Nubehexian 1/Articles and Introduction

From Wikiversity
Jump to navigation Jump to search


Now that we have formally discussed the alphabet and pronunciation system of Nubehexian, it is possible to introduce some very basic vocabulary and grammar concepts.

Articles[edit | edit source]

In Nubehexian, there are only two articles and they are never inflected to correspond to gender or number (they stay the same in all circumstances).

Article Type Notes
ōûn indefinite This article is the equivalent to "a" or "an" in English. When referring to an object without any particular emphasis, it is ideal to use this article.
vel definite This article is the equivalent to "the" in English. This is commonly used to place emphasis on a particular noun or to disambiguate a group of objects that are expressed with plural forms of nouns.

Subject Pronouns and Stah, the "To Be" Verb[edit | edit source]

Probably the most fundamental verb in most languages is the "to be" verb, which is also called the copula. In Nubehexian, the to be verb is used to express state of being, and nouns (in this case, indirect objects) are never inflected when the to be verb complements them. In this situation, all nouns assume the nominative case, or its dictionary form (grammatical cases will be discussed in detail soon). However, in order to begin applying the copula, it is necessary to introduce the subject pronouns. The following table provides some context for each of them.

Subject Pronoun Type Notes
sel first person singular Essentially the equivalent to "I" in English.
sëīl first person plural Essentially the equivalent to "we" in English.
sentis second person informal singular This is similar to the singular "you" in English, but this pronoun is considered informal and should be reserved for casual or colloquial conversation.
sentis klass second person formal singular This is the formal singular version of "you" in English, and should be used in formal conversation as well as in written addresses and academic reports.
sentisīk second person informal plural
sentisīk klassëīk second person formal plural
naulem third person masculine singular Essentially the equivalent to "he" in English.
nauless third person feminine singular Essentially the equivalent to "she" in English.
et third person neuter singular Essentially the equivalent to "it" in English.
grōōler third person masculine/feminine informal plural This pronoun should be used when referring to an informal or arbitrary group of individuals only.
evineh third person masculine/feminine formal plural This pronoun should be used when referring to a formal group of people, such as an organization or institution.
etīk third person neuter plural This is a pronoun that is not present in English, but it is simply the plural form of "it" in English.

The next table below introduces the simple present and preterite tense forms of the to be verb, “stah."

Conjugation Tense Notes
sel/naulem/nauless/et stat simple present Essentially the equivalent to "am" and "is" in English.
sëīl/sentis/sentisīk/sentis klass/sentisīk klassëīk/grōōler/evineh/etīk stateh simple present Essentially the equivalent to "are" in English.
sel/naulem/nauless/et vaust simple preterite Essentially the equivalent to "was" in English.
sëīl/sentis/sentisīk/sentis klass/sentisīk klassëīk/grōōler/evineh/etīk vaustī simple preterite Essentially the equivalent to "were" in English.

Quick Practice[edit | edit source]

Make an effort to write out each table from this lesson by memory. It is not necessary to include the columns with miscellaneous notes unless you elect yourself to do so.

See also[edit | edit source]