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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 pıtün cokyen övo. What time are we eating this evening?

vonolon lunsol ipüwë 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 vos noyo lı dës dëko, ü noyo köi dëko pı xön ëto. Before I was blind, I could see very well.

noyo goniso vos niün köi tüu nı hön vos niün völun pı 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 pı 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 dıpo dinci. Schrödinger's cat may or may not be in the box

nimü köi köto si pı sëlöhö yë pökpün You might have warned me about the thunderstorm.

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

noyo köi lı gö hoi sıtyo küldü lëkin noyo pı möcipo völun vos 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 piek potuk süwit vëlcin. Might I take the last biscuit?

nü köi puswen vın 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 vio hiskünco Ingulıc, Vulonsë, ün Döic. She can speak English, French, and German.

Conditional (what would be)​

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

hoi lono kut yë poxö kon pëüdo ü noyo monodo umo wohi xe pit di hünsüon noyo. On my first day at University, I met the woman who would become my wife.

hön vos noyo lı pilüs hoi xe köntësto oxon yoküntik, ü noyo pit cüdo vun düi muni müt küngiyo yöüli. If I won the lottery, I would give half the money to charity.

noyo pit yüpik xe lı lö monodo. I would love to come and visit.

küu dëko piek süwit yë sopölë xön ëto ze. noyo pit mokon möi ulyö pı mülü ze. Look at that yummy cake! I would eat that all up!

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

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

niün lı köxentë yë mevüs oxon vos niün pit punyentoc si xe pesol zınkon. He's very security-conscious, so he would have remembered to lock the door.

niün pit lı gö hoi sınsi Lundun pı ipüdü cokyen. They would be arriving in London round about now.

The different conditional classifications of English

In English, conditionals are broken down into types known as zero conditional, first conditional (or conditional I), second conditional (or conditional II), third conditional (or conditiona III), and mixed conditional. These different types are created with different tenses and auxiliaries in English and a similar differentiation of syntax occurs in Hisyëö.

  • Zero conditional: These conditionals are sentences that express a factual implication instead of a hypothetical or potential future circumstance. They do not use the conditional verb marker and either utilize the context marker (hön) or the time marker (hoi) to indicate the condition.

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

hön vos nimü lı ëo voüt, umo vısun ëo ölë nimü. If you make a mistake, someone lets you know.

  • First conditional: These conditionals are sentences thot regard the consequences of a probable future event. They also do not use the conditional verb marker and utilize the context marker (hön) or the time marker (hoi) to indicate the condition. The difference from Zero conditional sentences is the use of future tense in the consequence. You can also use the perfective marker (si) or an imperative (küu) on the consequence.

hön vos niün sölü müt noyo, noyo ke vohoso pësnëhot niün pı diyondë ëto. If he asks me, I will consider his proposal carefully.

hön vos nimü lı ëo voüt, umo ke vısun ëo ölë nimü. If you make a mistake, someone will let you know.

hoi hüzon yë lono mutyu cıhöü küu lı lö müt poxö noyo. If it rains this afternoon, come round to my place!

hön vos nimü lı cok ipüdü, nimü ke monodo If you leave now, you will still catch your train.

  • Second conditional: These conditionals are sentences used to describe hypothetical, and typically counterfactual, situations in the present or future tense.

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

hön vos lı hüzon hoi lono uklo, ü umo pit lı cıvulo hoi titon. If it rained tomorrow, people would dance in the street.

hön vos nimü lı cok pı ipüdü, ü nimü pı guvıs pit doicël oütö kiskö nimü. If you left now, you would still catch your train.

  • Third conditional: These conditionals are sentences used to describe hypothetical, and typically counterfactual, situations in the past tense. The condition clause is in the past perfect and the consequence is in conditional perfect.

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

niün pit lı si pilüs hön vos noyo lı si yöüli müt niün. Would he have succeeded if I had helped him?

  • Mixed conditional: These conditionals are a mixture of the second and third classifications. Either the condition or the consequence, but not both, has a past time reference. When the condition refers to the past, but the consequence to the present, the condition clause is in the past perfect (as with the Third conditional), while the main clause is in the conditional mood (as in the Second conditional). When the consequence refers to the past, but the condition is not expressed as being limited to the past, the condition clause is expressed as in the second conditional (past, but not past perfect), while the main clause is in the conditional perfect (as in the third conditional).

hön vos nimü tüu si wëloı pı dündon, nü pit yünyoü yök ixölö övo pı ipüdü. If you had done your job properly, we wouldn't be in this mess now.

hön vos noyo lı si ëo hünsüon ölë umo Keli, noyo pit niwos yök hoi küöcyo Elvu pı ipüdü. If I hadn't married Kelly, I wouldn't be living in Scotland now.

hön vos nü lı umo güexo pı ılik, nü pit 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 could 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 yüpik noyo küu lı gö ovek nimü lötven. 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 pıtün övo. John is going to leave tonight.

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

nü küu vohoso 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 a modifier complement. The subject is being described as being some modifier (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 pı vöhon. Not knowing any better, I went ahead.

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

mötivö yöcno lı yök xe vunsüt. 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 poivön ëo nonto. You're making them cry.

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

öni pëüdo vohoso 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 p'ılık xüstën oütö. I was washing the car.

noyo xüstën si oütö. I washed the car.

noyo p'ılık 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.