User:Aegon/High Valyrian Tutorial/3-4
Lesson 4| The Imperfect
| Indicative | Subjunctive | Imperative | Participle | Infinitive | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | ||||||||||||||||
| 1s | 2s | 3s | 1pl | 2pl | 3pl | 1s | 2s | 3s | 1pl | 2pl | 3pl | 2s | 2pl | ||||||||
| Active | |||||||||||||||||||||
| prs. | √-an | √-ā | √-as | √-i | √-āt | √-is | √-on | √-ō | √-os | √-oty | √-ōt | √-osy | √-ās | √-ātās | √-are (adj. II) | √-agon | |||||
| aor. | √-in | √-ia | √-is | √-iti | √-iat | √-isi | √-un | √-ua | √-us | √-uty | √-uat | √-usy | √-iās | √-iātās | √-ire (adj. II) | √-igon | |||||
| fut. | √-inna | √-ilā | √-ilza | √-ili | √-ilāt | √-ilzi | √-ilun | √-ilū | √-ilus | √-iluty | √-ilūt | √-ilusy | √-ilās | √-ilātās | √-ilare (adj. II) | — | |||||
| npfv. | √-ilen | √-ilē | √-iles | √-ilin | √-ilēt | √-ilis | √-ilon | √-ilō | √-ilos | √-iloty | √-ilōt | √-ilosy | — | — | |||||||
| pfv. | √P-an | √P-ā | √P-as | √P-i | √P-āt | √P-is | √P-on | √P-ō | √P-os | √P-oty | √P-ōt | √P-osy | — | see below | √P-agon | ||||||
| plup. | √P-en | √P-ē | √P-es | √P-in | √P-ēt | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| phab. | √P-in | √P-ia | √P-is | √P-iti | √P-iat | √P-isi | √P-un | √P-ua | √P-us | √P-uty | √P-uat | √P-usy | √P-re (adj. II) | ||||||||
| Passive | prs. | √-aks | √-āks | √-aks | √-aksi | √-āks | √-aksi | √-oks | √-ōks | √-oks | √-oksy | √-ōks | √-oksy | √-āks | — | √-akson | |||||
| aor. | √-iks | √-iaks | √-iks | √-iksi | √-iaks | √-iksi | √-uks | √-uaks | √-uks | √-uksy | √-uaks | √-uksy | √-iāks | √-iarza (adj. I) | √-iakson | ||||||
| fut. | √-ilaks | √-ilāks | √-ilaks | √-iliks | √-ilāks | √-iliks | √-iluks | √-ilūks | √-iluks | √-iluksy | √-ilūks | √-iluksy | √-ilāks | √-ilaksa (adj. I) | — | ||||||
| npfv. | √-ileks | √-ilēks | √-ileks | √-ilēks | √-iloks | √-ilōks | √-iloks | √-iloksy | √-ilōks | √-iloksy | — | — | |||||||||
| pfv. | √P-aks | √P-āks | √P-aks | √P-aksi | √P-āks | √P-aksi | √P-oks | √P-ōks | √P-oks | √P-oksy | √P-ōks | √P-oksy | — | √P-a (Adj. I) | √P-akson | ||||||
| plup. | √P-eks | √P-ēks | √P-eks | √P-iks | √P-ēks | √P-iks | — | — | |||||||||||||
| phab. | √P-iks | √P-iaks | √P-iks | √P-iksi | √P-iaks | √P-iksi | √P-uks | √P-uaks | √P-uks | √P-uksy | √P-uaks | √P-uksy | √P-iarza (adj. I) | ||||||||
Vocabulary
| Lesson Vocabulary | |
|---|---|
| High Valyrian | English |
| tymagon (c-fin.) | to play, to frolic |
| ūndegon (v-fin.) | to see, to sight; to look |
| trūma (adj. I) | deep |
| riāzma (1lun.) | canyon |
The Present Imperfect
The imperfect combines the past tense (reference to a past time) and the imperfective aspect (referring to an ongoing verbal action).
English has a similar construct called the progressive past. Actions seem incomplete, and so merit the imperfect label. For example, "I was running," "We were sailing," "They were calling." Note that 'to be' is always there.
Regardless of language, the concept of an imperfect is important. The imperfect, in the grammatical sense, means not finished - that the action could be or could not be completed. Perfect instead means it has been finished - "I saw" (the perfect) expresses that you have already seen, and are now finished seeing. "I was seeing" (the imperfect) implies that the action is not yet completed.
The perfect tense is a more immediate reference to the past. The name, imperfect, helps you remember its use: in situations where you can't say when an event started or ended or happened, you must use the imperfect.
In situations where you can know when an event started or ended or happened, use the perfect.
Consonant Final Verbs
Below shows the present imperfect conjugation of maghagon. All consonant final verbs share these personal endings. The palatals, 'lj' and 'ñ,' depalatalize before any ending that begins with 'i' or a consonant; all imperfect endings begin in 'i' so 'lj' always becomes 'l,' and 'ñ,' always becomes 'n.'
| magh-ilen | I was carrying | first person singular |
| magh-ilē | you were carrying | second person singular |
| magh-iles | he, she, it was carrying | third person singular |
| magh-ilin | we were carrying | first person plural |
| magh-ilēt | you (all) were carrying | second person plural |
| magh-ilis | they were carrying | third person plural |
Vowel Final Verbs
There are also five vowel final verb forms that have two forms in the imperfect, similar to the future. These are similar to the consonant final verbs except that the 'i' becomes either 'ē' or 'ī'. The imperfect is formed from the verbal stem plus the theme vowel change, M, plus the personal ending. They stick to this changed vowel and have an otherwise identical personal ending to consonant final verbs. In the generic conjugation below, √ is the verb stem and M is the theme vowel change.
For -agon and -ogon, M=ē.
For -egon, -igon, and -ugon, M=ī.
| √-M-len | first person singular |
| √-M-lē | second person singular |
| √-M-les | third person singular |
| √-M-lin | first person plural |
| √-M-lēt | second person plural |
| √-M-lis | third person plural |
Exercise 1
Conjugate the following verbs in the imperfect.
| I was helping |
| baelilen |
| they were liberating |
| dāeremilis |
| y'all were giving |
| irughilēt |
| we were attacking |
| idakēlin |
The Imperfect Subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive, like the subjunctive, indicates uncertainty and is used in negation statements ('I was not running") and conditional statements ('If I was talking to him, we are friends').
Consonant Final Verbs
Below shows the imperfect subjunctive conjugation of maghagon. All consonant final verbs share these personal endings. The palatals, 'lj' and 'ñ,' depalatalize before any ending that begins with 'i' or a consonant; again, all future subjunctive endings begin in 'i' so 'lj' always becomes 'l,' and 'ñ,' always becomes 'n.'
| magh-ilon | I was carrying | first person singular |
| magh-ilō | you were carrying | second person singular |
| magh-ilos | he, she, it was carrying | third person singular |
| magh-iloty | we were carrying | first person plural |
| magh-ilōt | you (all) were carrying | second person plural |
| magh-ilosy | they were carrying | third person plural |
Vowel Final Verbs
Vowel final verb forms also have two forms in the imperfect subjunctive. These are similar to the consonant final verbs except that the 'i' becomes either 'ē' or 'ī'. The imperfect subjunctive is formed from the verbal stem plus the theme vowel change, M, plus the personal ending. They stick to their theme vowel and have an identical personal ending to consonant final verbs. In the generic conjugation below, √ is the verb stem and M is the theme vowel change.
For -agon and -ogon, M=ē.
For -egon, -igon, and -ugon, M=ī.
| √-M-lon | first person singular |
| √-M-lō | second person singular |
| √-M-los | third person singular |
| √-M-loty | first person plural |
| √-M-lōt | second person plural |
| √-M-losy | third person plural |
Examples
| High Valyrian | English |
| lo ziry ȳdrēlon raqiros issa | if I was speaking to him, he is a friend |
| tymiloty daor, botilin | we were not playing, we were working |
Exercise 2
Translate to High Valyrian.
| Daenerys was looking towards a deep canyon |
| Daenerys va trūmā riāzmā ūndīles |
| he will listen to you when turtles can fly |
| avy rȳbilza skorī qintra sōvegon kostilus |
| y'all will not be destroyed |
| pryjēlūt daor |
| we will not give her gifts |
| zijot irūdi irughilus daor |