Auxiliary Verbs

The tense of a predicate in ámman îar is expressed by formative suffixes on the auxiliary verb. These inflections communicate information about the time frame in which something exists or occurs. In this sense, tense is deictic. Present time stands at the center of the ámman iar tense system; events that took place before present time are marked with the Past Tense marker; events that are ongoing at the present or somehow include the present are marked with the Present Tense marker; and events that have not yet taken place are marked with the Future Tense marker.

tense
past	-eth
present	-as
future	-dil

9.1.1present tense

The Present Tense (-as) refers to verbal actions that are ongoing at the present or somehow include the present.

erthulel elas 
I am coming.

(ner) erthulel el -as  .
                  :PRES.
(I  ) come     do      .

past tense

The Past Tense (-eth) refers to events that took place before present time.

erthulel életh 
I came.

(ner) erthulel el- -eth .
                   :PAST.
(I  ) come     di       .

9.1.3 future tense

The Future Tense (-dil) refers to events that have not yet taken place.

erthulel eldil 
I will come.

(ner) erthulel el- -dil.
                   :FUT.
(I  ) come     will    .

9.2 aspect

Aspect in ámman îar is expressed by formative infixes on the auxiliary verb. While aspect refers to time in various ways, it goes beyond communicating information about the linear time frame determined by tense.

aspect
definite	-
perfective	-i-
progressive	-ir-
habitual	-iv-

9.2.1 definite aspect

The Definite Aspect is the unmarked form and refers to verbal action taking place within a period or at a point in time.

erthulel elas 
I am coming.

(ner)erthulel el -0   -as.
                 :DEF    .
(I  )come     am         .

9.2.2 perfective aspect

The Perfective Aspect (-i-) is used to communicate an event that is completed.

erthulel elîeth 
I have come. 
(I have arrived)

(ner) erthulel el- -i    -eth.
                   :PERF     .
(I  ) come     have          .

9.2.3 progressive aspect

The Progressive Aspect (-ir-) is used to communicate ongoing and incomplete events.

erthulel eliras 
I am coming. 
(I am on my way)

(ner) erthulel el- -ir   -as.
                   :PROG    .
(I  ) come     am           .

9.2.4 habitual aspect

The habitual aspect (-iv-) is used to show the repetition of an action.

erthulel eliveth
I used to come.

(ner) erthulel el- -iv   -eth.
                   :HAB      .
(I  ) come     did           .

9.3 tense/aspect

Because of the semantic binding of these two categories, it makes sense to discuss how they interact.

9.3.1 present tense aspects

9.3.1.1 present definite

The Present Definite (-as) refers to verbal action taking place within a period or at a point in time. This form of the verb is only used when the action is definitely being done at the moment and must never be used when there is an implication of the future such as "I am going to come next year".Such statements must use the Future tense in ámman îar.

erthulel elas 
I am coming.

(ner)  erthulel  el -0   -as  .
                    :DEF :PRES.
(I  )  come      am           .

9.3.1.2 present habitual

The Present Habitual (-ivas) is used in contexts that imply habitual or recurrent action, apart from time.

der elivas in laisa mastmëar ervathîel 
What kind of soup do you eat?
(as a general preference)

der el -iv  -as   in laisa mastmear ervathîel.
       :HAB :PRES                            .
you habitually       what  soup     eat      .

but

der elas in laisa mastmëar ervathîel 
What kind of soup are you eating? 
(now)

der el -as   in laisa mastmear ervathîel.
       :PRES                            .
you do          what  soup     eat      .

9.3.1.3 present perfect

The Present Perfect (-ias) refers to time now past, but in some way connected with the present.

elias i chûaril irsëin ervassîel neldarle nervinthil 
I bought a new hat this morning
(provided the morning is not wholly past)

(ner) el -i    -as   i caril irsein.
         :PERF :PRES               .
(I  ) did              hat   new   .

ervassîel neldarle nervinthil.
buy       this morning       .

but

életh i chûaril irsëin ervassîel neldarle nervinthil 
I bought a new hat this morning 
(if purchase is reported in the evening)

(ner) el -0   -eth  i caril irsein.
         :DEF :PAST               .
(I  ) did             hat    new  .

ervassîel neldarle nervinthil.
buy       this morning       .

9.3.1.4 present progressive

The Present Progressive (-iras) form is used to indicate that the action of the verb is continuing in the present.

erthulel eliras 
I am coming. 
(I am on my way)

(ner) erthulel el- -ir   -as  .
                   :PROG :PRES.
(I  ) come     am             .

9.3.2 past tense aspects

9.3.2.1 past definite

The Past Definite (-eth) refers to a time wholly past at the moment of utterance.

erthulel életh 
I came.

(ner) erthulel el- -0   -eth .
                   :DEF :PAST.
(I  ) come     did           .

9.3.2.2 past habitual

The Past Habitual (-iveth) is used to express the "historical present". This form is much used in narrative to make past events more vivid.

erûe eliveth anir ainur erechûelmon 
Eru "creates" the Ainur.

erue el -iv  -eth  anir  ainur erechûelmon.
        :HAB :PAST                        .
Eru  does            the Ainur create     .

9.3.2.3 past perfect

The Past Perfect form (-ieth) represents a past action or state as completed at or before a certain past time of reference. This tense/aspect must always be used with state verbs.

erthulel elîeth 
I have come. 
(I have arrived)

(ner) erthulel el- -i    -eth .
                   :PERF :PAST.
(I  ) come     have           .

9.3.2.4 past progressive

The Past Progressive form (-ireth) is used to indicate a continuous action in the past.

erthulel elireth 
I was coming. 
(I was on my way)

(ner) erthulel el- -ir   -eth .
                   :PROG :PAST.
(I  ) come     was            .

9.3.3 future tense aspects

9.3.3.1 future definite

The Future Definite (-dil) expresses verbal activity in the future.

erthulel eldil 
I will come.

(ner) erthulel el- -0   -dil.
                   :DEF :FUT.
(I  ) come     will         .

This tense must always be used in ámman îar where the future is implied, thus:

erthulel enûarle eldil 
I am coming tomorrow.
I will be coming tomorrow.

(ner) erthulel enûarle  el- -0   -dil.
                            :DEF :FUT.
(I  ) come     tomorrow will         .

9.3.3.2 future habitual

The Future Habitual (-ivdil) is used as an irrealis tense to express impossible or improbable future events.

ercenîel omminon elivdil in ámman îar adhinle 
When everyone speaks ámman îar.

ercenîel omminne  el- -iv  -dil in amman îar adhinle   .
                      :HAB :FUT                        .
speak    everyone will             amman îar after time.

9.3.3.3 future perfect

The Future Perfect (-idil) form represents an action or state that will be completed at or before a certain time in the future.

erthulel adûialle elidil 
I shall have come by evening.

(ner) erthulel adûialle  el- -i    -dil.
                             :PERF :FUT.
(I  ) come     evening   shall have    .

9.3.3.4 future progressive

The Future Progressive (-irdhil) form is used to indicate a continuous action in the future.

erthulel elirdhil 
I shall be coming. 
(I will be on my way)

(ner) erthulel el- -ir   -dil.
                   :PROG :FUT.
(I  ) come     will          .

9.4 semantic aspectuals

ámman îar predicates optionally may be inflected using one of the following Semantic Aspectuals that qualify the state or event represented by the verb.

aspectual
type	inflection
relative	cor-
transient	sil-
generic	har-

9.4.1 relative aspectual

This inflection is best understood by reviewing the following pairs of sentences.

NONRELATIVE 
eni vastmëar arunarth 
The soup is hot.
(it has reached its intended temperature - ready to serve)

(el -0 -ieth) eni   mastmear 0- arunarth.
(is         )   the soup        hot     .

RELATIVE 
elcorîeth eni vastmëar arunarth 
The soup is hot.
(it is hot relative to some norm)

el -cor -ieth eni   mastmear 0- arunarth.
   :REL                                 .
is relatively   the soup        hot     .

NONRELATIVE 
eliras eni vastmëar arunar 
The soup is heating.
(it is approaching its intended temperature)

el -0 -iras eni   mastmear 0- arunar.
is    -ing    the soup        hot   .

RELATIVE 
elcoriras eni vastmëar arunar 
The soup is heating.
(it is getting hotter relative to some norm)

el -cor -iras eni   mastmear 0- arunar.
   :REL                               .
is relatively   the soup        hot   .

NONRELATIVE 
i galdránne eliras eni vastmëar arunon 
Galdor is heating the soup.
(he is raising the temperature of the soup toward the goal of servability)

i galdranne el -0 -iras eni   mastmear 0- arunon.
Galdor      is    -ing    the soup        hot   .

RELATIVE 
i galdránne elcoriras eni vastmëar arunon 
Galdor is heating the soup.
(he is raising the temperature of the soup - making it hotter)

i galdranne el -cor       -iras eni   mastmear 0- arunon.
                :REL                                    .
Galdor      is relatively -ing    the soup         hot  .

9.4.2 transitory/generic

A verb with the transitory qualifier is one that represents a single event like a stage direction. A generic qualifier represents a general statement.

TRANSITORY 
elsilas ir ægnoran erlindhel 
ægnoran sings.
(stage direction)

el -sil   -as ir ægnoran erlindhel.
   :TRANS                         .
does          ægnor      sing     .

GENERIC 
elharivas ir ægnoran erlindhel 
ægnoran sings.
(ægnoran is a singer)

el -har  -iv  -as ir ægnoran erlindhel.
   :GEN  :HAB                         .
does              ægnor      sing     .

9.5 mood

In addition to the Indicative or Assertive forms described above, ámman îar predicates can be inflected for a large number of moods. The language distinguishes two major categories of modality: Epistemic Modality that is concerned with matters of knowledge or belief and Deontic Modality that is concerned with the necessity or possibility of acts.

9.5.1 epistemic modality

Epistemic Modality encompasses all the ways in which speakers indicate their degree of commitment to the truth of a given proposition. These fall into two further subcategories: Judgmentals that indicate opinions that involve the notions of possibility and necessity and Evidentials that indicate the kind of evidence the speaker has.

epistemic modality
epistemic judgmentals
assertive	el-
speculative/possibility	es-
deductive/necessity	er-
epistemic evidentials
quotative/hearsay	ir-
sensory	il-

9.5.1.1 epistemic judgmentals

Besides assertion, it is possible to make two kinds of epistemic judgments in ámman îar, a "weak" one (Speculative/Possibility) and a "strong" one (Deductive/Necessity).

9.5.1.1.1 assertion

The simplest form of epistemic modality is the assertion. Assertions represent the unmarked modal form of the verb.

alan erthulel eliras 
He is coming.

alan erthulel el   -iras.
              ASS:      .
He   come     is        .

9.5.1.1.2 speculative/possibility

The weak judgment is characterized by what is epistemicly possible or a speculation about the event.

alan erthulel esiras 
He may be coming. 
(It is possible that he is coming)

alan erthulel es   -iras.
              SPEC:     .
he   come     may       .

9.5.1.1.3 deductive/necessity

The strong judgment is characterized by what is epistemically necessary or a deduction about the event.

alan erthulel eriras 
He must be coming. 
(it is necessary that he is coming)

alan  erthulel er   -iras.
               DED:      .
he    come     must be   .

9.5.1.2 epistemic evidentials

Evidentials indicate the kind of evidence the speaker has for believing the utterance. Epistemic Evidentials include hearsay evidence (Quotative/Hearsay) and evidence of the senses (Sensitive).

9.5.1.2.1 quotative/hearsay

The Quotative/Hearsay modality is used when the speaker"s evidence is based on secondhand information.

alan erthulel iriras 
He is said to be coming.

alan  erthulel ir   -iras.
               QUOT:     .
he    come     said to be.

9.5.1.2.2 sensory

When the speaker"s evidence is based on firsthand sensory information, one of the sensory modalities should be used. These include Visual, Auditory, Olfactory, and Tactile modalities.

alan erthulel hemme iliras 
He is seen to be coming.

alan  erthulel hen -me     il-   -iras .
                   :ADVMAN SENS:       .
he    come     by eye      sensed to be.

alan erthulel laudirve iliras 
He is heard to be coming.

alan  erthulel laudir -me     il-   -iras .
                      :ADVMAN SENS:       .
he    come     by ear         sensed to be.

alan erthulel faustirve iliras 
?He is smelled to be coming.

alan  erthulel faustir -me     il-   -iras .
                       :ADVMAN SENS:      >.
he    come     by nose         sensed to be.

alan erthulel camme iliras 
?He is felt to be coming.

alan  erthulel cam -me     il-   -iras .
                   :ADVMAN SENS:       .
he    come     by hand     sensed to be.

NOTE: This last example is somewhat artificial. The Tactile modality can only be used when the event is physically experienced and cannot be used metaphorically as the example implies. This expression would be valid, for example, in the case where the speaker feels the vibrations of his approach.

9.5.2 deontic modality

Deontic modality is characterized by expressions containing an element of will involving language and potential action used to order, promise, or place an obligation on someone.

deontic modality
deontic directives
imperative	tar-
permissive/possibility	tan-
obligative/necessity	tor-
commissive	tal-
deontic volitives
optative	nor-
desiderative	nal-
hortative	nas-

9.5.2.1 deontic directives

Directives are utterances used to initiate action in which the speaker tries to get someone else to behave in a particular manner. Since these are performative, they are always used with future tense verbs, since only the future can be changed or affected as a result of them being expressed. Besides the imperative, there are two kinds of deontic directives in ámman îar, a "weak" one (Permissive/Possibility) and a "strong" one (Obligative/Necessity).

9.5.2.1.1 imperative

Unlike English where it is expressed as a mood marker, the Imperative is expressed within the modal system in ámman îar.

der erthulel tardhil 
Come!

der   erthulel tar -dil.
2PERS          IMP:    .
you   come     will    .

Since the imperative must always be used with a 2nd Person referent as the S-function argument, the pronominal reference (der) usually is omitted. Similarly, since the imperative must always be used with an active future tense, the auxiliary verb (tardhil) usually is omitted.

erthulel 
Come!

(der  ) erthulel (tar -dil).
(2PERS)          (IMP:    ).
(you  ) come     (will    ).

An alternative form can also be found that drops the valency and class markers on the lexical verb.

erthul 
Come!

(der  ) erthul (-el) (tar -dil).
(2PERS)              (IMP:    ).
(you  ) come         (will    ).

This latter form, however, is considered a very abrupt form and should not be used indiscriminately.

9.5.2.1.2 permissive/possibility

The weak directive is characterized by what is deontically possible or permitted.

alan erthulel tandil 
He may come. 
(he has permission to come)

alan erthulel tan   -dil.
              PERM:     .
He   come     may       .

9.5.2.1.3 obligative/necessity

The strong directive is characterized by what is deontically necessary or obligatory.

alan erthulel tordhil 
He must come. 
(it is obligatory that he come)

alan erthulel tor   -dil.
              OBLIG:    .
He   come     must      .

9.5.2.1.4 commissive

The Commissive Modality is used when the speaker commits him/herself to an action.

erthulel taldil 
I shall come.

(ner) erthulel tal   -dil.
               PERM:     .
He    come     may       .

9.5.2.2 deontic volitives

Volitives express hopes (Optative), wishes (Desiderative) and urgings (Hortative).

9.5.2.2.1 optative

The Optative Modality is used for hopes.

norivdil en alan cöirarth pernille 
May he still be alive.

nor  -iv  -dil en alan coirarth pernille.
OPT: :HAB :FUT                          .
may               he   live     still   .

9.5.2.2.2 desiderative

The Desiderative Modality is used to express wishes.

naldil en alan cöirarth pernille 
Would that he were still alive.

nal  -dil en alan coirarth pernille.
DES: :FUT                          .
would        he   live     still   .

9.5.2.2.3 hortative

The Hortative Modality is used to express urging.

der erthulel nastil 
Do come!

der   erthulel nas -dil.
2PERS          HORT:   .
you   come     do      .

Like the imperative, the hortative must always be used with a 2nd Person referent as the S-function argument of the predication, the pronominal reference may be and usually is omitted.

erthulel nastil 
Do come!

(der  ) erthulel nas -dil.
(2PERS)          HORT:   .
(you  ) come     do      .

9.6 polarity

The scope of negation in ámman îar is indicated in different ways. To negate an entire proposition, the auxiliary verb is prefixed with the negative formative u-/û-.

alan erthulel ûesiras
He may not be coming.
(It is possible that he is not coming)

alan erthulel u-  esiras.
              NEG:      .
he   come     not may   .

To negate the modality of a proposition, the sentential negative or must initiate the sentence.

or alan erthulel esiras 
He can not be coming. 
(It is not possible that he is coming)

or  alan erthulel esiras.
NEG                     .
not he   come     may   .

The Pages of The Gray Wizard

9.0 auxiliary verb inflections

9.1 tense