Verbs

Verbs
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Verbs have three numbers and three persons and have a variant ‘inclusive’ or ‘exclusive’ in the first person of the dual and plural forms.

Each tense has its own distinct form, but the tense can also be indicated by pronouns suffixed to the verb. Here, for example, is a summarised conjugation of the verb bulka, to strike or to kill.

Present Indicative

	1^st person	I strike	Bulkangunna-ngutthu
Singular	2^nd person	You strike	Bulkangunna-ngirndhu
	3^rd person	He strikes	Bulkangunna-ngutthera

I do not consider it necessary to give examples for the dual and the plural; the variations of number and person can be expressed by applying in each case the special pronoun that can be found in the table of nominative pronouns given on an earlier page of this article.

Past

	1^st person	I struck	Bulkangga-wutthu
Singular	2^nd person	you struck	Bulkangga-wirndu
	3^rd person	He struck	Bulkangga-wutthera

Future

	1^st person	I will strike	Bulkara-gutthu
Singular	2^nd person	You will strike	Bulkara-girndu
	3^rd person	He will strike	Bulkara-gutthera

Imperative

Strike, bulkalla. The negative or prohibitive form is expressed thus: killa bulkalla, do not strike.

Conditional

Should I strike? Killamura bulkaragutthu.

Reflexive

The reflexive form of the verb describes the action of the subject directed towards himself.

	1^st person	I strike myself	Bulkamuldhanguppa
Singular	2^nd person	You strike yourself	Bulkamuldhangga-wuppa
	3^rd person	he strikes himself	Bulhamuldhara-guppa

Imperative

Strike yourself. Bulkamuldha.

Reciprocal

One form of the verb serves to express the communal and reciprocal action of two or more persons; this form is obviously restricted to the dual or plural.

We (dual inclusive) hit each other, Bulkkamilla-ngulli. We were hit by each other, Bulkamillangga-wulli. We will hit each other, Bulkamillara-gulli. In the preceding examples all forms of ‘person’ and ‘number’ can be indicated by pronouns.

The conjugation of an intransitive verb can only change according to the pronouns that are added to it as shown by the following example, ngingga to sit:

Indicative

Present	1^st person	I sit	Nginggangunna-nguppa
Past	1^st person	I sat	Nginggangga-wuppa
Future	1^st person	I will sit	Nginggara-guppa

And so it follows for the other ‘persons’ and ‘numbers’ the appropriate pronouns being used as shown in the preceding tables.

Verbs, whether transitive or intransitive, have forms that indicate whether the action described is immediate, imminent or distant, either in the past or in the future; these forms also express continuity or repetition of the action. Numerous other modifications of the verbs serve to highlight a whole series of nuances of meaning. I will refrain from entering into a discussion of these for the moment.

The passive has no special form and the sentence ‘a boy was punished by his father’ would be expressed by the paraphrase ‘a father punished his son’.

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