Verb Tenses

Kalavan Baoran verbs inflect for three distinct tenses: non-past, present progressive, and past. This inflexion occurs in two ways: either by changing the final vowel in polysyllabic verbs or by adding a suffix in monosyllabic verbs. Within serial verb constructions, verbs can take different tense inflexion.

The non-past tense is unmarked, and this verb form is used in dictionaries. The non-past tense has two distinct uses: 1) to describe general facts or habits, and 2) to make future tense constructions alongside the auxiliary verb "molo."

The present progressive tense is marked with the suffix "-yu" in verbs with monosyllabic stems or those that end with /u/. In verbs with polysyllabic stems, the final vowel is changed to /u/. The present progressive is used to describe ongoing actions or states. This verb form can also be used to make progressive participles, which, when marked with a noun class agreement prefix, become adjectives.

The past tense is marked with the suffix "-ka" in verbs with monosyllabic stems or those that end with /a/. In verbs with polysyllabic roots, the final vowel is changed to /a/. The past tense is used to describe past actions. This verb form can also be used to make past participles, which, when marked with a noun class agreement prefix, become adjectives.