Copulas §
Kaitag has three copula series, which roughly mean "to be", "to have", and "to still have".
| Cheatsheet | |
| ✅ | ❎ |
| ++чяй це++ --is tea-- | ++чяй акку++ --is not tea-- |
| ++чяй ди++ --there's tea-- | ++чяй дейкку++ --no tea-- |
| ++чяй дел++ --tea left-- | ++чяй адел++ --no more tea-- |
Glossary
| ++ду, дила++ | --I, my-- |
| ++и, ила++ | --you, your-- |
| ++ниса++ | --we-- |
| ++чяй++ | --tea-- |
| ++ҡил++ | --at home-- |
| ++разил++ | --glad/happy-- |
| ++тухтур++ | --doctor-- |
| ++рирси++ | --girl/daughter-- |
| ++улшун++ | --working-- |
Facts §
| I, we | you (sg.) | you | he, she, it, they | |
| present | ++да++ | ++де++ | ++да++ | ++це++ |
| past | ++де++ |
The basic series corresponds to "to be" and mainly used for:
Stating a fact:
- ++ду тухтур да++
--I am a doctor-- - ++и рирси де++
--you are a girl-- - ++дила чяй це++
--[that] is my tea--
- ++ду тухтур да++
Expressing a state, often via adverbs:
- ++ду улшун да++
--I am working-- - ++ниса разил де++
--we were glad-- - ++рирси ҡил це++
--daughter is at home--
- ++ду улшун да++
Attention
The form ++де++ is the used for both the 2nd singular and the past.
Note
Instead of ++це++ many villages use the old form ++цаби++ with class agreement. Its application is somewhat different and we don't consider it here for simplicity.
Negation §
The negative counterparts, "to be not":
| I, we | you (sg.) | you | he, she, it, they | |
| present | ++аккод++ | ++аккотте++ | ++аккотта++ | ++акку++ |
| past | ++аччу++ |
- ++ду тухтур аккод++
--I am not a doctor-- - ++и разил аккотте++
--you are not happy-- - ++дила машин аччу++
--[that] wasn't my car--
Presence §
[table]
There are two important things:
- The copula follows class-person agreement, which you can play with using the buttons under the table. Note that 1st & 2nd person plurals always use class ++д-++.
- We add "to be" forms ++да++ & ++де++ to show the person & time agreement, except for the 3rd person present. The other copulas follow this as well.
We use this series for presence & possession:
- ++тухтур ви++
--[there] is a doctor-- - ++дила рирси ри++
--I have a daughter (i.e. there's my daughter)-- - ++ҡил чяй ди де++
--[there] was tea at home--
And also for additional emphasis on a particular moment:
- ++машин ҡил би++
--the car is [currently] at home-- - ++ниса дулшун ди да++
--we are working [right now]--
Absence §
The negative counterparts are irregular and have classes as well:
[table]
They convey absence:
- ++и ҡил вейккотте++
--you are not at home-- - ++дила машин бейкку++
--I don't have a car-- - ++ҡил чяй дейччу++
--[there] was no tea at home--
Note
Some villages use the variants with ++-а-++: ++байкку++, ++дайккод++, ++вайччу++, etc.
Availability §
[table]
The third series could mean "still" or even the perfect continious tense:
- ++ниса ҡил дел да++
--we are still at home-- - ++дила машин бел++
--I still have a car (i.e. my car still is)-- - ++тухтур улшун вел++
--the doctor has been working--
It's negated via the regular verbal prefix ++а-++:
- ++дила машин абел++
--I no longer have a car-- - ++ҡил чяй адел де++
--[there] was no more tea at home--
Note
In speech the prefixed form is pronounced as "ebel" due to the vowel assimilation. It happens with verbs as well.