Chapter 8: Formation and Grammar of Tahitian Verbs Flashcards
Give the normal word order for a Tahitian sentence.
verb + subject + object.
Which construction indicates the immediate future or a present continuous state?
te + verb + nei + subject.
te tāmā’a nei au,
“I am eating.”
Which construction indicates “was in the act of” and “has been in the act of doing something for some time”?
te + verb + ra + subject. The first meaning approximates the European imperfect tense. The second has no equivalent.
te ’āu ra vau
I was swimming
Which construction indicates both a past action and a present state, where the action is completed but the results are still being felt?
‘ua + verb + subject.
’ua tāpū vau ‘i te vahie
I cut the wood.
Which construction indicates a recently completed action?
‘i + verb + na + subject.
‘i haere na vau ‘i te mātete…
I went to the market.
Which construction indicates a very recent past action?
‘i + verb + iho [ne, ra] + subject. “I have just…” The form with ra indicates rather “I had just…”
‘i tāpū iho nei ’o Teri’i ‘i te vahie
Terii has just cut the wood
Which construction indicates a nominalized verb and is a non-verbal sentence?
‘e mea maoro + nominalized verb. It conveys the distant past.
‘E mea maoro ‘i teie nei tō’u haerera’a ‘i Mo’orea.
“I went to Moorea long ago.”
Literally, “It is long now, my going to Moorea.”
Which construction is used to indicate completed action?
‘ua oti + possessive adjective + nou + ‘i te + verb
‘Ua oti tā’u vahie ‘i te tāpū.
“I have finished cutting the wood.”
Pau replaces oti when eating is involved.
How is habitual action conveyed in Tahitian?
By using mātau. ‘ua mātau + subject + ‘i te + verb.
‘ua mātau vau ‘i te rave ‘i te ‘ohipa.
“I am used to working.”
How is the future tense conveyed in Tahitian?
‘e + verb + subject.
‘e haere au ‘it te ‘oire.
“I will go to town.”
How is “almost” conveyed in Tahitian (frustrative form of the verb)?
mai + verb + roa + subject.
mai pohe roa ‘oia.
“He nearly died.”
Which three things may fill the verb slot in Tahitian?
A noun, an adjective, or an interrogative. In reality the verb is elided, or left out. It is obvious which verb applies in most cases.
Which verbs may be nominalized, and how?
Verbs expressing movement or state may be formed by placing the article te before them.
mana’o - to think, te mana’o - thought;
ta’oto - to sleep, te ta’oto - sleep.
What is the nominalizing suffix in Tahitian?
ra’a:
pure - to pray, te purera’a - the praying, praying;
tae - to arrive, te taera’a - the arrival.
How is the passive formed in Tahitian?
verb + hia + subject + object + agent.
rave - to take, rave hia - taken.
‘amu - to eat, ‘amu hia - eaten.
