Infinitive is the 24th skill in the High Valyrian language course. It las 4 lessons.
Grammar Notes[]
The infinitive[]
The infinitive form of the verb is a non-finite form that refers to an action in general, as opposed to an action performed by some specific entity. The infinitive form ends either in -gon (for vowel-final stems) or -agon (for consonant-final stems). Thus far you've seen one use of the infinitive form (issuing jussive commands to non-second person entities). In this skill you'll see others.
[]
Many verbs allow or require the use of a second verb in the infinitive. Schematically, these phrases with verbs like these look like this:
- (NOMINAL ARGUMENTS) (INFINITIVE) (MAIN VERB)
One familiar one will be the verb kostagon, which deals with ability (you've seen this stem in words like kostilus, "please", and kostōba, "powerful"). Here's an example of how it's used:
- Taoba riñe urnes. "The boy sees the girl."
- Taoba riñe urnegon kostas. "The boy can see the girl."
The subjects and objects remain in place, their cases unchanged. In effect, the infinitive form signals that the phrase is not done yet, and one must move on to understand the full intent of the phrase.
Other verbs like kostagon include sylugon, "to try", and rakegon, "to take part in", both of which you'll see in the first lesson. Another, gīmigon, "to know", is shown in the second lesson. When used in such a way, it has the meaning "to know how to".
Subject to pre-verbal object[]
A small number of verbs take the subject of the embedded verb as their object. This is how that looks schematically:
- (OTHER NOMINALS) (INFINITIVE) (SUBJECT OF INFINITIVE) (MAIN VERB)
The case of the subject of the infinitive depends on the main verb. The first such verb you'll see is sytilībagon, which is used for weak obligation (e.g. "should"). The verb is generally used in the third person singular with no expressed subject. Its object, which comes directly before it, is in the accusative. Before that is the infinitive (the thing which should be done), and before that are the other arguments of the phrase. Here's an example:
- Vala ābre ȳdras. "The man is talking to the woman."
- Ābre ȳdragon vale sytilības. "The man should talk to the woman."
Remember that sytilībagon, used in this way, generally does not agree with anything in the sentence:
- Ābre ȳdrā. "You are talking to the woman."
- Ābre ȳdragon avy sytilības. "You should talk to the woman."
Another way of translating this verb is "to be for". Thus, the last sentence could also be translated as "It is for you to talk to the woman."
In the third lesson you'll see the verb bēvilagon, which is used for strong obligation (e.g. "must"). It works like sytilībagon, except that the pre-verbal nominal must be in the dative/genitive case (in this case, always the genitive. The dative is used when the following word begins with a vowel; the genitive is used otherwise). Here is an example:
- Azantys dāri rijas. "The knight praises the king."
- Dāri rijagon azanto bēvilza. "The knight must praise the king."
The last sentence might also be translated "The knight has to praise the king."
Phrasal causative[]
There are many types of composite causative verbs in High Valyrian, but the verb sahagon can be used for any causative construction. The verb is conjugated normally, with the causer being assigned the nominative case; the causee (the one forced to act) being assigned the dative case; and the other arguments being assigned their natural cases. Here's an example:
- Azantys zaldrīzī idakotas. "The knight attacked the dragon."
- Dārys azantot zaldrīzī idakogon sētas. "The king made the knight attack the dragon."
In the present tense, sahagon has the stem sah-, and in the perfect, it has the stem sēt-.
Lessons[]
Lesson 1[]
- Dāeremagon: To free, to liberate
- Sylugon: To try, to attempt
- Rakegon: To take part , to participate
- Sēnagon: To kill, to murder
- Hēdys: butcher
Lesson 2[]
- Dōros: Wall, The Wall
- Sōlutty: scroll
- Gīmigon: To know, to know how
- Gūrogon: To take, to pick up, to get
- Laodiapos: mask
Lesson 3[]
- Rijībagon: to worship, to praise
- Rāenagon: to brush
- Sahagon: to make, to cause
- Qrīdrughagon: To abandon, to throw away, to leave behind
Lesson 4[]
| High Valyrian | |
|---|---|
| High Valyrian Skills | Basics 1 • Phrases 1 • Basics 2 • Demonstratives 1 • Lunar • Solar • Aquatic • Terrestrial • Genitive 1 • Possessive Adjectives • Family • Questions • Animals • Verbs: Present • Sizes • Food • Dative • Negation • Pronouns • Locative • Phrases • Colours • Commands • Verbs: Perfect • Instrumental • Comitative • Body • Adverbs • Numerals 1 • Verbs: Future • Verbs: Infinitive • Demonstratives 2 • The World • Passive • Nature • Clothing • Emotions • Valence • Excuses • Cuisine • Dragons • Esteem • Construct • |