o yis     Verb quantifiers and adverbs

Verb quantifiers

Verbs and nouns share many quantifiers; verbs also have a few of their own quantifiers. Quantifiers used in a verbal context have different meanings compared to their nominal use:

yyT	ýtz	never	roet	roet	start
bo	bo	once	iqqe	iqqe	stop
to	to	twice	roroet	roroet	resume
jan	jan	occasionally	kjant	kjant	repeat, again
mein	mein	sometimes
rede	rede	often	Dee	dzé	carefully
oja	oja	almost manage to	nee	né	carelessly
loor	lór	manage to	uT	utz	did not
loloor	lolór	easily manage to	fal	fal	does (simple yes/no questions)
diDer	didzer	always

Three quantifiers only appear with verbs as modifying particles:

• g' - an action in the distant past
• t' - now, right at this current moment
• e - timeless actions

Adverbs of manner

O Yis doesn't differentiate between adjectives (eg quick, heavy) and adverbs of manner (eg quickly, heavily):

• XseNvauk mjei doc Tirt ze cmal an diDer lidor
• seŋvauk mjei doc tzirt ze cmal an didzer lidor
• ʦəŋwæuk mjəi ðɔs ʧiɾt ʒə smæl æn ðiʤəɾ liðɔɾ
• the girl quickly took all of the cash

• XseNvauk mjei ze cmal doc Tirt an diDer lidor
• seŋvauk mjei ze cmal doc tzirt an didzer lidor
• ʦəŋwæuk mjəi ʒə smæl ðɔs ʧiɾt æn ðiʤəɾ liðɔɾ
• the quick girl took all of the cash

Adverbs of place (and locative pronouns)

O Yis makes no special effort to indicate where an action takes place; this is generally handled through oblique noun phrases: 'here' can be translated as nir yct (this place); 'there' is translated as nior yct (that place). Locational postpositions are often included for added precision:

• Qin harf f'nirc yct
• in harf f'nirc yct
• in hæɾf f'niɾs ɐst
• where is the dog?

• XaN nir yct il
• aŋ nir yct il
• æŋ niɾ ɐst il
• it's here (just south of me)

Verbal postpositions

Many intransitive verbs, in particular motive and spatial verbs, can take a postposition to indicate the direction or location of the action. intransitive verbs are followed by a subject noun phrase and, if required, an oblique noun phrase: the directionality/location of the action is shown by placing the postposition after the oblique noun (if required - intransitive clause obliques are not required to take a postposition) or, if the oblique has been dropped, the postposition can go at the end of the verb phrase.

• Xelle uuceg hiuk labu y pvarz iTjid
• elle úceg hiuk labu y pvarz itzjid
• əlːə uˑsəg hiuk læbu ɐ pwæɾʒ iʧjið
• He's gone (northwards) to the market

• Xelle uuceg hiuk labu iTjid
• elle úceg hiuk labu itzjid
• əlːə uˑsəg hiuk læbu iʧjið
• He's gone (northwards)