Verb syntax

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preliminaries here

Transitivity

'Si' Construction

Verbal idioms composed of a noun with si do, make are intransitive. What would be though of as the direct object in English will take the dative, ngaru seiyi irayo I thank you (various).

Tense

Aspect

Combined Tense and Aspect

Mood

Imperative

Commands in Na'vi have no special infix. Positive commands are simply a verb stem, kä! kä! go! go! (from the film). The pronoun may also be stated explicitly, 'awpot set ftxey ayngal, (you) choose one now (ASG, Hunt Song).

Negative commands are not negated with the usual negative adverb ke, but rather use the word rä'ä, as in txopu rä’ä si don't be afraid (from the film).

A polite command or request may instead use the infix ‹iv› (see Optative below).

The infix ‹iv›

On the LearnNavi.org forum this infix is often called a subjunctive. While it does take up several functions that match the subjunctive, it has several other roles, too.

Optative

It is used to indicate wish, oeyä swizaw nìngay tivakuk let my arrow strike true (ASG, Hunt Song).

It may also indicate a polite command, spivaw oeti rutxe please believe me (AMFP).

Modal Complement

The verbal complement to a modal verb, such as zene must, tsun can, be able to, and new, want to, will take the infix, as in ayngari zene hivum you must leave (BtS), oe new nìtxan ayngaru fyawivìntxu I want very much to guide you (AMFP), fmawn a tsun oe ayngaru tivìng news which I can give to you (AMFP).

Purpose

Purpose clauses using the conjunction fte (negative fteke) use the infix, sawtute zera'u fte fol Kelutralti skiva'a the sky people are coming to destroy Hometree (BtS), fteke nìhawng livok to not get too close (NYT sound sample).

Conditional

We do not yet know all the types of conditional sentences in Na'vi. At least some do use ‹iv› in the protasis, pxan livu txo nì'aw oe ngari / tsakrr nga Na'viru yomtìyìng only if I am worth of you / will you then feed the people (ASG, Hunt Song).

With tsnì

The conjunction tsnì that introduces some kinds of report clause which cause the verb to take the infix, ätxäle si tsnì livu oheru Uniltaron I respectfully request the Dream Hunt (BtS). In Frommer's own notes to AMFP, he says of sìlpey hope, "optionally takes tsnì to mark the clause and requires -iv- in the subordinate verb(s))."

Affect

Positive

Negative

Formal