From The Languages of David J. Peterson
Lesson 5| The Passive
If you see a 'k' in a conjugated verb's personal ending, it is in the passive voice. In this lesson, note how the personal endings for the present passive and the perfect passive are identical; the only difference is the perfect stem transformation used in the perfect passive.
|
|
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
|
|
|
| dārys (2sol.)
|
king
|
| kostilla (1lun(1).)
|
value, worth, importance
|
| pāletilla (1lun.)
|
crown
|
|
|
| sikagon (c-fin.)
|
to give birth to, to birth, to bear, to have a child, to bring forth; to ignite, to light (on fire) (e.g. a candle); to initiate, to instantiate
|
|
|
| tubī (adv.)
|
today
|
(1) Nouns ending in -lla decline like first lunar nouns and take aquatic agreement.
Active verses Passive Verbs
A verb's voice shows the relationship between the subject and the action expressed by the verb. High Valyrian has two voices: active and passive. In the active voice, the subject of the clause performs the verb on something else (the object), e.g., "The girl sees the boy." In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence, called the patient, receives the action of the verb due to an agent. For example, in the sentence "the boy is seen by the girl," the boy is the patient and the girl, the agent. If it helps, think of the patient being seen by a doctor; this itself is in the passive voice!
When the passive voice is used, the patient receives the action of the verb from another agent. The patient always appears in the nominative case, never in the accusative as a subject does.
Keep in mind that there are no requirements that one must use the passive or active voice for any given sentence. The active voice emphasizes the subject and the passive voice, the action; use both for effective writing. Many sentences can be written in the passive voice or have one phrase them actively. Keep in mind that sentences that are written in the passive voice tend to be weaker, especially if they are appearing frequently in writing. Sentences featuring the active voice also use fewer auxiliary words. See in the last two sentences how the focus of the sentence shifted from 'writing' to 'the sentence?' This is an example of the differences between the active and passive voice in action.
The Present Passive
Consonant Final Verbs
Below shows the passive present conjugation of maghagon. All consonant final verbs share these personal endings.
| magh-aks
|
I am being carried
|
first person singular
|
| magh-āks
|
you are being carried
|
second person singular
|
| magh-aks
|
he, she, it is being carried
|
third person singular
|
| magh-aksi
|
we are being carried
|
first person plural
|
| magh-āks
|
you (all) are being carried
|
second person plural
|
| magh-aksi
|
they are being carried
|
third person plural
|
Vowel Final Verbs
Here are the personal endings for vowel final verbs. Note they generally follow their theme vowel in the same pattern as the present passive.
|
|
-agon
|
-egon
|
-igon
|
-ogon
|
-ugon
|
| 1s
|
-aks
|
-eks
|
-iks
|
-oks
|
-uks
|
| 2s
|
-āks
|
-ēks
|
-īks
|
-ōks
|
-ūks
|
| 3s
|
-aks
|
-eks
|
-iks
|
-oks
|
-uks
|
| 1p
|
-aksi
|
-eksi
|
-iksi
|
-oksi
|
-uksi
|
| 2p
|
-āks
|
-ēks
|
-īks
|
-ōks
|
-ūks
|
| 3p
|
-aksi
|
-eksi
|
-iksi
|
-oksi
|
-uksi
|
Examples:
In a simple High Valyrian sentence in the passive voice there are two main actors: the passive subject, or the patient, and the agent who acts upon the patient. The agent of the verb is optional and may be introduced using ondoso (literally meaning with the hand). Ondoso is also the only know postposition that inflects for number and is plural when the agent is plural.
| Voice
|
High Valyrian
|
English
|
| Active
|
riña taobe urnes
|
the girl sees the boy
|
| Passive
|
taoba riño ondoso(1) urneks
|
the boy is seen by the girl
|
- (1) Riño takes ondoso and the genative, as it is a personal agent.
| Voice
|
High Valyrian
|
English
|
| Active
|
zūger vale ondurza
|
fear seizes the man
|
| Passive
|
vala zūgero ondoso onduraks
|
the man is seized by fear
|
| Voice
|
High Valyrian
|
English
|
| Active
|
qrinuntyssy oktion idakotis
|
the enemies attacked the city
|
| Passive
|
oktion qrinuntoti ondossi(1) idakoksi
|
the city was attacked at the hands of the enemies
|
- (1) Ondossi is in the plural; ondoso is the only postposition known to do this.
Exercise 1
Conjugate the following verbs in the present passive indicative.
| I am being hunted
|
| arghuks
|
| y'all are being named
|
| brōzāks
|
| We are being asked
|
| epaksi
|
| they are being pushed
|
| indiksi
|
The Present Passive Subjunctive
The perfect subjunctive is parallel in concept to the present subjunctive in formation.
Consonant Final Verbs
Below shows the passive present conjugation of maghagon. All consonant final verbs share these personal endings.
| magh-oks
|
I am being carried
|
first person singular
|
| magh-ōks
|
you are being carried
|
second person singular
|
| magh-oks
|
he, she, it is being carried
|
third person singular
|
| magh-oksy
|
we are being carried
|
first person plural
|
| magh-ōks
|
you (all) are being carried
|
second person plural
|
| magh-oksy
|
they are being carried
|
third person plural
|
Vowel Final Stems
The passive subjunctive is formed from a verbal stem plus the theme vowel change, M, plus the personal ending. They generally 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, M=a.
For -egon and -igon, M=i.
For -ogon and -ugon, M=v.
| √-M-oks
|
first person singular
|
| √-M-ōks
|
second person singular
|
| √-M-oks
|
third person singular
|
| √-M-oksy
|
first person plural
|
| √-M-ōks
|
second person plural
|
| √-M-oksy
|
third person plural
|
Examples
| High Valyrian
|
English
|
| aōhor kostilla iotāptoks daor
|
your value is not being respected
|
| lo tegon jollōroks, aōhys jentys sȳz issa
|
if the ground is being studied, your commander is good
|
| arghvoks lȳs azantys arghuroti zoklākos
|
the knight who might be being hunted is enticing the hunters
|
| korze ñurho(1) hāedro syt sētioks daor
|
the sword for my sister is not being made
|
- (1)Illicit sequence deletion (hr) of x ñuhro to form ñurho
Exercise 2
Translate into High Valyrian.
| I am not being hunted
|
| arghvoks daor
|
| you may be being attacked due to their king
|
| pōjo dāro ondoso idakōks
|
| you are not being respected
|
| iotāptōks daor
|
| we are not being destroyed today
|
| tubī pryjaoksy daor
|
The Passive Perfect and the Passive Perfect Subjunctive
The passive perfect is simply formed adding the present passive personal endings to the perfect stem; likewise, the passive perfect subjunctive is formed from adding the subjunctive passive personal endings to a perfect stem.
Exercise 3
Translate into High Valyrian.
| I was not being hunted
|
| arghutoks daor
|
| I was being chosen for king when they attacked
|
| dārot iderēptaks skorī idakotis
|
| we were not being heard so we moved
|
| ryptoksy daor sesīr selti
|
| we were not being destroyed
|
| pryjatoksy daor
|
Attribution