Adverbs of Place.

_do(le)?_ where.

_a(le)_), here.

_va(ie)_, there.

_ombatsi_, underneath.

_gisa(le)_, far.

_ime(li)?_ far.

_kugume_, near.

_tsi_, inside.

_val'enga_, outside.

_tu_, on, over _ibe(le)_, down there.

_o(me)_, up there.

_yo(le)_, there above.

III. Adverbs of Time.

The adverbs of time are not very definite. For example _audati_, "to-day, now," means also "in a few days" or "a few days ago." The latter meaning is also attributed to _arima_, and the former to _aiti_.

_aida_? when?

_vomarima_, day before yesterday.

_arima_, yesterday.

_male(ke)_, formerly.

_malieke)_, formerly.

_audali)_, to-day, now.

_aiti(me)_, to-morrow.

_vomaiti_, day after to-morrow.

_talele_, often, for ever.

_dedi_, just now, later (near).

_ido(ve)_, not yet (with fut.) immediately.

_ulsienga_, later on, in the future.

_utsimata_, later on, in the future.

_utsinenga_, later on, in the future.

_kelavalage_, for a time.

_-ta_, at first.

_vo(ye_, again.

IV. Adverbs of Quant.i.ty.