4B.1 Bare *patekh* — the "maybe" form
4B · Verbs in use — which form when · a plain-language guide to Assyrian (Sureth) grammar
Chapter 4 said bare patekh is loose about time until a particle pins it down. Khan's account is sharper than that: on its own the form is irrealis — it presents an action as not yet real, only wished for, intended, or considered.
Realis means "presented as fact"; irrealis means "presented as not (yet) fact." Almost every language has the distinction; Assyrian just has a bare form for it.
Wishes and "let's" — deontic uses
Deontic is the will-and-obligation family: let me, may he, you should. In a main clause, a bare present verb is normally this:
| Assyrian | English |
|---|---|
| ana azen | I would like to go |
| akhla | she should eat |
| azakh pellan dukta | let us go to such-and-such a place |
| kudme atet | you should come tomorrow |
| la azet | do not go |
| alaha rakhem al malla | may God have mercy on the mullah |
It is very often introduced by an imperative — ku! "get up!" or khush! "go!" — which is where the khush- and shuk- particles of The tense particles (Chapter 4) come from:
| Assyrian | English |
|---|---|
| ku azakh beta | get up, let's go home |
| kumun talakh talta | get up (all of you), let's play a game |
Deliberating — "what should I do?"
Put the same bare form in a question and you get English's should / could / may. These are among the most useful sentences in the chapter:
| Assyrian | English |
|---|---|
| mu oden? | what should I do? |
| mu tanen? | what should I say? |
| ka-mu kul-yum atakh kese mayyakh? | why should we come every day and bring wood? |
| dakh katlenne? | how could I kill him? |
The exception — verbs of wanting, knowing and being able
A handful of verbs describe a state of mind rather than an action, and for those the bare present is not irrealis at all: it is the plain, factual present, where any other verb would use the progressive.
| Assyrian | English | verb |
|---|---|---|
| bayyen kha-mendi tanennukh | I want to say something to you | bayye want |
| mu bayyet ana kakh yavven? | what do you want me to give you? | bayye |
| kul-nashe yattile | everybody knows him | yatte know |
| akhnan la-msakh mennukh khayyakh | we cannot live with you | ames be able |
So bayyen is "I want", full stop — not "I would want." Learn these three verbs as the exception and the rule underneath stays clean.
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