-siiyaa

Further Causative Patterns

Level 5

Faham ‘understanding’ → fahamsiiyaa ‘makes someone understand’.

How It Works

The reference analyzes these formations as involving siiyaa ‘gives’, attached to noun or verb bases. Established examples include fahamsiiyaa ‘makes someone understand’, dareensiiyaa ‘makes someone feel’, and socodsiiyaa ‘puts something in motion’. ‘Further causation’ does not mean that every example contains two successive causers.

These verbs follow the second conjugation. Compare fahamsiiyaa for I/he with fahamsiisaa for you singular/she. Corresponding past forms are fahamsiiyay and fahamsiisay. The derived stem carries the causative meaning; these endings carry agreement and time.

Compare Cali wuu fahmay casharka, ‘Ali understood the lesson’, with Waxaan Cali fahamsiiyay casharka, ‘I explained the lesson to Ali’. The second introduces someone bringing about Ali’s understanding. Learn established lexical formations rather than assuming that this sequence can be added freely to any word.

Examples (3)

  1. Waxaan Cali fahamsiiyay casharka.

    I explained the lesson to Ali.

    The speaker brings about Ali’s understanding of the lesson.

  2. Sheekadu waxay i dareensiisay cabsi.

    The story made me feel fear.

    The feminine subject takes dareensiisay; i identifies the affected person.

  3. Farsamayaqaanku wuu socodsiiyay mashiinka.

    The technician set the machine in motion.

    The technician causes the machine to operate or move.

How It Connects

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

-siiyaaLevel 5Further Causative Patterns

Learn This First

Recognize simple causative formation before comparing further causation in -siiyaa.