Friday, September 2, 2011

The Past Simple: 3A (JOOGSO) / 3B (QABO)

The Past Simple 3rd conjugation can be tricky. Up to this point, I have not found any specific rules for determining which verbs are 3A vs 3B. I have seen a trend with some exceptions.

3A: Verbs with vowel change when conjugated
The verb is 3A if: there are 2 consonants before the final vowel "o" (ex: baxso, cabso) [not including verbs with "yso" at the end ex: adkayso]; if there is a single consonant "k" before the final vowel "o" (ex: buko)
****Additionally, so far verbs which end in "ow" appear to also be 3A verbs.  They are different because these verbs are in a change of status (caddow=to become white)****
3B: Verbs with vowel loss when conjugated
The verb is 3B if: there is 1 consonant before the final vowel "o" (ex: cabo, dego, dhimo); if the verb ends in "yso" (ex: akdayso, dhageyso, etc.)

EXCEPTIONS (found so far): Words like "NOQO" [3B verb: to become, to return] do not have a vowel change for the 2nd person.  Basically it seems that if the 3B verb which ends in "o" also has the short vowel "o" prior to the last consonant (noqo, soco, doco)
Past Simple: waan/wuu noqdey, waad/wey noqotey, waannu noqonney, weydin noqoteen, wey noqdeen

DISCLAIMER:  Please understand this is NOT a proven fact, only a theory.

Pronoun/WAA form 3A Root Verb 3A Vowel Change 3A Suffix 3A Conjugated Verb
I / WAAN JOOGSO Change final "O" to "A" -DAY JOOGSADAY
You / WAAD JOOGSO Change final "O" to "A" -TAY JOOGSATAY
He / WUU JOOGSO Change final "O" to "A" -DAY JOOGSADAY
She / WEY JOOGSO Change final "O" to "A" -TAY JOOGSATAY
We / WAANNU JOOGSO Change final "O" to "A" -NNAY JOOGSANNAY
You All / WEYDIN JOOGSO Change final "O" to "A" -TEEN JOOGSATEEN
They / WEY JOOGSO Change final "O" to "A" -DEEN JOOGSADEEN

Pronoun/WAA form 3B Root Verb 3B Vowel Change 3B Suffix 3B Conjugated Verb
I / WAAN QABO Drop final vowel -TAY QABTAY
You / WAAD QABO Drop final vowel -ATAY QABATAY
He / WUU QABO Drop final vowel -TAY QABTAY
She / WEY QABO Drop final vowel -ATAY QABATAY
We / WAANNU QABO Drop final vowel -ANNAY QABANNAY
You All / WEYDIN QABO Drop final vowel -ATEEN QABATEEN
They / WEY QABO Drop final vowel -TEEN QABTEEN

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