4.1 The big idea: two stems + two sets of endings
4 · Verbs — how the system works · a plain-language guide to Assyrian (Sureth) grammar
Almost everything in the Assyrian verb comes down to this:
Every verb has two stems — a present stem and a past stem — built from its root (the bare skeleton of consonants a verb grows from, usually three). Take the root p-t-kh ("open"):
- present stem: patekh-
- past stem: ptikh-
And there are two sets of personal endings:
- S-endings ("subject endings") → glue onto the present stem to make the present tense.
- L-endings (all start with -l) → glue onto the past stem to make the past tense.
That's the whole skeleton. Present = present stem + S-ending. Past = past stem + L-ending.
The two ending sets
| person | S-endings (present) | L-endings (past) |
|---|---|---|
| 3ms (he) | — (nothing) | -le |
| 3fs (she) | -a | -la |
| 3pl (they) | -i | -lun |
| 2ms (you, m.) | -et | -lukh |
| 2fs (you, f.) | -at | -lakh |
| 2pl (you all) | -itun | -lokhun |
| 1ms (I, m.) | -en | -li |
| 1fs (I, f.) | -an | -li |
| 1pl (we) | -akh | -lan |
(The L-endings are the same set you already met as possessive-style endings — Assyrian reuses its building blocks constantly.)
One place the S-endings differ. When an S-ending marks the object rather than the subject — which happens on the past stem, Object endings — the "they" ending is -e, not -i: ktilele "he killed them." That single vowel is the only difference between the two uses.
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