Preverbs: Difference between revisions
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A '''preverb'''<ref group="lower-alpha">Also '''pre-verb''', '''auxiliary verb''', '''auxverb''', '''helper verb'''.</ref> is a type of [[content word]] that may precede the main [[verb]] of a [[sentence]]. Preverbs generally make distinctions in {{w|grammatical mood}} or {{w|Grammatical aspect|aspect}}, and they are often compared to {{w|auxiliary verb}}s in European languages.
When used as a preverb, a word can have a different sense than it would elsewhere in the sentence. For example,
==Stacking==
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==Modifiers==
Preverbs can also be [[modifier|modified]]. In standard usage,
{{Example▼
|ona li <mark>wile a</mark> sona.▼
|They <mark>want</mark> to know. (emphasis on "want")▼
}}▼
{{Example
|ona li <mark>wile ala</mark> sona.
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}}
Adding {{tp|a}} after a preverb is possible. Some might see this as modification.
▲{{Example
▲|ona li <mark>wile a</mark> sona.
▲|They <mark>want</mark> to know. (emphasis on "want")
▲}}
{{Start section|Nonstandard}}
Outside of standard usage, some users include more semiparticles and even some content words to modify preverbs.
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{{Example|ona li <mark>wile lili</mark> sona.|They <mark>somewhat want</mark> to know.}}
{{Example|ona li <mark>wile mute</mark> sona.|They <mark>really want</mark> to know.}}
{{End section}}
==Ambiguity==
In standard Toki Pona, preverbs are not marked with any [[particle]]. For nonstandard styles, see [[Preverb marking]].
Like [[preposition]]s, this makes preverbs a bit ambiguous. For example, {{tp|mi kama
==Questions==
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to come <span style="opacity:0.5;">to…</span><br/>
to become <span style="opacity:0.5;">…</span>
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|{{tp|[[ken]]}}
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|{{tp|[[wile]]}}
|to need / to want <span style="opacity:0.5;">to…</span>▼
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| "To need to…" is also commonly expressed with the word {{tp|[[o]]}}.
|-
|{{tp|[[lukin]]}}
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to start <span style="opacity:0.5;">to…</span><br/>
to start <span style="opacity:0.5;">…ing</span>
| As a preverb, {{tp|open}} has a large overlap in meaning with {{tp|kama}}.
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| {{tp|[[pini]]}}<ref name="ku9"/>
| to finish <span style="opacity:0.5;">…ing</span>
|
▲to love <span style="opacity:0.5;">to…</span><br/>
|}
Note that while {{tp|[[tawa]]}} got described as a preverb by one source<ref name="ku9"/>, it is
Other words have been proposed or are found as preverbs in minority usage, but will not always be understood.
==Notes==
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