Re: THEORY: third-person imperatives
| From: | Carlos Thompson <chlewey@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Sunday, April 25, 1999, 0:03 |
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Tom Wier wrote:
> Hey, I was just wondering how people here handle the third
> person imperative. In my Greek class, we're getting things like
>
> timat=F4 oun ho ge d=EAmos ton Hom=EAron kai ton Euripid=EAn
> "Therefore, have the people honor Homer and Euripides"
>
> (I know, I know, a really contrived sentence... but it serves
> the point.)
Well. The rule in spanish for non-second person imperatives is using
the present subjunctive. This is apliable for 1st person plural:
"comamos" =3D "let's eat", and for the "usted" forms, which use 3rd perso=
n
conjugation: "coma (usted)", "coman (ustedes)".
Why the subjunctive? probably it is derived from sentences like "Que
vuesa merced coma" =3D "have your mercy eat", which uses the subjunctive.=
"vuesa merced" became "usted" and the verb form became the standard
imperative.
BTW, for a real third person imperative you would use the whole
sentence:
Que el pueblo honre a Homero y a Eur=EDpides.
> In Degaspregos, one would just use the third person pronoun
> or noun with a imperative mode verb:
>
> Sunote, dugatros teoso leobosna teutososna gnoiat
> 'Son, have your daughter know of the life/history of your tribe'
>
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> Tom Wier <artabanos@...>
> ICQ#: 4315704 AIM: Deuterotom
> Website: <
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/eclectorium/>
> "Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero."
>
> Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and
> oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil
> spirits at the dawn of day. - Thomas Jefferson
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=