Handbook of the Swatow Vernacular/Grammar
Lesson X.
Grammar.
Substantives and Adjectives are not declined: the same word expresses both the singular and the plural. Pronouns hove a plural form.
| Singular. | Plural. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 我 | Uá, I. | 阮。咱 | Ún or nán, we. |
| 爾 | Lṳ́, thou or you. | 恁 | Nín, ye or you. |
| 伊 | I, he, she, it. | 因。伊人 | I or i--nâng, they, them. |
The distinctions of moods, tenses, numbers and persons are shown by the addition of certain auxiliary verbs or particles, as follows:—
indicative mood.
present tense.
- 我來
- Uá lâi
- I come.
- 爾去
- Lṳ́ khṳ̀
- You go.
- 伊要
- I àiⁿ
- He wants.
- 阮勿
- Ún màiⁿ
- We don't want.
- 恁是我個朋友
- Nín sĩ uá kâi phêng-iú
- You are my friends.
- 因。伊人是外人
- In or i--nâng sĩ gūa-nâng
- They are outsiders.
past tense.
- They are outsiders.
The common signs of the Past Tense are 有 ũ and 甞 chêng, and are employed chiefly in asking questions and in giving answers, but seldom when a subject is simply being spoken of, viz.—
- 伊分我
- I pun uá
- He gave me.
- 伊昨日來
- I tsa-jít lâi
- He came yesterday.
- 伊昨日有來或無
- I tsa-jít ũ lâi a-bô?
- Did he come yesterday or not?
- 伊昨日不甞來。伊昨日無來
- I tsa-jít m̄-chêng lâi, or i tsa-jít bô-lâi
- He did not come yesterday.
- 我昨日甞來。我昨日有來
- Uá tsa-jít chêng--lâi, or uá tsa-jít ũ--lâi
- I did come yesterday.
perfect tense.
The chief signs of the Perfect Tense are 了 lióu, 正 chiàⁿ, 識 pat, 有 ũ, 未 būe, and 亞未 a-būe.
Lióu[1] 了 (finish) can only be used to subjects being spoken of, and cannot be used in asking questions, viz.—
- 伊來了
- I lâi--lō
- He has come.
- 阮知了
- Ún tsai--lō
- We have known.
- 因到了
- In kàu--lō
- They have arrived. Chiàⁿ 正 (just) and 識 pat (ever) can be used both to questions and answers, viz.—
- 伊正來
- I chiàⁿ-lâi
- He has just come.
- 爾此時正來
- Lṳ́ chi-tsûn chìaⁿ-lâi?
- Have you just now come?
- 爾昔識來此處否
- Lṳ́ tsá pat-lâi--chié mē?
- Have you ever been here before?
- 我昔不識來此處
- Uá tsá m̄-pat lâi--chié
- I have never been here before.
Ũ (have) 有 in the Perfect Tense, generally followed by the interrogative sign 亞未 a-būe, is used for questions only, and 未 būe (not yet) is used for answers, viz.—
- 伊有來或未
- I ũ[2] lâi a-būe?
- Has he come?
- 伊未來
- I būe lâi
- He has not come.
- 因有去或未
- In ũ[2] khṳ̀ a-būe?
- Have they gone?
- 因未去
- In būe khṳ̀
- They have not gone.
future tense.
The chief signs of the Future Tense are àiⁿ, 正要 chiàⁿ-àiⁿ, (want) 會 õi (can) and 袂 bõi (cannot.) viz.—
- 伊明天要來
- I màⁿ-khí àiⁿ-lâi
- He will come to-morrow.
- 霎時要落雨
- Khiã-tiām àiⁿ-lóh-hõu
- It will rain bye-and-bye.
- 伊何時正要來
- I tiang-sî chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi?
- When will he come?[3]
- 伊霎時正要來
- I khiã-tiām chiàⁿ-àiⁿ-lâi
- He will come bye-and-bye.
- 我下個月要轉
- Uá ẽ-kâi-guêh àiⁿ-tńg
- I shall go home next month.
- 伊會死或袂
- I õi sí a-bõi?
- Will he die?
- 伊袂死
- I bõi--sí
- He will not die.
- 伊將來會做大
- I chiang-lâi õi tsò-tūa
- He will be great in the future.
potential mood.
The signs of the Potential Mood are 會 õi, 袂 bõi, 會得 õi-tit, 袂得 bõi-tit, 好 hó, 着 tiéh, and 不可 m̄-móⁿ.
Õi (can) 會 implies ability, and 袂 bõi (cannot) implies its opposite, inability.
- 伊會氽
- I õi-siû
- He can swim.
- 伊袂走
- I bõi-tsáu
- He cannot run.
Õi-tit (can) 會得 implies possibility, and 袂得 bõi-tit (cannot) implies impossibility.
- 爾今夜回得來或袂
- Lṳ́ ke-mêⁿ õi-tit lâi a-bõi?
- Can you come to-night or not?
- 我不閒。我今夜袂得去
- Uá m̄-ôiⁿ, uá ke-mêⁿ bõi-tit khṳ̀
- I am busy, I cannot go to-night.
- 爾早時呾爾袂得來。爾只囘如何會得來
- Lṳ́ thâng-kùa tàⁿ-lṳ́ bõi-tit lái, lṳ́ chí-tsûn tsò-nîⁿ õi-tit lâi?
- You said just now you could not come, how is it you can come now?
- 我只囘閒。故此就會得來
- Uá chí-tsûn ôiⁿ, kù-tshṳ́ chiũ õi-tit lâi
- I have leisure just now, and therefore I can come.
- 爾若是無共伊呾。伊袂得知
- Lṳ́ nāⁿ-sĩ bô kah i tàⁿ, i bõi-tit tsai
- If you did not tell him, he could not know it.
Hó 好 is very nearly the same as the English auxiliary verb may, and implies liberty.
- 我好去否
- Uá hó-khṳ̀ mē?
- May I go?
- 爾好去
- Lṳ́ hó-khṳ̀
- You may go.
- 我好呾否
- Uá hó-tàⁿ mē?
- May I speak?
Tiéh 着 (must, ought, or should) implies obligation.
- 爾着來
- Lṳ́ tiéh-lâi
- You must, (ought to, or should) come.
- 喊伊着靜靜
- Hàm i tiéh tiām-tiām
- Tell him he ought to be silent.
- 我着𭒡爾
- Uá tiéh-hiâm lṳ́
- I must blame you.
- 爾着認爾個不着
- Lṳ́ tiéh-jīn lṳ́ kâi m̄-tiéh
- You should admit your fault. M̄-móⁿ (don't) 不可 implies the opposite of 着 tiéh, viz. must not, ought not, and should not.
- 爾不可去
- Luú m̄-móⁿ khṳ̀
- You must not go.
- 恁不可分伊去
- Nín m̄-móⁿ pun i khṳ̀
- You ought not to let him go.
- 恁不可辯
- Nín m̄-móⁿ à
- You should not argue.
The Passive verb is formed by the use of the words 分 pun, 乞 khoih (to give) and 分人 pun--nâng (give people.)
- 爾乞何人打
- Lṳ́ khoih tî-tiâng phah?
- By whom were you beaten?
- 我分伊打
- Uá pun i phah
- I was beaten by him.
- 伊分人殺
- I pun--nâng thâi
- He was killed.
- 分何人殺
- Pun tî-tiâng thâi?
- Was killed by whom?
- 是分伊殺或不是
- Sĩ pun i thâi a m̄-sĩ?
- Was he kileld by him or not?
- 伊分雷公扣死
- I pun lûi-kong khà-sí
- He was struck to death by lightning.
- 伊袂分人騙
- I bõi pun--nâng phièn
- He cannot be deceived by people.
- 伊個名聲乞人稱誦
- I kâi miâⁿ-siaⁿ khoih--nâng o-ló
- His name is praised by the people.
The Progressive Form is formed by the use of the word 在 tõ (in the act of) and 要 iàⁿ (want.)
- 小兒在耍
- Nouⁿ-kiáⁿ tõ sńg
- The boys are playing.
- 我在寫字
- Uá tõ siá-jī
- I am writing.
- 亞奴在哭
- A-nôuⁿ tõ khàu
- The child is crying.
- 伊呾伊要去
- I tàⁿ i àiⁿ-lâi
- He says he is coming.
- 伊要轉去
- I àiⁿ-tńg--khṳ̀
- He is going home.
comparison of adjectives.
the comparative degree.
The words employed in the comparative degree are 愈 zú, 敬 kèng, (more) 𢰳 ióu, (a little) 過 kùe, (over) 贏 iâⁿ (to be superior, to defeat,) and 輸, (to be inferior, to be defeated.)
- 愈多愈好
- Zú-tsōi zú-hó
- The more the better.
- 只個𢰳大
- Chí--kâi ióu-tūa
- This is a little larger.
- 伊有愈多我
- I ũ zú-tsōi uá
- He has more than I.
- 此個敬長過彼個
- Chí--kâi kèng-tn̂g kùe hṳ́-kâi
- This is longer than that.
- 爾個好。我個愈敬好
- Lṳ́--kâi hó, uá--kâi zú-kèng hó
- Yours is good, (but) mine better.
- 伊會走猛過我
- He can run faster than I.
- 伊行猛過伊走
- Lṳ́ kiâⁿ méⁿ-kùe i tsáu
- You walk faster than he runs.
- 潮州府會贏過汕頭或袂
- Tiê-chiu-hú õi iâⁿ-kùe Suaⁿ-thâu a-bõi?
- Is Ch'ao-chow-fu better than Swatow?
- 爾寫個字贏我個
- Lṳ́ siá kâi jī iâⁿ uá kâi
- Your writing is better than mine.
- 伊作事贏爾
- I tsò-sṳ̄ iâⁿ lṳ́
- He does things better than you.
- 爾無用。輸伊
- Lṳ́ bô-ēng su i
- You are no use, and are surpassed by him.
- 爾會走贏伊否
- Lṳ́ õi tsáu-iâⁿ i mē?
- Can you over take him in running?
- 袂。我輸伊
- Bõi, uá su i
- No, I am behind him in running.
the superlative degree.
The words employed in the superlative degrree are 上 siãng and 上頂 siãng-téng (supreme); the latter generally refers to the qualities of goods, viz.—
- 有上大個否
- Ũ siãng-tūa--kâi mē?
- Have you the largest one?
- 此個就是上大個
- Chí--kâi chiũ-sĩ siãng-tūa kâi
- This is the largest one.
- 我要上頂好個
- Uá àiⁿ siãng-téng-hó--kâi
- I want the best (quality.)
- ↑ This word is so unaccented, that it is always sounded lō instead of lióu, when it comes after a Double hyphen.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 In every case ũ may be omitted if preferred.
- ↑ Chiàⁿ-àiⁿ is nearly the same as the auxillary verb will, and is employed thus, e. g. I tiang-sî chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi? when will he come? that is to say, he is not coming now, but when will he come? and the answer is I khiã-tiām chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi, He will come bye and bye, that is to say, he will come, but not before the time when he intends to come.