Re: Uralic Negative Verbs (was RE: "to be" and not to be...)

Rob Haden wrote:

>
>
>>>Also, can either language's negative verb inflect for tense?
>>>
>>>- Rob
>>>
>>>
>>I don't know much details about Estonian grammar, but Finnish only marks it
>>for person and either indicative or imperative mood.
>>
>>
>
>That's what I thought.
>
>
Furthermore, Estonian has removed person in the  indicative, so, using
'rääkida', to speak, you have

Mina ei räägi - I do not speak
Sina   "    " - You do not speak
Tema "    " - He/She does not speak
etc.

However, in the imperative, it does indeed inflect for person:

Ära rääki - do not speak!
Ärgu rääkigu - may he/she/they not speak
Ärgem rääkigem - let us not speak (This is a formal form.  Apparently
the colloquial form is "ärme rääki")
Ärge rääkige - do not speak (plural and polite)

I'm afraid I don't know the first person singular imperative.  I guess
it doesn't come up often.

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