< Mirad Grammar

Determiners

Determiners are words that specify or point out the context of nouns and other parts of speech. The English determiner this, for example, specifies a noun for its proximity to the current context.

Types of Determiners

Determiners in Mirad fall into the following categories:
Types of Determiners
TYPEENGLISH EXAMPLES
Quantitativemore, less, very
Numericalone, half, first
Deicticthe, this, some, every, which?, when
Pronominalmy, anybody's, one's own
Furthermore, as for part of speech, determiners can be adjectives, pronouns, or adverbs. As adjectives, determiners can itemize or classify. As pronouns, they can refer to one or more persons (male or female) or things. As adverbs, they can specify time, place, degree, kind, age, frequency, and so forth.

Quantitative Determiners

Quantitative determiners act in one of several ways, they:
  • specify mass, uncountable, singular nouns for relative AMOUNT, eg. much happiness, less work
  • specify countable nouns for relative NUMBER, eg. one apple, two birds, many places
  • specify adverbs, adjectives, and verbs for relative DEGREE, eg. how poorly, very good, eat too much.
From these, pronominalized quantitative determiners for PERSONS and THINGS can be derived.
  • Inanimate singular pronouns are formed by adding s for AN AMOUNT OF A THING
  • Inanimate plural pronouns are formed by adding si for A NUMBER OF THINGS
  • Animate plural pronouns are formed by adding ti for A NUMBER OF PERSONS.
The following table presents most of these word forms:
Quantitative Determiners
ADVERB / ADJECTIVESINGULAR INANIMATE PRONOUNPLURAL INANIMATE PRONOUNPLURAL ANIMATE PRONOUN
DEGREE: How...(big / quickly)?
AMOUNT: How much...(money)?
NUMBER: How many...(books)?
AMOUNT: How much...(+ STUFF)?NUMBER: How many...(+ THINGS)?NUMBER: How many...(+ PEOPLE)?
ga....moregas....more (stuff)gasi....many (things)gati....many (people)
ge....as, as much, as manyges....as much (stuff)gesi....as many (things)geti....as many people
go....less, fewergos....less (stuff)gosi....fewer (things)goti....fewer (people)
gla....very, much, many
glay....so, so much, so many
glas....much (stuff)
glays....so much stuff)
glasi....many (things)
glaysi....so many (things)
glati....many (people)
glayti....so many (people)
gle....rather, quite a lot, quite a fewgles....quite a lot (of stuff)glesi....quite a lot (of things)qleti....quite a few (people)
glo....slightly, a little, fewglos....a little bitglosi....a few (things)gloti....few (people)
gra....too, too much, too manygras....too much (stuff)grasi....too many (things)grati....too many (people)
gre....enoughgres....enough (stuff)gresi....enough (things)greti....enough (people)
gro....insufficiently, too little, too fewgros....too littlegrosi....too fewgroti....too few (people)
gwa....mostgwas....the most (stuff)gwasi....the most (things)gwati....most people
gwe....just so (much/many)gwes....just so muchgwesi....just so manygweti....just so many (people)
gwo....leastgwos....the least (stuff)gwosi....the least (number of)gwoti....the least number (of people)
Examples Using Quantitative Determiners
Adverbs of degree modifying an adjective:
  • At se gla iva.....I am very happy.
  • Et sa gra uga.....You were too slow.
Adverbs of Degree modifying another adverb:
  • Twobi dale ge igay vyel toybi.....Men talk as fast as women.
  • Yat yexe ga igay vyel yet.....We work faster (= more quickly) than you.
Adjectives quantifying a singular mass noun:
  • Ga nas efwo.....More money will be needed.
  • Gra nas noxwa.....Too much money was spent.
Adjectives quantifying a plural countable noun (= things or people):
  • At ayse gro sari.....I've got too few tools.
  • Gla tami osexwa.....Many houses were destroyed.
  • Yat efe gla ga valdibuti.....We need many more policemen.
Pronouns referring to a mass amount of something (= stuff):
  • Gas ilokeye.....More (stuff) is leaking.
  • Et dileye gras.....You are asking for too much (stuff).
  • Yat kexo gwas.....We will seek as much (stuff) as possible.
  • At iba gwes.....I received just the right amount.
Pronouns referring to a countable number of things:
  • Hisi se fia oy yat fe gasi.....These (items) are good but we want more (items).
  • At teate drilari oy grosi.....I see pens, but too few.
Pronouns referring to a countable number of people:
  • Grati xaye vyosi be hia yexem.....Too many (people) have made mistakes at this work site.
  • Glati dyunwe oy gloti kebiwe.....Many are called but few are chosen.

Numerical Determiners

Numerical determiners are number words that modify nouns, such as one, fifty, a hundred. They are based on the cardinal numbers, which are explained here:

Cardinal Numerals

The cardinal numerals are words used in counting. These words are based on the vowels of Mirad and are crucial to any hierarchical or scalar ordering of lexical concepts.
  • The unit cardinal numbers are formed from the plain and pre-y-glided vowels:
Unit Cardinal Numbers
0123456789
oaeiuyoyayeyiyu
zeroonetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnine
The cardinal numerals 5-9 are pre-y-glided versions of the vowels that constitute 0-4.

Ordinal Vowels

  • The cardinal numerals are used as ordinal vowels in word-building. An example is the the word mer (planet). Here, the cardinal numbers are added as a secondary ordinal vowel to the stem vowel to create the names of the planets in our solar system:
Planet names
MONTHSECONDARY
ORDINAL
VOWEL
NUMERIC
VALUE
mear....Mercurya1
meer....Venuse2
meir....Earthi3
meur....Marsu4
meyor....Jupiteryo5
meyar....Saturnya6
meyer....Uranusye7
meyir....Plutoyi8
(See more on this in the section on Vocabulary Formation.
  • The cardinal numerals are also used in counting, for example, at a sports countdown.
  • The cardinal numerals are employed in reciting telephone numbers and addresses, for example:
Ata yibdalar sag se 703-842-6190 (pronounced: ye-o-i-yi-u-e-ya-a-yu-o).....My telephone number is....
At tambese 114 Maple Street. (pronouned: a-a-u Maple Street)
  • They are further used in mathematical operations. For example:
E gab e se u.....Two plus two is four.

Units

To make the unit numerals more understandable in contexts such as counting, arithmetic, and telephone communications, the unit formant wa is added to them. The wa formant is added only when the unit numbers stand alone, not in conjunction with higher numerals, such as the teens, hundreds, etc. More importantly, the numbers 0-9, when used as adjectival numerical determiners modifying nouns, MUST take this wa formant (see the section below on Integral Numerical Determiners.
Unit Numerals with wa Formant
0123456789
owaawaewaiwauwayowayawayewayiwayuwa
zeroonetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnine

Decades

  • The decade formant l + o....zero is used to form the decades, seen below:
Decades with the -l- Formant
102030405060708090
aloeloilouloyoloyaloyeloyiloyulo
tentwentythirtyfortyfiftysixtyseventyeightyninety
By changing the o....zero in lo to other cardinal unit numerals, the numerals within decades can be generated as follows:
Decadal Counting
aloeloilouloyoloyaloyeloyiloyulo
ala....11ela....21ila....31ula....41yola....51yala....61yela....71yila....81yula....91
ale....12ele....22ile....32ule....42yole....52yale....62yele....72yile....82yule....92
...........................
alyu....19elyu....29ilyu....39ulyu....49yolyu....59yalyu....69yelyu....79yilyu....89yulyu....99

Hundreds

  • By adding the hundreds formant s, you get the hundreds:
Hundreds with the -s- Formant
100200300400500600700800900
asoesoisousoyosoyasoyesoyisoyuso
All the numerals in-between the hundreds, can be generated by modifying the so ending, for example:
  • asa....101
  • asale....112
  • usyulyu....199

Thousands

  • The thousands are generated with the formant r:
NOTE: The number categories starting with the thousands on up end in -o and are separated from the rest of a number by a space.
Thousands
100020003000400050006000700080009000
aroeroirouroyoroyaroyeroyiroyuro
  • aro....1,000
  • aro a....1,001
  • ero isi....2,300
  • yoro yasula....5,641

Millions

  • The millions are generated with the formant ml:
Millions with the -ml- Formant
1000,0002000,0003000,0004000,0005000,0006000,0007000,0008000,0009000,000
amloemloimloumloyomloyamloyemloyimloyumlo
  • emlo yala....2,000,051
  • umlo esu....4,000,204

Billions

  • The billions are generated with the formant mr;
Billions
1000,000,00002000,000,00003000,000,00004000,000,00005000,000,00006000,000,00007000,000,00008000,000,00009000,000,0000
amroemroimroumroyomroyamroyemroyimroyumro
  • imro emlo yoro asyula....three billion, two million, five thousand, one hundred fifty one
  • iro asyulyo....3,195
  • yamlo asyulyo....6,000,195
  • alomro yelyomlo asyilyaro yusele....10,075,186,922

Trillions etc.

The trillions are generated with the word garale, which means 10 to the positive power of 12 or 10+10.
The trillionths are generated with the word gorale, which means 10 to the negative power of 12 or 10-10.
  • iwa garale aoti....three trillion people
  • uwa goraleni bi ha mor....three trillionths of the universe
Even higher numbers are shown in the chart in the next section.

Overall Numbers Chart

The following chart shows the entire Mirad number scheme:
RADICAL
CARDINAL ADJECTIVE
MULTIPLE
PREFIX
ORDINAL ADJECTIVE
MULTIPLE
ENTITY
MULTIPLE
PERSON
MULTIPLE
ADJECTIVE
MULTIPLE
VERB
FRACTION
NOUN
FRACTION
PREFIX
FRACTION
ADJECTIVE
FRACTION
VERB
o
zero
owa
zero
on-
null-, non-
oa
zeroth
oon
nonentry
oot
nonperson

onxer
nullify




a
one
awa
one
an-
uni-,
mono-
haplo-,
singul-
solo-, one-
aa
first, 
primary
aon
unit,
monad
aot
individual
aona
unitary,
haplo-
aonxer
unify
ayn
whole
ayn-
holo-
ayna
whole
aynxer
integrate
e
two
ewa
two
en-
di-, du-,bi-, bin-, bis-, dupli-, diplo-
dis-
ea
second
eon
pair,
dyad,
duplex
eot
couple, 
duo,
twin
eona
double,
two-fold,
binary
eonxer
double, duplicate
eyn
half
eyn-
semi-, 
demi-, 
half-. 
hemi-

eyna
half
eynxer
halve,
cut in two
i
three
iwa
three
in-
tri-, triplo-, tris-
ia
third,
terciary
ion
triple,
triad
iot
trio,
threesome, triplet
iona
triple,
three-fold
ionxer
triple, triplicate
iyn
third
iyn-
terci-,
trient-
ter-, tern-
iyna
third
iynxer
cut three way
u
four
uwa
four
un-
quadri-,
tetra-, tetraplo-
ua
fourth, quaternary
uon
quartet,
tetrad
uot
quartet, foursome, quadruplet
uona
four-fold,
quadruple
uonxer
quadruple
uyn
quarter, fourth
uyn-
quater-, quadrant-
uyna
quarter
uynxer
quarter,
cut four ways
yo
five
yowa
five
yoon-
quinti-
penta-, pentaplo-
yoa
fifth
yoon
quintet,
pentad
yoot
quintet
fivesome, quintuplet
yoona
five-fold, 
quintuple
yoonxer
quintuple
yoyn
fifth
yoyn-
quinti-
yoyna
fifth
yoynxer
cut five ways
ya
six
yawa
six
yaon-
sexa-
hexa-
hexaplo-
yaa
sixth
yaon
sextet,
hexad
yaot
sextet,
sextuple, sextuplet
yaona
six-fold, sextant-
yaonxer
sextuple
yayn
sixth
yayn-
sextant-, sext-
yayna
sixth
yaynxer
cut six ways
ye
seven
yewa
seven
yeon-
septa-,
hepta-
yea
seventh
yeon
septet,
hectad
yeot
septet,
septuple
yeona
seven-fold
septuple
yeonxer
septuple
yeyn
seventh
yeyn-
septant-
yeyna
seventh
yeynxer
cut seven ways
yi
eight
yiwa
eight
yion-
octi-,
octa-, octaplo-
yia
eighth
yion
octet,
octad
yiot
octet,
octuplet, octuplet
yiona
eight-fold, octuple
yionxer
octuple
yiyn
eighth
yiyn-
octant-
yiyna
eighth
yiynxer
cut eight ways
yu
nine
yuva
nine
yuon-
novi-
nona-, enneaplo-
yua
ninth
yuon
nonad
yuot
nonet, nonuplet
yuona
nine-fold
yuonxer
nonuple
yuyn
ninth
yuyn-
nonant-
novi-

yuyna
ninth
yuynxer
cut nine ways
-l-
tens
alo
ten
gara
alon-
deci-
deca-
gara-
aloa
tenth
alon
decade
alot
group of ten,decimvirate
alona
ten-fold
alonxer
multiply
by ten
aloyn
tenth
aloyn-
deci-
gora-
aloyna
tenth
aloynxer
decimate
-s-
hundreds

aso
hundred
gare
ason-
hecto-
gare-
asoa
hundred
ason
century,
hundred-fold
asot
hectad,
group of
a hundred
asona
hundred-fold
asonxer
multiply by a hundred
aoyn
cent, percent
hundredth
asoyn-
centi-
gore-
asoyna
hundredth
asoynxer
cut into hundredths
-r-
thousands
aro
thousand

gari
aron-
kilo-,
gari-
aroa
thousandth
aron
millennium,
thousand-fold
arot
group of a thousand
arona
thousand-fold
aronxer
multiply by a thousand
aroyn
thousanth
aroyn-
milli-
gori-
aroyna
thousanth
aroynxer
cut into thousanths
-ms-
millions
amso
million
garya
amson-
mega-
garya-
amsoa
millionth
amson
million-fold,
myriad
amsot
myriad
amsona
million-fold
amsonxer
multiply by a million
amsoyn
millionth
amsoyn-
micro-
gorya
amsoyna
millionth
amsoynxer
cut into millionths
-mr-
billions
amro
billion
garyu
amro-
giga-
garyu-
amroa
billionth
amron
billiion-fold
amrot
group of a billion people
amrona
billion-fold
amronxer
multiply by a billion

amsoyn
billionth
amroyn-
peta-
goryu
amroyna
billionth
amroynxer
cut into billionths

garale
trillion
garale-
tera-
garalea
trillionth





goralen
a trillionth
gorale-
pico-




garalyo
quadrillion
galalyo-
peta
garalyoa
quadrillionth





goralyon
a quadrillionth
goralyo-
femto-



garalyi
quintillion
garalyi-
exa-
garalyia
quintillionth



goralyin
a quintillionth
goralyi-
atto-



garela
sextillion
garela-
zetta
garelaa
sextillionth



gorelan
a sextillionth
gorela-
zepto-



garelu
septiliion
gaelu-
yotta
garelua
septillionth



gorelun
a septillionth
gorelu-
yocto-


Integral Numerical Determiners

Integral Numerical Determiners are adjectives based on whole numerals that modify a following noun.
The unit integral numerals are combined with the formant wa to form the first ten numerical determiners that are used to quantify a noun. The noun following the numerical determiner is plural if the number is greater than one. The wa formant is used on unit numerals when they are stand-alone, not when they are part of a larger number. Unlike English, "zero" is followed by a singular noun.
Unit Integral Numerical Determiners
owa tamawa tamewa tamiiwa tamiuwa tami
no/zero housesone housetwo housesthree housesfour houses
yowa tamiyawa tamiyewa tamiyiwa tamiyuwa tami
five housessix housesseven houseseight housesnine houses
In a sequence of noun modifiers, the numerical determiner goes in the same place as in English, eg:
  • Ata iwa gajaga twidi.......My three older brothers...
Numerical Determiners in Use
MiradEnglishWa BehaviorPluralization Behavior
owa tamno houses, zero housesThe numeral is a unit,
so wa is suffixed.
The numeral is less than 2,
so the noun is singular.
awa tamone house, a house""
ewa tamitwo houses"The numeral is greater than 2,
so the noun is plural.
iwa tamithree houses""
uwa tamifour houses""
yowa tamifive houses""
yawa tamisix houses""
yewa tamiseven houses""
yiwa tamieight houses""
yuwa taminine houses""
alo tamiten housesThe numeral is not a unit
so no wa is suffixed.
"
ase tamia hundred two houses""
ero iwa tamitwo thousand three housesThe numeral i is a unit,
so wa is suffixed.
"
iro alo tamithree thousand ten housesThe numeral alo is not a unit,
so wa is not suffixed.
"
Integral numerical determiners can be pronominalized as things and persons by suffixing s or t, respectively. These can, in turn, be pluralized by suffixing i. Furthermore, person pronouns can be feminized with a y before the t. The s suffix is short for sun....thing or suni....things. The t ending is short for aut....person or auti....persons. For example:
  • Et ayse awa tam. At gey ayse awas (= awa sun).....You have one house. I have one too.
  • At aysa alo dresari. Hij at ayse anay ewasi (= ewa suni).....I had ten pencils. Now I only have two.
  • Esa asoti (= aso auti) yeb ha duzam.There were a hundred people in the concert hall.
  • Yat yefe kebier eluyti (= elu auyti) bi huti.....We must choose twenty-four females from those people.

Ordinal Numerical Determiners

Ordinal numerical determiners like first, second, etc. are formed from the cardinal numerals by adding the adjectival ending a to the cardinal numeral.
Ordinal Determiners
Cardinal NumeralOrdinal Numerical Determiner
o....zerooa....zeroth
a....oneaa....first
e....twoea....second
i....threeia....third
alo....tenaloa....tenth
asu....104asua....104th
garale....trilliongaralea....trillionth
The word nap....order can be inserted in these words to make them more comprehensible in speech:
  • anapa....first, first in order, primary
  • enapa....second, second in order, secondary
  • inapa....third, third in order, tertiary
  • alanapa....eleventh, eleventh in order
There are other ordinal adjectives that are not based on numbers:
  • ijna....initial, first, original
  • ujna....last, final
  • ajna....past, ex-, former, old
  • ojna....future
  • ejna....current, new, present
  • jana....previous, last
  • jona....next, following
Ordinal numerical determiners and adjectives can be converted into adverbs by adding the suffix y to the adjectival counterparts:
Ordinal Adverbs
AdjectiveAdverb
aa....firstaay....firstly
anapa....firstanapay....primarily
ea....secondeay....secondly
ujna....lastujnay....finally
Ordinal numerical determiners can be converted to animate pronouns (persons) with the suffix t and inanimate pronouns (things) with the suffix s. These, in turn, can be pluralized with the suffix i. The person pronouns can also be feminized.
  • ha aas....the first thing
  • ha aat....the first person
  • ha aati....the first people
  • hua aayt....that first female
  • ha eas....the second thing
  • eat....another / a second person
  • ha ujnati so ha ijnati....the last shall be first
Again, in the sequencing of stacked adjectival elements, the order is as in English, that is: <deictic or pronominal determiner> | <ordinal numerical determiner> | <cardinal numerical determiner> | <adjective>
  • hua uwa aga tami....those four big houses
  • ha aa alo oga tami....the first ten little houses
  • ata anapa ewa oga toboti....my first two little children

Fractional Numerical Determiners

Fractional numerical determiners like half and quarter are formed by adding -yn for those functioning as nouns, -yna for adjectives, -ynay for adverbs, or -yn for prefixes, to the respective cardinal number.
Fractional Numerical Determiners
CARDINAL NUMERALFRACTION AS NOUNAS ADJECTIVEAS ADVERBAS PREFIXAS VERB
o....zerooyn....a void, vacuumoyna....non-existant--oy(n)-....devoid ofoynxer....annihilate
a....oneayn....whole
ha ayn....the whole
ayna....entire, wholeaynay....entirelyay(n)-....holo-, whole-, all-aynxer....integrate
e....twoeyn....a halfeyna....halfeynay....halfwayey(n)-....half-, semi-, hemi-, demi-eynxer....halve
i....threeiyn....a thirdiyna....thirdiynay....by a thirdiy(n)-....terci-iynxer....cut in third
u....fouruyn....a quarteruyna....quarteruynay....quarterlyuy(n)-....quadri-uynxer....quarter
alo....tenaloyn....a tenthaloyna....tenthaloynay....by a tenthaloy(n)-....deci-aloynxer....decimate
aso....hundredasoyn....hundredth, percentasoyna....hundredthasoynay....by a hundredthasoy(n)-....centi-asoynxer....cut by a hundred
Here are some examples:
  • His uxo ha oynxen bi yata mir.....This will cause the anihilation of our world.
  • Ha ayna mir te ayv et.....The whole world knows about you.
  • Has se gas ev ha ayn bi hasa goni.....It is more than the whole of its parts.
  • Fransad se ayn-druna dalyen.....France is a holophrastic language.
  • Et yafe bier eyn.....You can take half.
  • Yat yefo eynxer eta yexnix.....We will have to halve your salary.
  • Hus sa eyn-vyan.....That was a half-truth.
  • Eso eyn-zyunida dropek.....There is going to be a hemispheric war.
  • Duven his se eyn-utexea dopar?....Is this a semi-automatic weapon?
  • Iynxu hua ableyavol.....Cut that pie in thirds.
  • It yeyfe bixwer ay uynxwer.....He should be drawn and quartered.
  • Hia nas se aloyn bi has yat aysa zojab.....This money is a tenth of what we had last year.
  • Ha dep aloynxwu.....The army would be decimated.
  • Ewa asoyni bi ha dityan baksa.....Two percent (=hundredths) of the citizenry got sick.
  • Hia tom se anay asoynge aga vyel hua tom.....This building is only a hundredth as big as that building.
The fractional adverbs can be used as in these examples:
  • Et so aynay dudyefa av eta axi.....You will be wholly accountable for your actions.
  • Iyt eynay tikabeloka.....She almost (=halfway) threw up.
Words like half of it, a third of them:
  • Eynas sa fia.....Half of it was good.
  • Eynasi sa fua.....Half of them (things) were bad.
  • Esa uwa tobi se hua fukyes. Eynati toja.....There were four people in that accident. Half (of them) died.
  • Iynati bi yet se vyasa.....A third of you are right.
  • Uynati bi yat yantexe.....A quarter of us agree.
  • Alo asoynasi bi hia dyesi fyunxwa.....Ten percent of these books were ruined.


Multiplicative Numerical Determiners

Multiplicative numerical determiners like double, triple can be formed by adding -on to the respective cardinal numeral if the numeral is monosyllabic, otherwise just -n. These noun forms can be adjectivized with the suffix -a. They can also serve as prefixes on animate nouns, inanimate nouns, and prefixes, as the following chart shows. The prefix ending, -n is often dropped.
Multiplicative Numerical Determiners
CARDINAL NUMERALMULTIPLE AS NOUN...AS ADJECTIVE...AS ADVERB...AS PREFIX...AS VERB-MAKER
o....zerooon....nulloona....nilon-....zero-onxer....cancel, zero out
a....oneaon....singleaona....singleaonay....singlyan-....uni-/mono-anxer....unify
e....twoeon....twosome, doubleeona....doubleeonay....doublyen-....di-/bi-enxer....double
i....threeion....threesome, tripletiona....tripleionay....triplyin-....tri--inxer....triple
u....fouruon....quartetuona....quadrupleuonay....quadruplyun-....quadri-/tetra-unxer....quadruple
yo....fiveyoon....quintetyoona....quintupleyoonay....quintuplyyoon-*....quinti-/penta-yoonxer*....quintuple
ya....sixyaon....sextetyaona....sextupleyaonay....sextuplyyaon-*....sexi-/hexa-yaonxer*....sextuple
alo....tenalon....decadealona....decadicalonay....by a multiple of tenalon-....deca-alonxer....multiply by ten
aso....hundredason....hundredfoldasona....hundredfoldasonay....by a hundredfoldason-....hecato-asonxer....multiply by a hundred
* An extra o is added to these prefixes to avoid ambiguity with yan meaning together and yon meaning apart.
The multiplicative noun dozen is expressed by aleon.
  • Aleoni bi pati yizpapa.....Dozens of birds flew by.
By adding the suffix -at to the noun multiple, we get groupings of people:
  • aonat....solo, single
  • aonatser....become single
  • aonawat....singleton
  • eonat....duo, pair, twosome, couple
  • eonatser....couple up, copulate
  • eonawat....twin
  • ionat....trio, threesome, trinity
  • Ionatin....Trinitarianism
  • ionawati....triplets
  • uonat....quartet, foursome
  • uonawat....quadruplet
  • yoonat....quintet, group of five people
  • yoonawati....quintuplets
  • yoonati....quintets


By adding the suffix -un instead of -on, we get the following:
  • aun....unit
  • auna....unitary, individual
  • aunser....unite
  • aunyan....series
  • aunyana....serial
  • eun....pair
  • euna....even, paired, binary
  • oleuna....odd, non-binary, uneven, unpaired
  • oleunat....odd man out
  • eunxer....even out
Some examples where the above multiple determiners and derivatives are used:
  • Yat naptyoyapa be eonati yez ha mep.....We marched in twos (= pairs) down the street.
  • Asonati upo bay yat bu is ovdal.....Hundreds (of people) will come with us to this protest.
  • Hia ivxel xwe enyabay.....This celebration happens biennially.
  • Iyt se untubokat.....She is a quadriplegic. (Lit: x 4+limb+loss+person)
  • Diwe sagu ha auni.....Please count the units.
  • Yet gafisa aronay!....You all have improved a thousandfold!
  • Tob se entyoyaba sat.....Man is a bipedal creature.
Note: Sometimes the multiple prefix ending in -on in the numbers below ten is shortened to -n in common words:
  • anzyus....monocycle
  • enzyus....bicycle
  • ingun....triangle
  • ungun....quadrangle
Note: The prefixes for penta-/quinti- and hexa-/sext- must keep the -on so as to distinguish them from the prefixes yon....apart and yan....together.
  • yoongona....quintipartite  BUT: yonper....separate, go apart
  • yaongun....hexagon  BUT: yanuper....meet, come together

Metric Units

Mirad uses the International System of Units|International System of Units (SI) for rendering measurement units. These symbols are pronounced as if you were spelling each letter out (see Mirad Grammar/Phonology and Orthography#Alphabet|the alphabet. Bear in mind that majuscules (uppercase letters are prefaced with the word ag- (big). Similarly, Greek letters are preceded by the word hel-.
SI base units
ENGLISH
UNIT
NAME
SYMBOLIC
ABBREVIATION
QUANTITY
UNIT
MIRAD
PRONUNCIATION
second s time so
meter m length mi
kilogram kg mass ki-ge
ampere A electric current ag-a
kelvin K thermodynamic temperature ag-ki
Mole mol amount of substance mi-o-li
candela cd luminous intensity ca-da
The hyphen in the above "spelled out" words ensure that each syllable gets even stress.
Here are SI derived units with special names and symbols:
SI derived units with special names and symbols
ENGLISH
NAME
SYMBOLIC
WRITTEN
ABBREVIATION
QUANTITY
UNIT
MIRAD
PRONUNCIATION
radian rad plane angle ro-a-da
steradian sr solid angle so-ro
hertz Hz frequency ag-he-zu
newton N force, weight ag-ni
pascal Pa pressure, stress ag-po-a
joule J energy ag-ji
watt W power ag-wu
coulomb C electric charge ag-ca
volt V electrical potential difference ag-vu
farad F capacitance ag-fe
ohm Ω electrical resistance ag-yo
Siemens S electrical conductance ag-so
Weber Wb magnetic flux ag-wu-ba
tesla T magnetic flux density ag-to
henry H inductance ag-he
degree Celsius °C temperature nog-ag-ca
lumen lm luminous flux li-mi
lux lx illuminance li-xu
becquerel Bq radioactivity aga-ba-ko
gray Gy absorbed dose (of ionizing radiation) aga-ge-yu
sievert Sv equivalent dose (of ionizing radiation) aga-so-vu
katal kat catalytic activity ki-a-to
byte b 8 bits of information ba
Also, here are some non-SI units that are very convenient and acceptable:
Convenient non-SI units
ENGLISH
NAME
SYMBOLIC
WRITTEN
ABBREVIATION
QUANTITY
UNIT
MIRAD
PRONUNCIATION
litre L volume ag-lo or litr(i)
hectare ha area he-a or hektar(i)
ton t area to or ton(i)
decibel dB loudness da-ba or decibel(i)
The following chart shows how in Mirad to pronounce coherent derived unit formulae in terms of base units. Note that the backslash means per or divided by and is pronounced gol. The symbol x means times and is pronounced gal. The superscript number is a power and is pronounced gar plus the number (with -wa, if a unit number). The negative superscript number is pronounced gor plus the number (again, with -wa if a unit number). See Arithmetical Expressions for further information on these terms.
Examples of coherent derived units in terms of base units
NAME SYMBOLIC
FORMULA
DERIVED
QUANTITY
TYPICAL
SYMBOL
MIRAD
PRONUNCIATION
square meter m2 area A mi-gar-ewa
cubic meter m3 volume V mi-gar-iwa
meter per second m/s speed, velocity v mi-gol-so
meter per second squared m/s2 acceleration a m-gol-so-gar-ewa
reciprocal meter m−1 wavenumber σ, mi-gor-awa
vergence (optics) V, 1/f
kilogram per cubic meter kg/m3 density ρ ki-ge-gol-mi-gar-iwa
kilogram per square meter kg/m2 surface density ρA ki-ge-gol-mi-gar-ewa
cubic meter per kilogram m3/kg specific volume v mi-gar-iwa-gol-ki-ge
ampere per square meter A/m2 current density j ag-a-gol-mi-gar-ewa
ampere per meter A/m magnetic field strength H ag-a-gol-mi
mole per cubic meter mol/m3 concentration c mi-o-li-gol-mi-gar-iwa
kilogram per cubic meter kg/m3 mass concentration ρ, γ ki-ge-gol-mi-gar-iwa
candela per square meter cd/m2 luminance Lv ca-da-gol-mi-gar-ewa
The SI has a whole list of prefixes that act as multipliers (macro) or dividers (micro) of the above and other measurement units. For example, a kilometer is a meter times a 1,000 (macro unit), whereas a millimeter is a meter divided by a 1,000 (micro unit). Sagon means byte, so garale-sagon is terabyte. This breaks down to 1012 bytes. Here is a table showing the Mirad macro and micro prefixes:

Scalar Metrics
MACROMICRO
BASE
10
US/UK NAMEMIRAD PREFIX....SI PREFIXSI SYMBOLBASE
10
(US/UK NAME)MIRAD PREFIX....SI PREFIXSI SYMBOL
1onean- *... mono-, uni-1/1wholeayn-....holo-, uni-
2twoen-....bi-1/2halfeyn-....demi-, di-
3threein-....tri-1/3thirdiyn-....terci-
4fourun-....tetra-1/4fourthuyn-....quadri-
5fiveyoon- *....penta-1/5fifthyoyn....quinti-
6sixyaon-....hexa-1/6sixthyayn....sexti-
7sevenyeon-....hepta-1/7seventhyeyn....septi-
8eightyion....octo-1/8eighthyiyn....octi-
9nineyuon....nona-1/9ninthyuyn....novi-
10tenalo-....deca-da1/10tenthaloy-....deci-d
102hundredaso-....hecto- **h10-2hundredthasoy-....centi-c
103thousandamso-....kilo-k10-3thousandth)amsoy-....milli-m
106millionamlo-....mega-M10-6millionthamloy-....micro-r
109billion /milliardamro-....giga-G10-9billionth/ milliardthamroy-....nano-n
1012trillion /billiongarale-....tera-T10-12trillionth / billionth)gorale-....pico-p
1015quadrillion)/ billiardgaralyo-....peta-P10-15quadrillionth) / billiardthgoralyo-....femto-f
1018quintillion / trilliongaralyu-....exa-E10-18quintillionth)/ trillionthgoralyu....atto-a
1021sextillion)/ trilliardgarela-....zetta-Z10-21sextillionth / trilliardthgorela....zepto-z
1024septillion)/ quadrilliongarelu-....yotta- Y10-27septillionth / quadrillionthgorelu....yocto-y

*Note: The -n or -on can sometimes be omitted in macro-prefixation, especially where there is no ambiguity. The -n (but NOT the -yn') in the micro prefixes can also sometimes be omitted.
**Note: The gar (to a plus power) and gor (to a minus power) forms are alternatives for the numeric prefixes beyond 100. For example, billion (109) could be expressed as garyu-(ten) to the 9th power, while billionth could be expressed by goryu ((ten) to the minus 9th power). The prefix garya- is composed of the positive exponential operator gar (to the power of), followed by the number 6. The prefix gorale- is composed of the negative exponential operator gor (to the root of), followed by the number 12.

The macro and micro values can also be represented with abbreviated symbols, which can be pronounced in Mirad as spelled out alphabetics. Greek letter equivalents in Mirad are preceded by hel-. Upper case equivalents are preceded with ag-. Here is a table showing grams:

Kg Metrics With Abbreviated Symbols
MACROMICRO
SYMBOL (EXPANSION)MIRAD PRONUNCIATIONSYMBOL (EXPANSION)MIRAD PRONUNCIATION
dag (decagram)da-a-ge(decigram)da-ge
hg (hectogram)he-gecg (centigram)ca-ge
kg (kilogram)ko-gemg (milligram mi-ge
Mg (macrpgram)ag-mi-geμg (microgram)hel-mi-ge
Gg (gigagram)ag-ge-geng (nanogram)ni-ge
Tg (teragram)ag-to-gepg (picagram)po-ge
Pg ( petagram)ag-po-gefg (femtogram)fe-ge
Eg (exagram)ag-e-geag (attogram)a-ge
Zg (zettagram)ag-ze-gezg (zeptogram)ze-ge
Yg (yottagram)ag-yu-geyg (yoctogram)yu-ge
The squared and cubed representations of the above are followed by gar ewa (squared) and gar iwa (cubed), respectively:
  • 10 kg2....(pronounced as:) alo ko-ge gar ewa
  • 12 mm3'....(pronounced as:) ale mi-mi gar iwa

Adverbial Determiners of Frequency

There are two ways to form determiners of frequency:
  • Using jod(i) meaning occasion(s), instance(s), time(s), or
  • Using xag meaning frequency
Here is a chart showing the most common frequency determiners:
Frequentative Determiners
"JOD" METHOD"XAG" METHODMEANING
hogla jodi?hoxag?how often?, how many times?
hagla jodihaxagas many times, as often
hegla jodihexagsometimes, on some occasions
higla jodihixagthis often, this many times
hugla jodihuxagthat often, that many times, so many times
huugla jodihuuxagso often, so many times
hyogla jodihyoxagnever, on no occasion
hyagla jodihyaxagalways, at all times
hyegla jodihyexagany number of times, however often
hyigla jodihyixagas often, the same number of times
hyugla jodihyuxagnot as often, some other number of times
ga jodigaxag (vyel)more often (than)
ge jodigexag (vyel)as many times (as), as often (as)
go jodigoxag (vyel)less often (than)
gla jodiglaxagmany times, often
gle jodiglexagquite a few times, quite often
glo jodigloxagnot so many times, seldom
gra jodigraxagtoo often
gre jodigrexagoften enough
gro jodigroxagtoo seldom
gwa jodigwaxagas often as possible, most often, most times
gwe jodigwexagan average number of times
gwo jodigwoxagleast often, as seldom as possible
owa jod--never, at no time, zero times
awa jod--once, one time
ewa jodi--twice, two times
iwa jodi--thrice, three times
alo jodi--ten times
Examples:
  • Hoxag et pe ha tayegoblut?....How often do you go to the barber?
  • Hogla jodi et akaye hia ekun?....How many times have you won this game?
  • At teataye hua dyezun iwa ey uwa jodi.....I have seen that film three or four times.
  • At teataye has huugla jodi (or: huuxag) van at bokxeye.....I have seen it so many times that I am getting sick.
  • Hus xwaye gaxag vyel et te.....That has happened more often than you know.

Arithmetical Expressions

The following chart shows verbs from which are formed derivative words relating to mathematical operations:
Arthmetic Expressions
VERBOPERATIONPATIENTSUBJECTOPERATORSIGNRESULT
gaber....addgab....additiongabwas....addendgabeas....addergab....plus, +gabsiyn....plus signgabix....sum
galer....multiplygal....multiplicationgalwas....multiplicandgaleas....multipliergal....times, xgalsiyn....times signgalix....product
garer....exponentiate, raisegar....powergarwas....number being raisedgareas....exponentgar....raised to the power ofgarsiyn....exponentgarix....root
gober....subtractgob....subtractiongobwas....subtrahendgobeas....subtractorgob....minus, -gobsiyn....minus signgobix....difference
goler....dividegol....division, fractiongolwas....dividendgoleas....divisorgol....divided by, ÷golsiyn....division signgolix....quotient
gorer....cut, uprootgor....cut, rootgorwas....radicandgoreas....radicalgor....lowered to the power of, √gorsiyn....radical signgorix....root
geler....equalgel....equationgelwas....thing being equatedgeleas....equatorgel....equal to, as, likegelsiyn....equal signgelix....equation results
Examples of mathematical expressions:
  • E gab e gele u.....Two plus two equals four.
  • E gal i gele ya.....Two times three equals six.
  • I gar e gele yu.....Three to the second power equals nine.
  • E gob e gele o.....Two minus two equals zero.
  • Yu gol i gele i.....Nine divided by three equals three.
  • Yu gor i gele i.....Nine cubed equals three.
  • Aso gor e gele alo.....One hundred squared equals ten.

Decimal Expressions

Decimal expressions like 2.5 use the word nod....point as in English.
  • Hia bavol kyinse ga vyel 10.8 (alo nod yiwa) ki-ge.....This tomato weighs more than 10.8 (ten point eight) kilograms.

Calendar Expressions

The word for calendar is judar. The sections below explain how calendar expressions are formed and used:

Basic Calendar Units

Time is divided using the following basic terms:
Calendar Units
MIRADENGLISH
jobtime
jabyear
jebseason
jibmonth
jubday
jwobhour
jwabminute
jwebsecond
Other calendar units are formed through the agglutination of numerical stubs to some of the time units above:
Other Calendar Units
MIRADENGLISHNUMERICAL FORMULA
rojabmilleniumyear x 1,000
sojabcenturyyear x 100
lojabdecadeyear x 10
eynjabhalf yearyear x 1/2
uynjabquarteryear x 1/4
yajibsemestermonth x 6
yejubweekday x 7
yejubujweekendday x 7 end
eynjwobhalf hourhour x 1/2
This, next, last, etc. are expressed as follows:
Day Pointers
MIRADENGLISH
hijub
hia yejub
hijab
today
this week
this year
zojub
ha jana yejub
zajab
yesterday
last week
last year
zajub
ha jona yejub
zajab
tomorrow
next week
next year
hujub
hua yejub
hujab
that day
that week
that year
jazojub
ja ewa yejubi
jazojab
the day before yesterday
two weeks ago
the year before last
jozajub
jo ewa yejubi
jozajab
the day after tomorrow
two weeks from now
the year after next

Seasons of the Year

Seasons of the year are expressed by internally scalarizing the word for season jeb:
Seasons of the Year
MIRADENGLISH
jeabspring
jeebsummer
jeibautumn, Fall
jeubwinter
Examples of usage:
  • be jeab....in spring
  • ja jeeb....before summer
  • ju jeib....until autumn
  • ji jeub....since winter
  • je ha jeb....during the season
  • ub ha uj bi jeeb....toward the end of summer
  • eb jeab ay jeeb....between spring and summer
  • jeeba gemoj....vernal equinox
  • jeiba fayebi....autumn leaves
  • jeba til....seasonal drink
  • jeubyena jebmalyen....wintry climate
  • jeabyena malyen....spring-like weather
  • jeuben....hibernation

Months of the Year

Months of the year are expressed by internally scalarizing the word for month jib:
Months of the Year
MIRADENGLISH
jiabJanuary
jiebFebruary
jiibMarch
jiubApril
jiyobMay
jiyabJune
jiyebJuly
jiyibAugust
jiyubSeptember
jilobOctober
jilabNovember
jilebDecember
Some expressions using the months:
  • be jilob....in October
  • ja jiyab....before June
  • ja zajiyeb....by next July
  • hijib....this month
  • zojib....last month
  • zajib....next month
  • bi-jib-bu-jiba jobnis....month-to-month rent
  • jibay....monthly
  • jibi joy....months later
  • jiba sindryen....monthly magazine
  • hujiba jobnis....that month's rent
  • hya ionjib....every trimester
  • jiber....menstruate

Days of the Week

Days of the week are expressed by internally scalarizing the word for day jub:
Days of the Week
MIRADENGLISH
juabMonday
juebTuesday
juibWednesday
juubThursday
juyobFriday
juyabSaturday
juyebSunday
Here are some common terms relating to days of the week:
Day Expressions
MIRADENGLISH
hojub?which day
hajub hu...the day that...
hejubsomeday
hijubtoday
hujubthat day
hyijub(on) the same day
hyajubevery day
hyejubany day
zajubyesterday
zojubtomorrow
ha jajub
be ha jana jub
the day before, (on) the previous day
ha jojub
be ha jona jub
the day before, (on) the previous day
jazojubthe day before yesterday
jozajubthe day after tomorrow
hya ea jubevery other/second day
hyajub boy juyebevery day except Sunday
Examples of Usage:
  • be juyob....on Friday
  • ju juib....until Wednesday
  • ji zojub....since yesterday
  • lojo jubuj....by [Lit: not after] day's end
  • jo zajub....after tomorrow
  • je ha jub....during the day
  • bi juab bu juub....from Monday to Friday

Parts of the Day

Here are the principal parts of a day:
Parts of the Day
DAYTIMENIGHTTIME
maj....daytime, daymoj....nighttime, night
bi maj....A.M.bi moj....P.M.
jamajij....pre-dawnjamojij....pre-dusk
majij....daybreak, dawnmojij....dusk
amaryap....sunrise, sunupamaryop....sunset, sundown
jwamaj....morning
zajwamaj....tomorrow morning
hijwamaj....this morning
zojwamaj....yesterday morning
hujwamaj....that morning
hyajwamaj....every morning
jwamoj....evening
zajwamoj....tomorrow evening
hijwamoj....this evening
zojwamoj....yesterday evening
hujwamoj....that evening
hyajwamoj....every evening
zemaj....noonzemoj....midnight
jozemaj....afternoonjozemoj....after midnight
majuj....day's endjwomoj....late night
  • Examples of Usage:
  • At tijpa ja majij.....I woke up before dawn.
  • At iyfe tuyjer be ha jwoa joeymaj.....I like to nap in the late afternoon.
  • It yexe bi amaryap bu amaryop.....He works from sunup to sundown.
  • Be gwa jwamoji, at teaxe sinibar.....Most evenings, I watch television.

Expressing Dates

The following is a how a date (jud) is normally expressed:
  • be juab, 11 jieb 2018 joK.....on Monday, February 11th, 1918 A.D.
A date like 2018 can be expressed as twenty eighteen (elo alyi) or two thousand eighteen (ero alyi).
The day in the above expression is pronounced ali.
The year is pronounced elo alyi (like English twenty eighteen).
The acronym for B.C. is jaK, short for ja Krist (before Christ).
The acronym for A.D. is joK, short for jo Krist (after Christ).
Other date expressions follow:
  • be ha 1800 jabi (alyi aso jabi)....In the 1800's (eighteen hundreds)
  • ja ha 20a (eloa) asojab....before the 20th (twentieth) century
  • eb 1920 (yulo elo) ay 2001 (elo awa)....between 1920 (nineteen twenty) and (two thousand one)
  • hyaje hua alojab....throughout that decade
  • At yexa hum je gla jabi.....I worked there for [Lit: during] many years.
  • Ujbu his lojo jiyab.....Finish this by [Lit: not after] May.
  • Iyt so him ub ha uj bi 2 (ewa) jiab.....She will be here toward the end of January 2nd.

Telling Time

Clock time expressions use mostly the word jwob (hour) or jwobi (hours).
The usual time-of-day question is Se hojwob?....What time is it? [Lit: is what-hour?]
The typical answer is in the format Se aa/ea....jwob gab/gob alo/ali....bi maj/moj. (Lit: (It) is (the) first/second....hour plus/minus ten/eleven...of day/night.
Here are some typical answers:
  • Se aa jwob.....It is one o'clock.  [Lit: It is (the) first hour.] [NOTE: The article "the" is left unexpressed.]
  • Se ea jwob.....It is two o'clock.  [Lit: It is (the) second hour.]
  • Se alea jwob.....It is twelve o'clock.  [Lit: It is (the) twelfth hour.]
  • Se ia jwob bi maj*.....It is three o'clock A.M.  [Lit: It is third hour of daytime.]
  • Se aloa jwob bi moj**.....It is ten o'clock P.M.  [Lit: It is tenth hour of nighttime.]
* bi maj (a.m.) can be abbreviated as bma
** bi moj (p.m.) can be abbreviated as bmo
  • Se ua jwob (gab) alo.....It is four ten.....  [Lit: It is fourth hour (plus) ten.]
  • Se iloa jwob gob ali.....It is thirteen minutes til three.  [Lit: It is thirteenth hour minus thirteen.]
  • Se yoa jwobi gab uyn.....It is quarter after five.  [Lit: It is fifth hour plus a quarter.]
  • Se yoa jwobi gob uyn.....It is quarter past five.  [Lit: It is fifth hour minus a quarter.]
  • Se yaa jwobi gab eyn.....It is six thirty.  [Lit: It is sixth hour plus a half.]
  • Se yaa jwobi gab ilo.....It is six thirty.  [Lit: It is sixth hour plus thirty.]
  • Se yaa jwobi gob eyn.....It is thirty minutes til six.  [Lit: It is sixth hour minus thirty.]
  • Se yaa jwobi gob ilo.....It is thirty minutes til six.  [Lit: It is sixth hour minus a half.]
  • Se vyavay yea jwob gab alo bi moj.....It is exactly 7:10 P.M..  [Lit: It is exactly seventh hour plus ten of nighttime.]
  • Et sa alo jwoa bey alo jwabi.....You were late by 10 minutes.  [Lit: You were late by ten minutes.]
  • Has ijo jub 5:30 (= yaa jwob gab ilo) bmo (= bi moj).....It will begin around 5:30 (= five thirty [Lit: five hours plus thirty]) p.m.
  • Puu him loga jwoa ev 3 (= ia) j. (= jwob)....Get here no later than 3 (= three) o'clock.
  • Ha yautpar puo hum yeb 10 jwabi.....The bus will arrive there within 10 minutes.
  • Ha jwobar izeade 2:30 (= ea jwob gab ilo).....The clock says [Lit: indicates] 2:30.
  • Yit pua be 3a j. be ha nod.....They arrived at 3 on the dot.
Mirad normally uses a 24-hour clock system.
  • Yanpu at be iloa jwob gab alyo.....Meet me at 13:15. (= 1:15 p.m.)
The word jwob (hour, o'clock) can be abbreviated as j., as in the following:
  • Yanpu at be 13a j.....Meet me at 13:00 (hours) [Lit: at (the) 13th h.]
The word gab (plus) can be omitted, as in:
  • At teato et be yoa j. alyo.....I'll see you at five fifteen (~ quarter) past five.
Note the following clock time idioms:
Clock Idioms
MIRADENGLISH
jwaearly
jweon time
jwolate
Se vyavay eloa jwob.It is exactly two o'clock.
yub bi zemajaround noon
ub zemojtoward midnight
yeb be jwebiwithin seconds
alo jwabi ja hijten minutes ago (= before now)
lojo 3a j.no later than / by 3 o'clock.
jwobayhourly / by the hour / on the hour
Hia pop efxe 2 1/2 (= ewa gab eyn) jwobi.This trip takes (Lit: necessitates) 2 1/2 hours.
ju awa jwob bi hijuntil one hour from now
ji zojub be 10a j.since yesterday at 10 o'clock.
je ha jana 12 jwabifor the last 12 minutes
ja / lojo 10a j.before / by 10 o'clock (= the tenth hour)
lojo 10 jwobi.by / in / within 10 hours.
jo 10a j.after 10 o'clock.
jo 10 jwobi.after 10 hours / 10 hours later

Expressing Age

Many expressions relating to age are built on the Mirad word for age: jag.
The typical question is:
  • Et se hojaga?....How old are you? (Lit. what-aged)
A typical answer is:
  • At se eli jaga.....I am twenty-three years old.
The word jaga can be left understood:
  • At se ilo.....I am thirty.
The following chart shows other age expressions, many of which are agglutinations of the deictic prefixes beginning with h:
Age Expressions
AGE
hojaga?....how old?
hajaga....of the age
hejaga....of some age
hijaga....this old
hujaga....that old
huujaga....so old
jaga....old
jayga....oldish
joga....young
joyga....youngish
gle jaga....rather old, oldish
gla jaga....very old
gra jaga....too old, super-aged
gro jaga....under-aged, minor
ge jaga....as old, of the same age
awa jab jaga....one year old
awa jaga
awa jab
ewa jabi jaga....two years old
ewa jaga
ewa jabi
alo jabi jaga....ten years old
alo jaga
alo jabi
ga jaga vyel et....older than you
ga joga vyel at....younger than me
ge joga vyel iyt....as young as her
ha gwa jagat bi ata tedetyan....the youngest of my siblings
grojagat....a minor
alojagat....a ten-year-old
aloyjagat....a teenager
jogat....a boy, a youth
joygat....a girl
grejat....an adult, someone of age
jagseat....an adolescent
jagsat....grownup
yiloyjagat....an octogenarian
asoyjagat....a centenarian
Some other examples of usage:
  • Et jagseye fi.....You are aging well.
  • At voy jogseye hyegla.....I am not getting any younger.
  • His se taam av ha jagati.....This is a home for the ederly.
  • Egaku eta jogan!....Regain your youth!
  • At se ga jaga vyel ha meybi.....I am as old as the hills.
  • Teaxu ata gwa joga tobot.....Look at my youngest child.
  • Yat ife yata awajagat.....We love our one-year-old.
  • Jagseatan se yika joob bi tej.....Adolescence is a difficult period of life.

Money Expressions

This section is currency-dependent and remains under construction.

Deictic Determiners

Deictic determiners are words which point out or specify other words as to their context, including what grammarians often call demonstratives.
Categories of adjectival, pronominal, and adverbial deictic determiners:
  • Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns like this, that, those, that one
  • The definite article the(which is really a kind of demonstrative, like those above.)
  • Indefinite adjectives and pronouns like any, some, all, something, such, etc.
  • Adverbs of time like when, now, ever
  • Adverbs of place like there, here, somewhere
  • Adverbs of manner like how, thus, somehow
  • Adverbs of kind like so, age this year old
  • Adverbs of direction like that way, any which way
  • Adverbs of reason why?, for that reason, for no reason
  • Adverbs of degree this (well), so (good), how (bad)
  • Adverbs of frequency like how often, so often, never
  • Adverbs of age like this old, how old?, of any age


Deictic Prefixes

There is a whole set of deictic prefixes, which are joined to category stubs to derive adjectival, pronominal, and adverbial determiners.
Deictic Prefixes
CATEGORYDEICTIC PREFIX
INTERROGATIVEho-...?....what?
EXCLAMATORYhoo-...!....what a...!
DEFINITEha-....the
INDEFINITEhe-....some, a certain
PROXIMALhi-....this, these
IMMEDIATEhii-....the following
DISTALhu-....that, those
INTENSIVEhuu-....such, so
NEGATIVEhyo-....no, not any
DISTRIBUTIVEhya-....every, all, each
INDETERMINATEhye-....any, whatever
IDENTICALhyi-....the same, the very (Or: ge-)
NON-IDENTICALhyu-....the other, another, else (Or: oge-)

Category Stubs

The table below shows word stubs that indicate the category of deictic expressions. They are called stubs, because they are part of a longer word that has been reduced. The combination of deictic prefixes and category stubs produce a matrix of deictic correlatives, seen later in this chapter. Use of the stub instead of the long form is a matter of optional economy. A few categories do not have stubs.
Category Stubs
CATEGORYSTUB
LONG FORM
QUESTION WORD EXAMPLE
PERSON-t
tob (person)
hot?....who?
THING-s
sun (thing)
hos?....what?
PLACE-m
nem (place)
hom?....where?
TIME-j
job (time)
hoj?....when?
MANNER-yen
byen (manner)
hoyen?....how?
KIND-yena
syena (of kind)
hoyena?....what kind of?
DEGREE-gla
nog (degree)
hogla fi?....how well?
COUNTABLE QUANTITY-gla
sag (number)
hogla pati?....how many birds?
MASS QUANTITY-gla
glan (amount)
hogla mil?....how much water?
FREQUENCYxag (frequency)
sag jodi (number of times)
hoxag?....how often?
hogla jodi?....how many times?
REASON-v
sav (reason)
hov?....why?
AGEjaga (of age)hojaga?....how old?

Adjectival Deictic Determiners

Here is a table showing the deictic determiner prefixes attached to elements ending in -a to form various adjectival deictic determiners:

Adjectival Determiners
 ADJECTIVE
OF SELECTION
ADJECTIVE
OF KIND
ADJECTIVE
OF POSSESSION
INTERROGATIVEhoa...?....which...?hoyena...?....what kind of...?hota?....whose?
EXLAMATORYhooa...!....what a....!
DEFINITEha1....thehayena....the kind ofhata....the one's
INDEFINITEhea....some, a certainheyena....some kind of, a certain kind ofheta....someone's
PROXIMALhia....this, thesehiyena....this kind of, such (a), like this, like thesehita....this one's
IMMEDIATEhiia....the followinghiiyena....the following kind ofhiita....the following person's
DISTALhua....that, thosehuyena....that kind of, like that, like those, suchhuta....that one's
INTENSIVEhuua....such a, suchhuuyena....such a kind ofhuuta....such a person's
NEGATIVEhyoa....not, not a, not anyhyoyena....no kind of, no suchhyota....nobody's
DISTRIBUTIVEhya2....every, all, eachhyayena....every kind of, all kinds ofhyata....everybody's
INDETERMINATEhyea....any, whateverhyeyena....any kind of, whatever kind ofhyeta....anybody's
IDENTICALhyia....the same
ha gea....the same
hyiyena....the same kind of
ha geyena....the same kind of
hyita....the same one's
ha geta....the same one's
NON-IDENTICALhyua....another
ogea....another
ha ogea....the other
hyuyena....some other kind of
ogeyena....another kind of
ha ogeyena....the other kind of
hyuta....someone else's
ogeta....someone else's
ha ogeta....the other person's

Note 1: The definite adjectival deictic determiner ha (actually, short for haa) is used as what is more commonly referred to as the definite article....the.
Note 2: The determiner hya is a reduced form of hyaa.
The pronominal deictic determiners can also incorporate gender in such a way that they refer to female or male persons specifically. This done by inserting the letter w before the characteristic vowel for males and the letter y after the characteristic vowel for females. Incorporating gender this way is relatively rare and only used in cases with the distinction is relative to the context:
  • Hwita tam se ga aga.....This guy's house is bigger.
  • At voy ayse huytia dyuni.....I don't have those women's names.
Usage examples of deictic determiner adjectives derived from:
  • Hoa tam se etas?....Which house is yours?
  • Hoa tej et ayse!....What a life you have!
  • Hoyena dyezuni ifxe et?....What kind of movies do you like?
  • Hota tef okwa?....Whose hat was lost?
  • Ha tob ta yata dyuni.....The man knew our names.
  • Hayena dini at ife, et ufe.....The kind of stories I love, you hate.
  • Hea mepi egdyunxwo.....Certain streets will be renamed.
  • Heyena fukyes uxaye purnyan.....Some kind of accident has caused a traffic jam.
  • Heta abtaf akwa be ha zatem......Someone's coat was found in the foyer.
  • Hia dyes se ata gafias.....This book is my favorite.
  • Hiia duni se yofwa.....The following words are prohibited.
  • Hiiyena xeyen voy afwu.....The following sort of behavior would not be allowed.
  • Hiyena xeyen voy vayafwo.....This type of behavior will not be tolerated.
  • Hita tim so yovoza.....This person's room will be blue.
  • Hua mas efwe egvozilbwer.....That wall needs to be repainted.
  • Huua dini yufxe toboti.....Such stories scare children.
  • Huyena duni yeyfwe yixwer za at.....Such words should not be used in front of me.
  • Hwuta tam magseye.....That guy's house is on fire.
  • Hyoa din se ga tesika.....No story is more important.
  • Hyoyena tes tesiyafwe.....No such meaning can be inferred.
  • Hyota jatexdras sa ga fia.....Nobody's plan is better.
  • Hya mepi izpe Roma.....All roads lead to Rome.
  • Hya tob yefe xer ita gon.....Every man must do his part.
  • Hyayena telami ese be hia mep.....All manner of restaurants exist on this street.
  • Hyata tej se uka bi yaobi.....Everyone's life is full of ups and downs.
  • Hyaewa domi agsaye.....Both cities have grown.
  • Hyea voz so fia.....Any color will be fine.
  • Hyeyena til se aysyafwa.....Any kind of drink is available.
  • Hyeta ved se ge ifa vyel atas.....Anyone's guess is as good as mine.
  • Hyea tim et fe et yafe ayser.....Whatever room you want, you can have.
  • Hyia/(Ha gea) fukyesi kyese glaxag.....The same accidents occur frequently.
  • Hyiyena/(Ha geyena) dyezuni teaxuwa zajub.....The same kind of films were shown yesterday.
  • Hyita/(Ha geta) dyun yixwa gajod.....The same person's name was used again.
  • Hyua dyezun sa ifuyea.....The other movie was more entertaining.
  • Hyuyena/(Ogeyena) som teasu ga fia.....Another kind of furniture would look better.
  • Hyuta/(ogeta) texyen se ge fyia.....Someone else's opinion is equally valid.
  • Hiytia dyuni voy dodraye.....These women's names have not be make public.
  • Hwiitia dyuni voy dodrowe.....The following males' names will not be publicized.
If the definite article or any other deictic determiner is omitted before a noun, then it has the effect of the English indefinite article a / an with a singular noun or some with a plural noun. For example:
  • Yat tilia ha tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank the glass of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank a glass of wine.
  • Yat tilia ha tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank the glasses of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank (some) glasses of wine.
  • Yat tilia awa tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank one glass of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ha awa tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank the one glass of wine.
  • Yat tilia ewa tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank two glasses of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ha ewa tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank the two glasses of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia hya ewa tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank both glasses of wine.
  • Yat tilia owa tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank no/zero glasses (=not a single glass) of wine.
  • Yat tilia ea tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank another/a second glass of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ha ea tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank the second glass of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ea tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank second glasses of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ha ea tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank the second glasses of wine.
If an indefinite article sense is needed for clarity, the words awa (one) or hea (some, a certain) can be used, eg.:
  • At igtease awa tob yiztyoyaber.....I glimpsed a man walk by.
  • Hwit zoyupo hea juab.....He will come back on a / a certain / some Monday.

Pronominal Deictic Determiners

The following chart shows deictic determiners used as pronouns. Note that the suffix -s (short for sun) is used pronouns referring to things, while -t (short for tob) is used for those referring to persons. The suffix -i pluralized either of these. The distinction between a form like what? and a selective form like which? is made by using the full adjectival form (with -a-) in the selective forms. So, for example, hot? is who?, but hoat? is which one? (referring to a person). The determiners referring to persons can optionally be made specifically male with the insertion of the letter w before the stem vowel or specifically female with the insertion of the letter y before the stem-ending t:

Pronominal Deictic Determiners
PRONOUNSTHING
THINGS
SELECTIVE THING
SELECTIVE THINGS
SELECTIVE PERSON
SELECTIVE PERSONS
PERSON
PERSONS
PERSON'S THING
PERSON'S THINGS
INTERROGATIVEhos?....what (thing)?
hosi?....what (things)?
hoas?....which one?
hoasi?....which ones?
hoat?....which person??
hwoat?....which man?
hoayt?....which woman?
hoati?....which people?
hwoati?....which men?
hoayti?....which women?
hot?....who?, whom?
hwot?....who?, whom?
hoyt....who?
hoti?....who?, whom?
hwoti?....who?, whom?
hoyti?....who?, whom?
hotas?....whose (thing)?
hwotas?....whose
hoytas?....whose?
hotasi?....whose (things)?
hwotasi?....whose?
hoytasi?....whose?
DEFINITEhas....it, the thing
hasi....they, them, the things
haas....the one
haasi....the ones
haat....the one
hwaat....the male one
haayt....the female one
haasi....the ones
hwaasi....the male ones
haaysi....the female ones
hat....the person, he, him
hwat....he, him
hayt....she, her
hati....the persons, they, them
hwati....the males, they, them
hayti....the females, they, them
hatas....whose? (thing)
hwatas....whose
haytas....whose
hatasi....whose )things)
hwatasi....whose
haytasi....whose
INDEFINITEhes....something
hesi....some (things)
heas....a certain one
heasi....certain ones
heat....a certain one
hweat....a certain male
heayt....a certain female
heati....certain ones
hweati....some males
heayti....some females
het....someone
hwet....some male
heyt....some female
heti....some (people)
hweti....some males
heyti....some females
hetas....someone's
hwetas....some male's
heytas....some female's
hetasi....some people's
hwetasi....some males'
heytasi....some females'
PROXIMALhis....this
hisi....these
hias....this one
-
hiasi....these
hiat....this one
hwiat....this one
hiayt....this one
hiati....these ones
hwiati....these of the males
hiayti....these of the females
hit....this person
hwit....he, him
hiyt....she, her
hiti....these people, they, them
hwiti....these males
hiyti....these females
hitas....this person's, his
hwitas....this male's
hiytas....this female's
hitasi....this person's (things), theirs
hwitasi....this man's
hiytasi....this woman'
IMMEDIATEhiis....the following
hiisi....the following (things)
hiias....the following one
hiiasi....the following ones
hiiat....the following person
hwiiat....the following male
hiiayt....the following female
hiiati....the following ones
hwiiati....the following males
hiiayti....the following females
hiit....the following person
hwiit....the following male
hiiyt....the following female
hiiti....the following (people)
hwiiti....the following males
hiiyti....the following females
hiitas....the following person's (thing)
hwiitas....the following male's
hiiytas....the following female's
hiitasi....the following person's (things)
hwiitasi....the following male's
hiiytasi....the following female's
DISTALhus....that
husi....those
huas....that one
huasi....those
huat....that one
hwuat....that one of the males
huayt....that one of the females
huati....those people, they
hwuati....those males
huayti....those females
hut....that person, he, him
hwut....that guy, he, him
huyt....that female, she, her
huti....those people, they, them
hwuti....those males
huyti....those females
hutas....that person's, his
hwutas....his
huytas....hers
hutasi....that person's (things), his
hwutasi....his
huytasi....hers
INTENSIVEhuus....such, such a thing
huusi....such things
huuas....such a one
huuasi....such ones
huuat....such a person
(rare)
(rare)
huuati....such people
(rare)
(rare)
huut....such a person
hwuut....such a male
huuyt....such a female
huuti....such people
hwuuti....such males
huuyti....such females
huutas....such a person's
(rare)
(rare)
huutasi....such people's (things)
(rare>
(rare)
NEGATIVEhyos....nothing
hyosi....none
hyoas....not a one
hyoasi....none
hyoat....not a one
hyoati....none
hyot....nobody
hywot....no male
hyoyt....no female
hyoti....no people
hywoti....no males
hyoyti....no females
hyotas....nobody's
hyotasi....nobody's (things)
DISTRIBUTIVEhyas....everything, all
hyasi....all things
hyaas....each one
hyaasi....all of them
hyaat....each one
hyaati....all of them
hyat....everyone
hywat....every male
hyayt....every female
hyati....all (people)
hywati....all males
hyayti....all females
hyatas....everyone's
hyatasi....everyone's (things)
INDETERMINATEhyes....anything, whatever
hyesi....any
hyeas....whatever one
hyeasi....any of them
hyeat....whichever one
hyeati....whichever ones
hyet....anyone
hywet....any male
hyeyt....any female
hyeti....whoever
hyweti....whichever males
hyeyti....whichever females
hyetas....whoever's
hyetasi....anybody's (things)
IDENTICALhyis....the same thing
hyisi....the same things
hyis....the same one
hyiasi....the same ones
hyiat....the same one
hyiati....the same one
hyit....the same person
hywit....the same guy
hyiyt....the same woman
hyiti....the same people
hywiti....the same men
hyiyti....the same women
hyitas....the same person's
hyitasi....the same person's (things)
NON-IDENTICALhyus....something else
hyusi....other things
hyuas....the other one
hyuasi....the other ones
hyuat....the other one
hyuati....the others
hyut....someone else
hywut....the other guy
hyuyt....the other woman
hyuti....others
hywuti....the other guys
hyuyti....the other women
hyutas....someone else's
hyutasi....someone else's (things)

Here is a chart of pronominal deictic determiners of kind formed from the corresponding adjectival determiners of kind (eg. hoyena?....what kind of...?):

Pronominal Deictic Determiners of Kind
 KIND OF THING
KIND OF THINGS
KIND OF PERSON
KIND OF PEOPLE
INTERROGATIVEhoyenas?....what kind of thing?
hoyenasi?....what kind of things?
hoyenat?....what kind of person?
hoyenati?....what kind of people?
DEFINITEhayenas....the kind of thing
hayenasi....the kind of things
hayenat....the kind of person
hayenati....the kind of people
INDEFINITEheyenas....some kind of thing
heyenasi....some kind of things
heyenat....some kind of person
heyenati ....some kind of people
PROXIMALhiyenas....this kind of thing, such a thing
hiyenasi....these kinds of things, such things
hiyenat....this kind of person, such a person
hiyenati....these kinds of people, such people
IMMEDIATEhiiyenas....the following kind of thing
hiiyenasi....the following kinds of things
hiiyenat....the following kind of person
hiiyenati....the following kinds of people
DISTALhuyenas....that kind of thing, such a thing
huyenasi....such things, such things
huyenat....that kind of person, such a person
huyenati....those kind of people, such people
INTENSIVEhuuyenas....such a thing
huuyenasi....such kinds of things
huuyenat....such a person
huuyenati....such kinds of people
NEGATIVEhyoyenas....no such thing
hyoyenasi....no such things
hyoyenat....no such person
hyoyenati....no such people
DISTRIBUTIVEhyayenas....every kind of thing
hyayenasi....all kinds of things
hyayenat....every kind of person
hyayenati....all kinds of people
INDETERMINATEhyeyenas....any kind of thing
hyeyenasi....any kinds of things
hyeyenat....any kind of person
hyeyenati....any kinds of people
IDENTICALhyiyenas....the same kind of thing
hyiyenasi....the same kinds of things
hyiyenat....the same kind of person
hyiyenati....the same kinds of people
NON-IDENTICALhyuyenas....some other kind of thing
hyuyenasi....other kinds of things
hyuyenat....some other kind of person
hyuyenati....other kinds of people

Any of the above animate deictic determiners can (though rarely) be made to refer specifically to males or females with the ending -wat or -wati for males and -ayt or -ayti for females. For example: any kind of males would be translated with hyeyenwati.....Every kind of female would be translated with hyayenayt.

Selective vs. Non-Selective Forms

The pronominal deictic interrogative determiner hot? means who and contrasts with its selective counterpart hoat?, which means which one?. All the selective determiners refer to one or more things or persons from a selectable pool of things or persons.
The following sentences illustrate the use of the above pronominal determiners:
  • Hot aka zajuba ek?....Who won yesterday's game?
  • Hoat bi ha akuti sa ha gwa fiat?....Which one of the winners was the best?
  • Hota tam se hus?....Whose house is that?
  • Hotas se hus?....Whose is that?
  • Hotia deuzi et gaife?....Whose songs do you prefer?
  • Hotias et gaife?....Whose do you prefer?
  • Hos se eta dyun?....What is your name?
  • Hosi se eta gaifuni?....What are your preferences?
  • Hoa deuzi se eta gwafiasi?....Which songs are your best?
  • Hoasi se eta gwafiasi?....Which ones are your best?
  • Bi hia deuzuti, hoat et gafie?....Of these vocalists, which one do you prefer?
  • Hiiti yaneko hijub.....The following people will compete today.
  • Hoati se gwa fia?'....Which ones are best?
  • Hoti et teexe gwa jodi?....Who (all) do you listen to the most often?
  • Huat hu at teexe gwaxag draye ejna deuz.....The one I listen to the most has written a new song.
  • Ejna deuz? At voy teste haas hu et tede.....New song? I don't understand which one you mean.
  • Hias.....This one.
  • Vo. Huasi se ga fia.....No. Those are better.
  • His se jub av ivxelen.....This is a day for celebration.
  • Va. Hia jub. At tese hijub.....Yes. This day. I mean To-day.
  • Husi sa ha jubi, ata dat!....Those were the days, my friend!
  • Hos se eta dyun?....What is your name?
  • Hot aka ha igpek?....Who won the race?
  • Hyas uja fi.....Everything ended well.
  • Hyasi uje.....All things come to an end.
  • Hyayenasi vey kyesu.....All sorts of things might happen.
  • Hyos yoka at.....Nothing surprised me.
  • Hyot ta adut hu ako.....Nobody knew who would win.
  • Huaytihu fu pier yefe.....Those females who would like to leave may.
  • Hyet yefe eker hia ifek.....Anyone can play this game.
  • Huyenasi voy afwo.....Such things will not be permitted.
  • Hua twob voy taxe hia toyb.....That man does not remember this woman.
  • Huti yanyexe fi.....Those guys work well together.
  • Huuyti hyaj yubixe tezex.....Such females always attract attention.
  • At jay teataye hiyenasi.....I've seen such things before.
  • Huyenwat voy vabiwu.....A man like that would not be accepted.
  • Hoyenasi weti iyfe xer je ha maj.....What kinds of things do you guys like to do during the day?

Placement of Interrogative Deictic Determiners

In a sequence of adjectives before a noun, deictic determiners go first, eg.:
  • Hoa ewa oga nyefi bewe et?....Which two small bags belong to you?
In interrogative sentences, the interrogative deictic determiner (question word) often starts out the sentence, as in English.
  • Hos se eta dyun?....What is your name?
  • Hot et teata aay hijub?....Who(m) did you see first today?
Interrogative deictic determiners can also go at the end of sentence:
  • Eta dyun se hos?....What is your name? Lit. Your name is what?

Number-incorporating Deictic Determiners

Sometimes, a deictic determiner specifies numerical information. This chart shows those forms:

Number-incorporating Deictic Determiners
ADJECTIVEINANIMATE PRONOUNANIMATE PRONOUNPRONOMINAL DETERMINERPOSSESSIVE PRONOUN
hawa* the onlyhawas....the only thing
hawasi....the only things
hawat....the only one (person)
hawati....the only ones
hawata....the only person'shawatas....the only one's
hawatasi....the only one's (things)
hyawa* eachhyawas....each onehyawat....each personhyawata....each person'shyawatas....each one's
hyawatasi....each one's (things)
hyaewa....bothhyaewasi....both (things)hyaewati....both (people)bi hyaewati....both person'shas bi hyaewati....both person's
hasi bi hyaewati....both persone's (things)
hyaiwa....all threehyaiwasi....all three (things)hyaiwati....all three (people)hyaiwata....all three person'shas bi hyaiwati....all three person's
hasi bi hyaiwati....all three person's (things)
ohyawa....not everyohyawas....not everythingohyawat....not everyoneohyawata....not every person'sohyawatas....not everyone's
ohyawatasi....not everyone's (things)
hyoawa....not a singlehyoawas....not a single thinghyoawat....not a single personhyowata....not a single person'shyowatas....not a single person's
hyowatasi....not a single person's (things)
hyeawa....eitherhyeawas....either onehyeawat....either one (person)hyeawata....either one'shyeawatas....either one's
hyeawatasi....either one's (things)
hyeewa....any twohyeewasi....any two thingshyeewati....any two peoplebi hyeewati....any two person'shas bi hyeewati....any two persons'
hasi bi hyeewati....any two persons' (things)
hyeowa....neitherhyeowas....neither onehyeowat....neither personhyeawata....neither person'shyeowatas....neither one's
hyeowatasi....neither one's (things)
hyuawa....anotherhyuawas....another onehyuawat....anotherhyuawata....another'shyuawatas....another's
hyuawatasi....another's (things)
hyuowa....no otherhyuowas....nothing elsehyuowat....nobody elsehyuowata....no other'shyuowatas....no other's
hyuowatasi....no other's (things)

*Hawa and hyawa are short for haawa and hyaawa, respectively.
Examples using the above number-incorporating deictic determiners:
  • Ohyawat se iva bay eta vaod.....Not everyone is happy with your decision.
  • Hyaewasi yafwe uxer yata efi.....Both (things) can serve our needs.
  • Hyeawa tim ivlaxo at.....Either room will satisfy me.
  • Hyeowas oivlaxo at.....Neither one will dissatisfy me.
Note: Hyua means the other, while hyuawa means another, eg.:
  • At fu hyua til.....I would like the other drink., vs.
  • At fu hyuawa til.....I would like another drink.
Similarly, hya means every, all, while hyawa means each, eg.:
  • Hya dom ayse tebixea suni teaxer.....Every city has interesting things to see.
  • Hya domi ayse tebixuni.....All cities have things of interest.
  • Hyawa dom ayse tebixun.....Each city has something of interest.
Also, ha means the, while hawa means the only, eg.:
  • Hawa twob nazea ata tezex se et.....The only man worth my attention is you.
  • Ha twob hu at gwa ife se et.....The man I most love is you.
By appending y to hawa, we get the adverb haway....only, solely, eg;
  • Haway et nize ata tezex.....Only you deserve my attention..
The singular person pronouns in the above chart can be converted into pronominal determiners by adding the adjective suffix a, eg.:
  • Hyawata tej se ge glatesa vyel hyutas.....Each one's life is as important as another's.
  • Hyeowata dyun se vyama.....Neither person's name is real.
However, the plural person pronouns in the above chart use the preposition bi (of) to form possessives, eg.:
  • Ha teji bi hyaiwati se kyebukuwa.....The lives of all three are in danger.
The above singular pronominal determiners can, in turn, be converted into inanimate pronouns with the suffix -s.
  • Hyawatas se glatesa.....Each one's is important.
  • Hyeowatas se vyama.....Neither's is real.
The plural pronominal determiners can be nominalized with the use of bi, eg:
  • Hyaiwasi bi huti se kyebukuwa.....All three of theirs' are in danger.
Correlative Number-incorporating Deictic Determiners are handled as follows:
  • Hyeawa A ey B....either A or B
  • Hyeowa A oy B....neither A nor B
  • Hyaewa A ay B....both A and B
  • Hawa A, voy B....only A, not B

Adverbial Deictic Determiners

This tables shows a correlated set of pro-adverbs built through the agglutination of deictic prefixes and catetory stubs. This is not all-inclusive, because their are other similary-constructed pro-verbs relating to other categories.

Adverbial Deictic Determiners
PRO-ADVERBSMANNER
(b)yen
PLACE
(ne)m
TIME
j(ob)
DEGREE
nog ~ gla1
REASON
sav
FREQUENCY
xag
INTERROGATIVEhoyen?
how?, in what way?
hom?
where?
hoj?
when?
honog? ~ hogla?
how?, to what degree?
hosav?
why?
hoxag?2
how often?
DEFINITEhayen
the way, how
ham
the place, where
haj
the time, when
hanog ~ hagla
as, to the degree
hasav (hu)
for the reason (that), because
haxag
as often (...as)
INDEFINITEheyen
somehow, in some way
hem
somewhere
hej
sometime
henog ~ hegla
somewhat
hesav
for some reason
hexag
with some frequency
PROXIMALhiyen
this way, so
him
here
hij
now
hinog ~ higla
so, this, to this extent
hisav
for this reason, hence
hixag
this often
IMMEDIATEhiiyen
in the following way
hiim
hereby
hiij
here now
hiinog ~ hiigla
to the following extent
hiisav
for the following reason
hiixag
as often as follows
DISTALhuyen
that way, thus
hum
there
huj
then
hunog ~ hugla
so, that, to that extent
husav
for that reason, therefore, so
huxag
that often
INTENSIVEhuuyen
in such a way, so, thus
huum
at such a place
huuj
at such a time
huunog ~ huugla
so, to such an extend
huusav
for such a reason
huuxag
so often
NEGATIVEhyoyen
in nowise
hyom
nowhere
hyoj
never
hyonog ~ hyogla
not at all
hyosav
for no reason
hyoxag
never
DISTRIBUTIVEhyayen
totally, in every way
hyam
everywhere
hyaj
always
hyanog ~ hyagla
totally
hyasav
for every reason
hyaxag
always
INDETERMINATEhyeyen
anyway
hyem
anywhere, wherever
hyej
whenever
hyenog ~ hyegla
however, to any degree
hyesav
for whatever reason
hyexag
with whatever frequency
IDENTICALhyiyen3 (hu)
likewise, as, in the same way (that)
hyim
at the same place
hyij
at the same time
hyinog ~ hyigla;
as, to the same extent
hyisav
for the same reason
hyixag
as often
NON-IDENTICALhyuyen4
otherwise
hyum
elsewhere
hyuj
some other time
hyunog ~ hyugla
not as
hyusav
for some other reason
hyuxag
not as often

Note 1: -nog and -gla forms are synonymous, insofar as expressions of degree are concerned.
Note 2 hoxag? and other frequency forms can be also expressed as hogla jodi?....how many times.
Note 3 hyi- can be substituted by ge-.
Note 4 hyu- can be substituted by oge-.
The longer, expanded forms of pro-adverbs can be used at any time. For example:
  • At egteato et hejob.....I will see you again sometime.
  • Hosun se eta dyun?....What is your name?
  • Et yeyfe axer hubyen.....You shouldn't act that way.
It should be noted that all of these pro-adverb determiners, unless used as nouns, such as in the sentence Iyt iyfe him.....She likes this place (or) She likes it here., are really abbreviations of longer expressions with mostly the preposition be....at. For example, At tambeseya hum., meaning I used to live there. is ignoring the preposition be from the longer, more explicit version At tambeseya be hum., lit. I used to live at that-place. The proper preposition must be explicitly present if something other than be....at is meant. For example, from where? is expressed as bi hom? Similarly, up until then would be expressed as byu huj.
Here are some examples of how adverbial determiners are used:
  • Hom et tambese?....Where do you live?   <   Et tambese be HOa neM?....You live at what place.)
  • At tame hum.....I live there.
  • Et tame hum hu ha mep uje.....You live where the road ends.
  • Hom weti peye?....Where are you guys going?
  • Et yafe per hyem hu et fu.....You can go anywhere.
  • Bi hom et se?....Where are you from?
  • Hoj et taja?....When were you born?
  • At voy tajaya huj.....I had not been born then.
  • Et yeyfe duder hiiyen.....You should respond in the following way.
  • Ot voy yefe daler huuyen.....One must not talk in such a manner.
  • Et pia hesav.....He left for some reason.
  • Hoyen et iyfe hia vafil?....How do like this wine?
  • Voy se fia axer hiyen.....It is not good to act this way.
  • Hosav et tadsa huunog jwa?....Why did you marry so late?
  • Ha tob pia hyosav.....The man left for no reason.
  • Hwat pia hasav hu it efa per hyum.....The guy left because( ~ [for] the reason that) he needed to go elsewhere.
The different, somewhat confusing, meanings of how are illustrated here:
  • Hoyen it xa hus?....How did he do that?.... (Equivalent to Be hoa byen...?....In what way...?) (ADVERB OF MANNER)
  • Hoyen et xeye?....How are you doing?.... (This is the normal way of saying How are you? or How do you do? (ADVERB OF MANNER)
  • Hoyena sa ha dyezun?.... How was the film?.... (How here is an ADJECTIVE OF KIND, and thus ends in -a.)
  • Honog (= Hogla) aga it se?....How big is he?.... (ADVERB OF DEGREE)
  • Huunog (= Huugla) iyfla et se!....How nice you are!.... (ADVERB OF EMPHATIC DEGREE)
The conjunction as is expressed most often using pro-adverbs of manner:
  • Xu hayen hu at de.....Do as I say. = (in) the way that...
  • Xu hyiyen hu (or geyen hu) at xe.....Do as I do. = (in) the same way that...
  • Xu hiiyen:....Do as follows: = (in) this hereby manner...
However, the particle gel (like, as) can be substituted:
  • Xu gel at de.....Do as I say.
Many of the pro-adverb determiners in the above chart can be relativized by adding the relative marker hu after the base form, eg:
  • At teaso et haj hu et puo him.....I will see you when you get here.
  • It xa has hasav hu tosa yefa.....He did it because (for the reason that) he felt compelled.
  • Hyem hu et po, et so ga iva.....Wherever you go, you'll be happier.
See more about this in the section on relative clauses under Verbs.

Quantitative Deictic Determiners

The deictic prefixes can be combined with gla to form quantitative expressions acting as adverbial or adjectival determiners, and substantives (pronouns referring to things or people):

Quantitative Deictic Determiners
ADVERBIAL / ADJECTIVAL
DETERMINER
INANIMATE SINGULAR
PRONOUN
INANIMATE PLURAL
PRONOUN
ANIMATE PLURAL
PRONOUN
INTERROGATIVEhogla?....how?/how much?/how many?hoglas?....how much?hoglasi?....how manyhoglati?....how many (people)?
DEFINITEhagla....how/as much/as manyhaglas....as muchhaglasi....as manyhaglati....as many (people)
INDEFINITEhegla....somewhat/some/someheglas....someheglasi....someheglati....some (people)
PROXIMALhigla....this/this much/this manyhiglas....this muchhiglasi....this manyhiglati....this many (people)
DISTALhugla....that/that much/that manyhuglas....that muchhuglasi....that many
huyglasi....so many
huglati....that many (people)
EMPHATIChuugla....so very, so much, so manyhuuglas....so muchhuuglasi....so manyhuuglati....so many (people)
NEGATIVEhyogla....not at all/no/nohyoglas....none of ithyoglasi....none of themhyoglati....none
DISTRIBUTIVEhyagla....totally/all/allhyaglas....all of ithyaglasi....all of themhyaglati....all
INDETERMINATEhyegla....however/any/anyhyeglas....any of ithyeglasi....any of themhyeglati....any number of them
IDENTICALhyigla....as/as much/as many, equallyhyiglas....the same amounthyiglasi....the same numberhyiglati....as many (people)
NON-IDENTICALhyugla....not as much/not as much/not as many hyuglas....a different amounthyuglasi....a different number of thingshyuglati....a different number of people

Here are some examples showing how these quantitative determiners are used:
  • Et deuze huugla fi.....You sing so well.
  • At se hegla booka.....I am somewhat tired.
  • Hogla pati et teata hijub?....How many birds did you see today?
  • At teata vyavay hugla tami.....I saw exactly that many houses.
  • Iyt fe hyiglas vyel et.....She wants the same amount as you.
  • Hoglati yantexe yet?....How many (people) agree with you?
  • Hyoglati yantexe.....None agree.
  • Yit fu heglasi.....They would like some (of them).
  • Et yafe bier hyeglasi et fe.....You can take however many you want.
  • At se huugla booka.....I am so tired.
NOTE: The following determiners are synonymous and interchangeable:
  • hegla = gle = henog (somewhat, to some degree)
  • hyigla = ge = hyinog (as, equally, to the same degree)
The determiners hogla and huugla can be used as exclamatory adverbs, eg.:
  • Hogla et agsaye!....How you have grown!
  • Hua twob jagsaye huugla!....That man has aged so much!
  • Hia jotul se huugla fiteluza!....This dessert is sooo delicioius!


Pronominal Determiners
For a discussion of pronominal determiners (or possessive adjectives) like my, mine, yours, our own, etc., see Pronominal Determiners under Pronouns.


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