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Verbs

A type of word that represents an action. Each sentence will always have a verb phrase. Verbs are considered a "semi-preposition" because when not proceded by certain particles, they act just like a preposition introducing a noun phrase (the direct object of the verb). If you supply the verb before the subject, nothing changes about the verb phrase (although the subject now must be introduced with either ü or ölë).

noyo mokon küöxı. "I ate a fruit."

mokon küöxı ü noyo. "A fruit was eaten by me."

Passivity

Hisyëö doesn't actually have any form of passivity like in the second English sentence above. Verbs always introduce their object arguments. To simulate passivity you can:

  • place the verb phrase before the subject phrase,
  • use a relative clause on an object in a subject complement phrase, or
  • use the causative verb particle on a subject complement phrase.

The order of topicality is determined by the order that constituents are introduced into the sentence.

Prepositions​

Realis​

The most basic form of verbal preposition is the realis form. There is no prepositional particle when this form is used. When there is no particle attached to the verb, it means that it is a true (or believed to be true) statement of an action or state that is occurring or is being experienced in reality. These predicates can be in the past, present or future tense but they are usually considered to be imperfective and not perfect (since there is a particle that can specify that the action is perfect).

hoi woküt zık ü nü mokon hoi bıtün cokyen öfo. What time are we eating this evening?

fonolon lunsol ibüwë müt noyo. The monkey is throwing rocks at me.

Irrealis​

There are a few different irrealis verb markers that allow for a variety of different moods indicating that the predicate has not occurred (or isn't known to have). They precede the verb and are considered prepositions.

Epistemic (what could be)​

This irrealis verb marker (köi) indicates that the predicate can, could, may, or might happen. This marker tells you that the speaker/writer either believes or has knowledge that the predicate may occur but isn't confident that this future reality is assured or that the possibility of it occurring doesn't necessitate that it will be. It can also be used in past tense to mean that the possibility of it occurring in the past was likely or that there is knowledge that the subject was definitely capable of completing the action. When used to frame the predicate of a question, it has the effect of asking for permission.

hoi ılık fos noyo lı dës dëko, ü noyo köi dëko bı xön ëto. Before I was blind, I could see very well.

noyo goniso fos niün köi tüu nı hön fos niün fölun bı hokiki. I think he could do it if he really wanted to.

noyo xiwon xe köi lı xikö ze. I wish I could fly!

noyo köi yön öntön tetëk mulö bı ilxizuk ko. Could I borrow your coat?

noyo köi sıtyo hoı ulyö ko. May I sit there?

mocko yë umo Xılödingu köi lı gö yodo köi lı yök gö hoi dıbo dinci. Schrödinger's cat may or may not be in the box

nimü köi köto si bı sëlöhö yë bökbün You might have warned me about the thunderstorm.

noyo köi lı lö müt köndodü onö lëkın noyo göcidon si yök bı öhël. I might go to the party, but I haven't decided yet.

noyo köi lı gö hoi sıtyo küldü lëkin noyo bı möcibo fölun fos wëilun müt noyo mıslı umo wohi. I might be in a wheelchair, but I still want to be treated as a lady.

noyo köi gomi biek botuk süwit fëlcin. Might I take the last biscuit?

nü köi buswen fın xe lı len eswen yoüti ci. Yeah, I think we might need something a bit sturdier.

nimü köi tenkin ulyö ko. Can you hear that?

niün köi köto tö hiskünco Ingulıc, Vulonsë, ün Döic. She can speak English, French, and German.

Conditional (what would be)​

The conditional verb marker (bit) indicates that the predicate occurring is dependent on some other circumstance that is either explicitly described or implied.

hön fos noyo bit lı bilüs hoi xe köntësto oxon yoküntik, ü noyo bit cüdo fun düi muni müt küngiyo yöüli. If I won the lottery, I would give half the money to charity.

noyo bit yübik xe lı lö monodo. I would love to come and visit.

küu dëko biek süwit yë sobölë xön ëto ze. noyo bit mokon möi ulyö bı mülü ze. Look at that yummy cake! I would eat that all up!

noyo müt nimü bit sölü xe sityo bı koli. I would ask you all to sit down.

noyo müt goniso fos niün lı si cok bı ılık. I would imagine that they have already left.

hön fos niün lı köxentë yë mefüs ü niün bit bunyentoc si xe besol zınkon onö. He's very security-conscious, so he would have remembered to lock the door.

niün bit lı gö hoi sınsi Lundun bı ibüdü cokyen. They would be arriving in London round about now.

The different conditional classifications of English

In English, conditionals are broken down into four types. These different types are created with different tenses and auxiliaries in English and a similar differentiation of syntax occurs in what markers you use in Hisyëö. Regardless of what marker is on the consequent clause, the antecedent clause always uses a conditional verb marker (bit).

Implicative (Zero Conditional)​

These conditionals are sentences that express a factual implication instead of a hypothetical or potential future circumstance. This type of conditional does not use the conditional verb marker in the consequent clause and utilizes one of the thematic role markers to mark the antecedent clause. As stated above, the conditional verb marker is present in the antecedent verb phrase.

hön fos gongoxi onö bit öitun, lı mötö hoi boxö yë limien ilë onö. If the alarm goes off, there's a fire somewhere in the building.

hoi fos bit lı xömütlö bökbün, ü noö onö lı cën. When the sea is stormy, the waves are high.

Predictive (First Conditional)​

These conditionals are sentences that regard the consequences of a probable future event. Like the Zero Conditional, they also do not use the conditional verb marker in the consequent clause and utilizes one of the thematic role markers to mark the antecedent clause. The difference from an First Conditional is the use of future tense in the consequent clause. Instead of the future tense marker, you can also use the deontic/imperative marker due to the added future meaning that is present there as well. When using the future tense marker on the consuquent clause, you can also use the perfective marker because it's still in the future just the event has ended or the state has been surpassed.

hön fos niün bit sölü müt noyo, ü noyo ke fohoso bësnëhot niün bı diyondë ëto. If he asks me, I will consider his proposal carefully.

hön fos nimü bit lı ëo foüt, umo ke fısun ëo ölë nimü. If you make a mistake, someone will let you know.

hön fos bit lı hüzon cıhoü lono mutyu öfo, küu lı lö müt boxö noyo. If it rains this afternoon, come round to my place!

hön fos nimü bit lı cok hoi ibüdü, ü nimü ke doicël oütö kiskö nimü löicök. If you leave now, you will still catch your train.

Hypothetical (Second Conditional)​

These conditionals are sentences used to describe hypothetical, and typically counterfactual, situations in the present or future tense. These sentences do use the conditional verb marker (bit) on the consequent clause. To encode a future tense on the consequent clause, you can either just drop to the First Conditional or use an adverb phrase with mile. Unlike in English, there's no need to encode the past tense (subjunctive) on the antecedent clause.

hön fos noyo bit süko köndodü, ü noyo bit lı gö hoi eswen niün. If I liked parties, I would attend more of them.

hön fos bit lı hüzon hoi lono uklo, ü umo bit lı cıfulo hoi titon onö. If it rained tomorrow, people would dance in the street.

hön fos nimü bit lı cok bı ibüdü, ü nimü bit doicël oütö kiskö nimü löicök. If you left now, you would still catch your train.

Past Hypothetical (Third Conditional)​

These conditionals are sentences used to describe hypothetical, and typically counterfactual, situations in the past tense. Like the Second Conditional, the consequent clause is using the conditional verb marker (bit) but in addition to that, it is also using either the perfective marker or another thematic constituent is indicating that this clause is in the past tense.

hön fos nimü bit xokülü si noyo, ü noyo bit lı si lö. If you had called me, I would have come.

niün bit lı si bilüs hön fos noyo bit lı si yöüli müt niün ko. Would he have succeeded if I had helped him?

Mixed Conditional​

These conditionals are a mixture of the second and third classifications. Either the antecedent or the consequent clause, but not both, has a past time reference. When the antecedent clause refers to the past, but the consequent clause to the present, the condition clause is in the like that of the Third conditional, while the main clause is like that of the Second conditional. When the consequent clause refers to the past, but the antecedent clause is not expressed as being limited to the past, the antecedent clause is expressed as in the Second Conditional, while the main clause is like the Third Conditional.

hön fos nimü bit tüu si wëloı bı dündon, nü bit yünyoü yök ixölö öfo bı ibüdü. If you had done your job properly, we wouldn't be in this mess now.

hön fos noyo bit lı si ëo hünsüon ölë umo Keli, noyo bit niwos yök hoi küöcyo Elvu bı ibüdü. If I hadn't married Kelly, I wouldn't be living in Scotland now.

hön fos nü bit lı umo güexo bı öhël, nü bit tüu si yök nı mıslı ulyö. If we were soldiers, we wouldn't have done it like that.

Deontic (what should be)​

To indicate that something should be or ought to be, you would use the deontic verb marker (küu). It indicates that the true state of things (realis) doesn't match what the speaker expects, believes or desires. A sentence with the deontic verb marker generally indicates what action should be taken to rectify the state of things.

noyo küu lı yöüli müt nimü. I ought to help you.

nü küu lı lö ze. Let's go!

küu gomi oksün ulyö. Don't take that meat.

ü yübik noyo küu lı gö ofek nimü lötfen. May my love be with you.

Future​

There is a form of verbal preposition that is on a slightly different dimension from the realis/irrealis verb markers above. Instead of delineating the mood of the sentence, this marker indicates that the predicate will occur in the future. This marker (ke) indicates what linguists call the future tense.

umo Zon ke lı cok hoı bıtün öfo. John is going to leave tonight.

noyo ke golo tömös onö. I will/shall read the book

nü küu fohoso ulyö, nü ke tüu ko.  Let us examine that, shall we?

kut yë umo kölmüdul ke monodo nimü hoi lono uklo. One of our salesmen will visit you tomorrow.

From...​

Converting from the other content types into verbs isn't possible.

Nouns​

A noun cannot act as a verb, it must be provided with the subject complement marker (lı). This is called a noun complement. The subject is being described as being some noun. This has the effect of meaning "is a [noun]" in English.

Modifiers​

A modifier cannot act as a verb, it must be provided with the subject complement marker (lı). This is called an adjective complement. The subject is being described as being some adjective (in some state). This has the effect of meaning "is [adjective]" in English.

Verb Modifiers​

There are three verb modifiers that can be mixed-and-matched in a verb phrase. They always follow the verb itself (not the verb marker) and they precede the direct object. The verb marker and the set of verb modifiers circumfix the verb.

Negatitive​

The negatitive verb modifier (yök) turns the verb phrase into the negated version of itself. In English, this is the "not" adverb.

hön xe yök züyı ozüul yonlüs, noyo lı si lö bı föhon. Not knowing any better, I went ahead.

nimü buswen yök xe xontün cızi. You don’t need to trouble yourself.

mötifö yöcno lı yök xe funsüt. The objective is not to lose.

küu tüu yök ulyö. Don't do that.

Causative​

The causative verb modifier (ëo) turns the verb phrase into the causative version of itself. In English, this is often accomplished using the "to have" or "to make" helper verb but sometimes there is a completely separate verb for the causative version of an action.

noyo ölë nıwos zonwul lı ëo mötö müt xünyu. I had the barn burned down.

nimü ölë niün boifön ëo nonto. You're making them cry.

umo Zon ke wëko ëo si fecko longı hoi nıwos niün. John will have his house painted.

öni bëüdo fohoso ëo si dënëmëk kon cukto niün. The students get their essays checked.

öni cüdo yë cigilsu ölë öni diyondë ke xokülü ëo öni cigilsu. The doctor will have the nurse call the patients.

Perfective​

The perfective verb modifier (si) turns the verb phrase into the perfective version of itself. This describes the action as being a complete whole in contrast to the imperfective aspect (the default) of verbs which is describes the event from a moment adjacent or within the whole action's duration, a perspective from a single point along the entire occurrence. There is no equivalent helper verb in English, sometimes the verb used to describe a whole action is completely different from the verb used to describe the action in the imperfective aspect.

noyo xüsten oütö. I wash the car.

noyo bı öhël xüstën oütö. I was washing the car.

noyo xüstën si oütö. I washed the car.

noyo bı öhël xüstën si oütö. I had washed the car.

noyo ke xüstën oütö. I shall wash the car.

noyo ke xüstën si oütö. I will have washed the car.