ma + negative predicate

Making a Negative Statement

Level 1

Compare waan sawiraa “I draw” with ma sawiro “I do not draw.”

How It Works

In an ordinary unfocused negative statement, ma replaces waa and short subjects are optional. Present and future reference use full subjunctive forms; many singular forms end in o rather than aa. Second-person singular also permits -tid. Some plural forms differ from affirmative forms in tone while sharing ordinary spelling.

Copular negatives include ma ihi, ma tihid, third-person ma aha, ma nihin and ma tihin. Negative adjective predicates contract with copular material: ma yara means “is not small.”

Ordinary past negatives use reduced subjunctive forms. Focused and subordinate negatives use aan. Regional first-person negatives ending in i and ma ahan are attested variation, rather than universally erroneous forms. The drawing examples retain the singular noun meaning; context can supply a habitual interpretation.

Examples (4)

  1. Ma sawiro baabuur.

    I do not draw a car.

    First-person negative present.

  2. Hodan ma sawirto baabuur.

    Hodan does not draw a car.

    Feminine singular subjunctive.

  3. Cali ma aha dhakhtar.

    Ali is not a doctor.

    Third-person negative copula.

  4. Gurigu ma yara.

    The house is not small.

    Contracted negative adjective predicate.

How It Connects

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ma + negative predicateLevel 1Making a Negative Statement

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Contrast affirmative nominal predicates and ordinary present verb forms with negative ma and its changed predicate forms.

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