Page:Handbook of the Swatow vernacular.djvu/58

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42
Lesson X.

入來 jíp--lâi, come in, 覔着 tshūe--tiéh, found, 來了 lái--lō, has come, 掠着了 liáh--tiéh-lō, has been caught, 站起來, khiã--khí-lâi, stand up.

“The use of hyphens, though most essential, is yet difficult to regulate by any stringent law, and much must be left to discretion.”

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.
Uá, I. 阮。咱 Ún or nán, we.
Lṳ́, thou or you. Nín, ye or you.
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.