Seeing an Action's Stage

Level 2

Noncompleted includes contemplated and ongoing actions.

How It Works

The lesson grammar distinguishes three aspect stages. Contemplated forms present actions not yet begun and also serve as commands. Ongoing forms present actions in progress. Completed forms present accomplished events. The broader teaching label ‘noncompleted’ groups contemplated and ongoing actions rather than corresponding to a single English tense.

For the supported ag- pattern, compare agluto, aglutluto and nagluto. Another voice family has different formations: patient-focus gatangen contrasts with completed ginatang. An aspect change retains the relevant participant pattern; a voice change selects a different participant.

Time expressions separately locate events: inton bigat supplies tomorrow, ita supplies now, and idi kalman supplies yesterday. The examples combine compatible stages and times. Learn each verb family’s forms rather than treating these affixes as interchangeable English past, present and future endings.

Examples (3)

  1. Agluto ni Dina inton bigat.

    Dina will cook tomorrow.

    Contemplated cooking has future time reference.

  2. Aglutluto ni Dina ita.

    Dina is cooking now.

    CVC copying lut marks ongoing cooking.

  3. Nagluto ni Dina idi kalman.

    Dina cooked yesterday.

    Nag- marks completed cooking; the time phrase supplies yesterday.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Seeing an Action's StageLevel 2

Learn This First

Distinguish contemplated, ongoing and completed event stages.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

nag-