(Esta ia es scriveda como un boni de la paje de verbos en la gramatica de lfn, ma final nos ia deside no usa el. La informa en el es bon e coreta, ma el es esplicada a modo tro complicada per apare en la gramatica xef.)

Contents 1 En lfn 1.1 Tempo presente 1.2 Tempo futur 1.3 Tempo pasada 1.4 Moda nonreal 1.5 Puntos de refere 1.6 Puntos e linias 1.7 -nte 1.8 Ja 1.9 -da 1.10 Comandas 1.11 Negas 1.12 Transitivia 1.13 Verbos sin sujetos 1.14 Cadenas de verbos 1.15 Verbos como nomes 2 In English 2.1 Present tense 2.2 Future tense 2.3 Past tense 2.4 Hypothetical mode 2.5 Reference points 2.6 Points and lines 2.7 -nte 2.8 Ja 2.9 -da 2.10 Imperative 2.11 Negation 2.12 Transitivity 2.13 Verbs without subjects 2.14 Verb chains 2.15 Verbs as nouns

En lfn Edit

Un verbo tipal sinifia la aveni o la sesa de un ata ("core", "para"), un relata ("ave", "perde"), o un state ("sta", "fonde"). Verbos en lfn es multe simple. Los ave sola tre tempos e un moda nonreal. Diferes plu sutil es espresada par averbos o par la situa. On pote usa cada verbo sin cambia como un nom.

Tempo presenteEdit

La verbo simple ave un sensa presente. El indica un ata cual coesiste con un punto de refere. Normal, la punto de refere es simple la momento de parla:

La coesiste pote aplica a la periodo jeneral en cual on parla, an si el no aplica a la momento esata de parla. A esta modo, on indica atas abitual:

Tempo futurEdit

Si on pone la paroleta va ante la verbo, el deveni futur. El indica un ata cual aveni pos la punto de refere:

Va no es normal elejable. Si un ata es futur, on debe ajunta va a la verbo:

Ma ave casos spesial do on ajunta va a un verbo xef, e esta dona un punto de refere futur a un verbo suordinada en la mesma frase.

Ance, cuando on lista verbos, on pote pone va ante sola la prima:

La parola va veni de la lingua franses.

Tempo pasadaEdit

Si on pone ia ante la verbo, el deveni pasada. El indica un ata cual aveni ante la punto de refere:

Ia no es normal elejable. Si un ata es pasada, on debe ajunta ia a la verbo. Ma, como con va, ave casos spesial.

Ance, cuando on lista verbos, on pote pone ia ante sola la prima:

Cuando un autor reconta un nara imajinada, el usa costumal verbos pasada, como si el descrive cosas cual ia aveni vera en la istoria. Ma esta es sola un costum, e on pote reconta egal bon con verbos presente. Verbos presente pote fa la reconta vive plu en la mente de la lejor o escutor. On pote an usa verbos pasada per la majoria de un raconta, e usa la presente per pasajes spesial vivos. Esta es un truco de stilo, no un cosa de gramatica.

La parola ia veni de la lingua xavacano.

Moda nonrealEdit

Alga frases parla de cosas nonreal: cosas cual no aveni en realia, ma sola en la mente. Per esemplo:

La nonrealia de tal cosas es bon indicada par si, o par parolas como duta, desira, espera, e vole. An va ave un sensa de nonrealia, car poca cosas futur es intera sin duta.

Ma, si on vole indica clar ce un aveni es nonreal, on pote ajunta la paroleta ta. El veni de la creol aitian.

La usa fundal de ta es cuando on imajina un otra mundo en cual un o plu cosas es diferente. Tal frases conteni comun ance si:

Par se mesma, ta no indica si la ata es presente, futur, o pasada. Ma on aplica no plu ce un de va, ia, e ta a cada verbo. Donce, per parla de un ata pasada cual on imajina, on no dise ta ia. En loca, on ajunta espresas cual spesifa la tempo – o on ajunta simple va o ia a la verbo pos si, e lasa ta a la verbo xef:

On pote usa ance ja en tal frases.

Un otra usa de ta es per indica desiras. Car desiras es cosas imajinada, on pote espresa los con ta:

On estende esta usa per espresa demandas cortes per aida:

Ta es elejable. On pote omete el si la contesto o la situa clari sufisinte ce on parla de un aveni nonreal:

Puntos de refereEdit

En parla, cuando on usa un verbo presente, el refere a la momento en cual la parla se mesma aveni. Simil, si on usa un verbo futur o pasada, estas refere a momentos en la futur o la pasada de la momento de parla.

Ma on pote crea ance un punto tempora de refere. Esta aveni cuando on reporta un dise o un pensa, sin sita direta la parolas. En lfn, un tal verbo ave la mesma tempo como la verbo en la sita direta:

Puntos e liniasEdit

On pote imajina multe atas a du modos:

La forma fundal me come no indica si la ata es un punto o un linia.

-nteEdit

Si on ajunta la sufisa -nte a un verbo, on cambia la verbo a un ajetivo cual sinifia "en un state do la ata de la verbo ia comensa ma no ia fini". El presenta la ata como un linia. La ator "move" longo la linia en tempo, de la comensa a la fini.

La ajetivo con -nte no cambia se sinifia, an si la verbo cual el acompania es pasada, futur, o nonreal. Sola se punto de refere cambia:

Con un cuantia peti de verbos, on tende usa la strutur es -nte sola car la verbo simple no esiste comun en otra linguas relatada:

Cuando on ajunta -nte a es, el deveni esente:

On pote usa la ajetivos con -nte como averbos e nomes ance:

JaEdit

Ja es un averbo cual sinifia "a un tempo ante la punto de refere".

Cuando el acompania un verbo pasada, ja indica ce la ata ia fini ante acel punto:

En multe casos, ja servi per obliga comprende la ata como un punto:

La sinifia de ja cambia poca cuando on pone el a un verbo presente, car (en nos persepi) nos mesma es asi – en la presente con la ata. Alora, ja indica ce la ata ia comensa ante la punto de refere, ma ce el no ia fini ancora. Esta es multe simil a la sinifia de -nte, ma si -nte asentua un situa en media de la ata, ja asentua la cambia ce ia aveni a la comensa de la ata:

Con verbos futur e nonreal, ja es min comun, ma el opera como en la pasada. El indica ce la ata comensa e fini a un tempo futur (o nonreal) cual presede la punto de refere (ce es ance futur o nonreal):

A veses, on trova ja en la strutur es ja -nte. Asi, ja descrive la ajetivo, no la verbo, e donce la sensa presente domina:

-daEdit

Si on ajunta la sufisa -da a un verbo, on produi un ajetivo pasiva cual descrive la ojeto de la verbo e sinifia "en un state en la aveni de la ata, o en un state pos la fini de la ata". La situa sufisi comun per distingui la du sinifias, ma on pote ajunta parolas como aora e ja per sujesta plu clar un interprete. On usa par si on vole refere a la sujeto de la verbo orijinal:

Comun, on usa on o algun como la sujeto de un frase ativa en loca de un frase pasiva:

On pote usa la ajetivos con -da como averbos e nomes ance:

La ajetivos formida par -nte e -da no es un parte de la conjuga de la verbo. La verbo es es, per esemplo, e la ajetivos es simple ajetivos. Simil, ja no es un parte de la conjuga de la verbo. El es simple un averbo con un sinifia de tempo.

ComandasEdit

On no marca la forma de verbos per un comanda. El difere de la tempo presente sola par la asentia de la sujeto. La sujeto ta es normal tu o vos – la person o persones a cual on dona la comanda. On pote usa ta si on nesesa inclui la sujeto:

NegasEdit

On nega un verbo con la averbo no, cual presede e la preverbos e la verbo:

TransitiviaEdit

Un verbo transitiva es un verbo cual pote es direta segueda par un nom ojetal, sin un preposada interveninte. Un verbo nontransitiva no ave un ojeto. En lfn, cada verbo es prima o transitiva o nontransitiva:

On pote lasa la ojeto de un verbo transitiva cade si el no es nesesada:

Si on ajunta un nom ojetal pos un verbo nontransitiva, la verbo deveni transitiva. La ojeto responde a la sujeto nontransitiva, e la verbo nova sinifia "causa ce (la ojeto) ...":

On pote clari o asentua la sensa nontransitiva par un pronom refletante, e la sinifia transitiva par fa:

En alga linguas, la ojeto de un verbo transitiva pote ave un completinte. Lfn usa otra construis en loca:

La sola eseta es con la verbo nomi. On regarda esta como un esemplo de aposa.

Verbos sin sujetos Edit

Alga verbos no ave sujetos clar. La esemplos la plu bon es parolas cual refere a la clima o a la ambiente jeneral:

Un otra esemplo es cuando la sujeto es vera la proposa nomal cual segue la verbo:

Ave sin sujeto indica ce alga cosa esiste o es presente. La antonim es no ave:

Cadenas de verbosEdit

En lfn, la ojeto de un verbo pote es un proposa nomal – frecuente conteninte sola un verbo o un verbo e se ojeto. Esta verbo suordinada ta es un infinitiva en multe linguas, ma verbos en lfn no ave un forma spesial infinitiva. En loca, on dise ce la segue es un cadena de verbos. On pote ancora inclui un averbo pos la verbo xef, e on pote nega la verbo suordinada:

Ma on no usa va, ia, e ta en media de un cadena de verbos. Donce on no dise me predise tu va veni, ma me predise tu veni o me predise ce tu va veni.

En la esemplos a supra, ambos verbos ave la mesma sujeto, donce on no nesesa repete el. Ma on pote inclui el per claria, si desirada:

Si la du verbos ave sujetos diferente, on nesesa inclui la sujeto de la verbo suordinada:

On pote ajunta ce per marca clar la proposa nomal:

La verbo du se mesma pote es la verbo xef de un otra cadena, e tal continuante:

En ajunta a opera como la ojeto de la verbo xef, un verbo suordinada pote apare como la sujeto de un frase o pos un preposada. Un tal verbo coresponde a un infinitiva o nom verbal en otra linguas, e no nesesa un determinante:

Car on pote usa pronomes personal como determinantes de posese, e on pote usa verbos como nomes, alga frases pote pare ambigua. Esce "me desira es forte" sinifia "me desira ce me es forte" o "me ave un desira, e esta desira es forte"? La sinifia prima es coreta: "desira" es prima un verbo, e donce on trata el como un verbo asi. On pote espresa la sinifia du par cambia la frase en modos varios:

Verbos como nomesEdit

On pote reusa cualce verbo, sin cambia, como un nom. La nom sinifia o la aveni de la ata verbal o se resulta direta:

Con un verbo como ajunta, la difere entre un ajunta e un ajuntada es minimal. Ma la traduida es la testo orijinal de cual on jenera la tradui, e un crea es un ata cual produi la creada.

In English Edit

A typical verb denotes the occurrence or abandonment of an action ("run", "stop"), a relationship ("have", "lose"), or a state ("stand", "melt"). In LFN, verbs are very simple. They have just three tenses and a hypothetical mode. Finer differences are expressed with adverbs or implied by the context. Any verb can be reused without change as a noun.

Present tenseEdit

The verb on its own has a present sense. It denotes an action that coexists with a reference point. The reference point is normally just the moment of utterance:

The coexistence can apply to the general period in which an utterance occurs, even if it doesn't apply at the exact moment of speech. Habitual actions can be expressed in this way:

Future tenseEdit

Adding the particle va in front of a verb makes it future. It denotes an action that occurs after the reference point:

Va is not usually optional. If an action is in the future, va should be added to the verb:

But there are certain special cases where va is added to a main verb, and this provides a future reference point for a subordinate verb in the same sentence.

Also, in a list of verbs, va can be omitted after all but the first:

The word va comes from French.

Past tenseEdit

Adding ia in front of a verb makes it past. It denotes an action that occurs before the reference point:

Ia is not normally optional. If an action is past, ia should be added to the verb. But, as with va, there are certain special cases.

Also, in a list of verbs, ia can be omitted after all but the first:

When authors tell fictional stories, they typically use the past tense, as if describing events that actually occurred in history. But this is only a convention, and it's equally possible to tell a good story in the present tense. The present tense can make the account seem more vivid in the mind of the reader or listener. It's also possible to use the past tense for most of a story, and the present tense for particularly lively passages. This is a stylistic trick, not a grammatical issue.

The word ia comes from the Chavacano language.

Hypothetical modeEdit

Some sentences are about hypothetical things: things that don't exist in reality, but only in the mind. For example:

The unreal nature of such things is indicated well by si, or by words like duta, desira, espera, and vole. Even va has a sense of the hypothetical, because there's little of the future that's entirely certain.

But, to clearly show that an event is hypothetical, the particle ta can be used. It comes from Haitian creole.

The basic use of ta is in imagining another world where one or more things are different. Such sentences usually also involve si:

By itself, ta doesn't indicate whether the action is present, future, or past. But no more than one of va, ia, and ta can be used with a given verb. This means that, when talking about a past imaginary action, we don't say ta ia. Instead, we add specific expressions of time, or we simply add va or ia to the verb in the si clause, leaving ta on the main verb:

ja can also be used in such sentences.

Another use of ta is to indicate desires. Desires are things that we imagine, so we can express them with ta:

This usage is extended to express polite requests for help:

Ta is optional. It can be omitted if the context or the situation make it clear enough that the event being spoken of is hypothetical:

Reference pointsEdit

In speech, when we use the present tense, it refers to the moment at which the utterance itself takes place. Similarly, if we use the future or past tense, these refer to moments in the future or past of the moment of utterance.

But we can also create a temporary reference point. This happens when we report an utterance or a thought, without directly quoting the words. In LFN, such verbs have the same tense as they would have had in the direct quotation:

Points and linesEdit

Many actions can be visualized in two ways:

The basic form me come doesn't indicate whether the action is a point or a line.

-nteEdit

Adding the suffix -nte to a verb changes the verb into an adjective which – like "-ing" in English – means "in a state in which the verb's action has started but not finished". The action is presented as a line. The actor "moves" along the line through time, from the start to the finish.

The -nte adjective doesn't change its meaning even if the verb it accompanies is past, future, or hypothetical. Only its reference point changes:

With a small number of verbs, the structure es -nte tends to be used purely because the simple form of the verb doesn't commonly appear in related languages:

When -nte is added to es, the result is esente:

-nte adjectives can also be used as adverbs and nouns:

JaEdit

Ja is an adverb meaning "at a time before the reference point".

When it accompanies a past verb, ja indicates that the action finished before that point:

In many cases, ja serves to force the action to be seen as a point:

The meaning of ja changes slightly when it's added to a present verb, because (in our mind's eye) we are here ourselves – in the present with the action. Here, ja indicates that the action began before the reference point, but hasn't yet finished. This is very much like the meaning of -nte, but while -nte emphasizes a point in the middle of the action, ja emphasizes the change that occurred at the start of the action:

With future and hypothetical verbs, ja is less common, but it works as it does with the past tense. It indicates that the action starts and finishes at a future (or hypothetical) time that precedes the reference point (which is also in the future or hypothetical):

Ja sometimes appears in the structure es ja -nte. Here, it modifies the adjective, not the verb, and so the present sense dominates:

-daEdit

Adding the suffix -da to a verb produces a passive adjective which – like "-ed" in English – describes the object of the verb and means "in a state where the action is occurring, or in a state after the action has finished". The context is often enough to distinguish the two meanings, but words like aora and ja can be added to suggest a particular interpretation more clearly. Par allows the subject of the original verb to be mentioned:

In English "-ed" also forms the basic past tenses of verbs. This is not so with "-da" in LFN. "I worked" is me ia labora, not me laborada or me ia laborada.

An active sentence with on or algun as its subject is often an elegant alternative to a passive sentence:

-da adjectives can also be used as adverbs and nouns:

The adjectives formed with -nte and -da are not part of the conjugation of the verb. The verb is es, for instance, and the adjectives are just adjectives. Similarly, ja isn't a part of the conjugation of the verb. It's simply an adverb of time.

ImperativeEdit

The imperative, or command form of the verb, is unmarked. It differs from the present tense in that the subject is omitted. The subject would normally be tu or vos, i.e. the person addressed. Ta can be used if a subject has to be included:

NegationEdit

Verbs are negated with the adverb no, which precedes both the verb and va, ia, or ta:

TransitivityEdit

A transitive verb is one that can be directly followed by an object noun phrase, with no intervening preposition. An intransitive verb does not have such an object. In LFN, every verb is primarily either transitive or intransitive:

The object of a primarily transitive verb can be omitted if it's redundant:

A primarily intransitive verb can be made transitive by simply adding an object. This object is equivalent to the intransitive subject, and the resulting verb means "to cause (the object) to ...":

The intransitive meaning can sometimes be clarified or emphasized with a reflexive object, and the transitive meaning with fa:

In some languages, the object of a transitive verb can have a complement. LFN uses other constructions instead:

The one exception involves the verb nomi, and is regarded as an example of apposition:

Verbs without subjects Edit

There are a number of verbs that have no obvious subjects. The clearest examples are words referring to the weather or the general environment:

Another example is when the subject is effectively a trailing noun clause:

Ave with no subject indicates the presence or existence of something. The opposite is no ave:

Verb chainsEdit

In LFN, the object of a verb can be an unmarked noun clause – often containing just a verb, or a verb and its object. This subordinate verb would be infinitive in many languages, but LFN verbs don't have a special infinitive form. Instead, the sequence is known as a verb chain (un cadena de verbos). An adverb can still be included after the main verb, and the subordinate verb can be negated:

However, va, ia, and ta are not used in mid-chain. So, me predise tu va veni is wrong, and me predise tu veni and me predise ce tu va veni are correct.

In the above examples, both verbs have the same subject, and so there is no need to repeat it – although it can still be included for clarity:

But if the two verbs have different subjects, the subject of the subordinate verb cannot be omitted:

One can add ce to mark the noun clause explicitly:

The subordinate verb can itself be the main verb of a second verb chain, and so on:

In addition to serving as the object of the main verb, a subordinate verb can also appear as the subject of a main verb, or after a preposition. Such a verb is equivalent to a gerund or infinitive in other languages, and requires no determiner:

Because personal pronouns can also be possessives, and verbs can be used as nouns, certain sentences may seem to be ambiguous. Does me desira es forte mean "I desire to be strong" or "my desire is strong"? The first meaning is correct: desira is primarily a verb, so it is treated as a verb here. The second meaning can be expressed by rephrasing in various ways:

Verbs as nounsEdit

Any verb can be reused without change as a noun. The noun denotes either an occurrence of the verb's action, or its immediate product:

With a verb such as ajunta, there is little difference between un ajunta and un ajuntada. But la traduida is the original text from which la tradui is produced, and un crea is an act of creating un creada.