Verb Inflection
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Tense & Aspect
There are three morphological tenses in Gcè Dlaryv, although additional tenses can be derived from auxiliary constructions and the like.
Gyrvyrnè - Present Tense
The present tense is used to describe present or gnomic actions, as well as perfect continuous actions, actions or states that have existed for a long time.
‘S/he had been in Dor for a long time’
Unlike English literature, Gcè Dlaryv tends to use the present tense in narration.
The form of the present tense depends on both the person of the subject and conjugation of the verb. For more information on conjugations, there is a page dedicated for it here.
‘I have a gift.’
Dannyrnè - Past Tense
The past tense is used for actions that are finished or have stopped. It encompasses various forms of past actions, including aorists (simple pasts), perfects (present states of past actions), and pluperfect (past states of past actions). The imperfect, however, is not typically described with this tense; an auxiliary construction exists for it.
How the past is conjugated depends on, in addition to conjugation and person, whether the verb is solar or lunar. The past of solar verbs are communicated with a stem change, whereas the past of lunar verbs are communicated with a suffix.
‘I had a gift (a lunar verb)’
‘I yoke the bulls (a solar verb)’
Bovimyrnè - Future Tense
The future tense is used for actions that either will be done in the future or will be completed in the future.
‘I will have a gift.’
The form of the future tense does not change between the first, second, and third conjugations but does in the fourth.
Periphrastic Constructions
Although morphological tenses are rather sparing in Gcè Dlaryv, periphrastic tenses are abundant. These periphrastic tenses require the verb to take a genitive object rather than an accusative object, as they are formed through the use of an intransitive verb and an adverb. With the accusative gerund and the auxiliary i ‘to be’, various aspect constructions may be made, whereas with the genitive gerund and the auxiliary, various evidential constructions may be made. These are listed in the chart below.
The imperfect is used for actions that occurred in the past, though either occurred continuously or simply have not been finished
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‘I was having/used to have a gift’
The habitual is used for actions that occur over an extended period of time in the present.
‘I am having a gift’
The inchoative is employed for actions that are started in the present moment but are as of yet unfinished.
‘I begin to have a gift’
The inferential is for actions the speaker did not witness but believes occurred based on abundant physical. In the first person, this usually translates to a mirative expressing surprise, as an action the speaker performed was probably witnessed by the speaker
‘S/he (apparently) has a gift’
‘I (surprisingly) have a gift’
The reportative is used for actions that have not been witnessed by the speaker but been reported by others.
‘S/he has a gift (I have been told this by others)’
The dubitative is used for actions that the speaker doubts occurred.
‘S/he has a gift (apparently, but I doubt it)’
Mood
Gcè Dlaryv has three moods: the indicative, abilitive, and jussive.
The indicative reflects actions that occur in reality. All previous examples have been given in the indicative. It works with all tenses and aspects.
‘S/he can swim.’
The abilitive is used for actions the speaker desires to occur. The future, inchoative, and dubitative cannot conjugate for the abilitive.
‘S/he can swim’
The jussive is used for actions that are able to occur or be performed by the subject. It only conjugates for the present and the reportative.
‘S/he needs to swim’