pea
An Uncertain Claim
Pea can soften a prediction or an offered number.
How It Works
Pea presents information tentatively. In e kore pea + subject + e + verb, it follows the negative predicate and softens a prediction of nonoccurrence. With an ordinary number predicate, it follows the number and makes the count uncertain. It has no person or number endings.
Compare E kore a Hine e tae mai, “Hine will not arrive,” with E kore pea a Hine e tae mai, “Perhaps Hine will not arrive.” The uncertainty concerns the negative proposition. E ono pea ngā kete similarly offers six as a tentative count.
“Perhaps” and “maybe” suit these patterns. Pea supplies no numerical probability. These supported placements are starting points rather than a complete ordering rule for every combination of particles.
Examples (3)
- E kore pea a Hine e tae mai.
Perhaps Hine will not arrive.
Softens a negative prediction.
- E kore pea tātou e hoki āpōpō.
Perhaps we will not return tomorrow.
Makes the predicted nonoccurrence tentative.
- E ono pea ngā kete.
There may be six baskets.
Offers a tentative count.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Begin with pea after a number to make a count tentative. The lesson also illustrates pea softening a negative prediction; its uncertainty concerns the proposition and supplies no numerical probability.
Related Patterns
Practice pea in Bubblegum
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