Pronominal Prefixes
One of the early challenges in learning Kunwok is the pronominal prefixes. We'll break it down to make it easier to learn.
Pronominal prefixes are a bit like pronouns, such as I, you, she. However, they are attached to verbs. For example:
- ngare (I go) is made up of nga- (I) and re (go)
- yire is made up of yi- (you) and re (go)
Can you form expressions with bidbun (climb), mankan (fall), keyo (sleep), bebme (arrive), and nalkbun (cry)? When you're ready, click on "expand" to see the answers.
I climb | you climb | I fall | you fall | I sleep | you sleep | I arrive | you arrive | I cry | you cry |
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ngabidbun | yibidbun | ngamankan | yimankan | ngakeyo | yikeyo | ngabebme | yibebme | nganalkbun | yinalkbun |
NB ngabidbun can mean any of: I climb (present simple), I am climbing (present progressive), I will climb (future simple), I will be climbing (future progressive). Context will usually make it clear which sense is intended.
Two kinds of verbs:
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Pronominal Prefixes with Intransitive Verbs
- Intransitive Verbs 1 (singular)
- Intransitive Verbs 2 (plural)
- Intransitive Verbs 3 (plural)
Pronominal Prefixes with Transitive Verbs
- Transitive Verbs 1 (singular, third person singular objects)
- Transitive Verbs 2 (first person subject, second person object)
- Transitive Verbs 3 (singular, third person plural objects)