Loan Verbs and Their Endings

Level 6

A local word does not automatically lose its possible endings.

How It Works

A Local Verb in Several Frames
Jio can mean invite someone to join an activity. It can occur after a modal, in an -ing form, or with an English past ending in local usage.

Endings Still Carry Information
I jioed Mei. presents the invitation with a past form. I am jioing Mei. uses an ongoing frame. A bare verb after never can instead be understood in a relevant past situation.

No Blanket Rule
Spelling and usage vary across borrowed words and speakers. Do not assume that every loan takes every English ending, or that Singlish forbids endings altogether. Learn the attested word and frame together.

Examples (3)

  1. I jioed Mei for lunch yesterday.

    I invited Mei to join me for lunch yesterday.

    The local verb carries an English past ending.

  2. I am jioing the neighbours for a walk.

    I am inviting the neighbours to join a walk.

    The borrowed verb occurs in an -ing frame with a full auxiliary.

  3. Yesterday I never jio him because he was busy.

    I did not invite him yesterday because he was busy.

    A bare jio occurs after event-negating never in an explicitly past context.

How It Connects

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

Loan Verbs and Their EndingsLevel 6

Learn This First

Separate past reference from bare or inflected verb shape before examining variable endings on loan verbs.