Zulapa says when an action happens on the action itself, and says it
finely: the same day, the day before, near, far, or maybe. This page lists
the tenses, the words of time, and the names of the days.
The two tenses come from two roots. em is life, to live: the past is
what was lived. ir is desire, to desire: the future is what is
desired.
The same two roots make the words of time. dem, when, is da and
em: the place lived.
The past and the future can also be felt in the present. lue is lu and
em: the action happened in the past, and the body feels it now, as if it
were happening. lui is lu and ir: the action is desired so much that
it is felt real, and now. English has no word for either.
o-lue-la ti-la-m
1-CONT.REMEMBER-kiss 2SG.POSS-lips-ACC
'My lips are feeling your past kiss.'
A tense is a suffix on the action. A vowel after em or ir says how far
the action is from now.
Vowel
How far
Past
Gloss
Future
Gloss
not said
em
PST
ir
FUT
o
the same day or night
emo
PST.HOD
iro
FUT.HOD
i
one day away
emi
HEST
iri
CRAS
a
near
ema
PST.PROX
ira
FUT.PROX
u
far
emu
PST.DIST
iru
FUT.DIST
e
maybe
eme
PST.EVNT
ire
FUT.EVNT
The first two vowels are those of the subjects. o is me, the closest
one: iro is the closest future, later today or tonight. i is you, the
closest after me: iri is the next day.
Three more suffixes stand in the same place.
Suffix
Gloss
It says
lau
ETERN
always
nei
NEVER
never
lei
NOW
now. With a subject that is not you, an order: let us
→ ozulemaverbo-zu-l-ema1-love-EP-PST.PROXI loved, not long ago.
o + zuverb, then verb1-love
+ emunoun: distant pastPST.DIST
→ ozulemuverbo-zu-l-emu1-love-EP-PST.DISTI loved, long ago.
o + zuverb, then verb1-love
+ emenoun: eventual pastPST.EVNT
→ ozulemeverbo-zu-l-eme1-love-EP-PST.EVNTMaybe I loved.
How far in the futureTime
A vowel after ir says how far the action is: o the same day or night, i the day after, a near, and u far. e says maybe.
o + zuverb, then verb1-love
+ ironoun: later todayFUT.HOD
→ ozuliroverbo-zu-l-iro1-love-EP-FUT.HODI will love, later today or tonight.
o + zuverb, then verb1-love
+ irinoun: tomorrowCRAS
→ ozuliriverbo-zu-l-iri1-love-EP-CRASI will love, tomorrow.
o + zuverb, then verb1-love
+ iranoun: near futureFUT.PROX
→ ozuliraverbo-zu-l-ira1-love-EP-FUT.PROXI will love, soon.
o + zuverb, then verb1-love
+ irunoun: distant futureFUT.DIST
→ ozuliruverbo-zu-l-iru1-love-EP-FUT.DISTI will love, in a long time.
o + zuverb, then verb1-love
+ irenoun: eventual futureFUT.EVNT
→ ozulireverbo-zu-l-ire1-love-EP-FUT.EVNTMaybe I will love.
Always, never and nowdiffers from legacy
Three suffixes stand where a tense stands. lau is always, nei is never, and lei is now. With lei, a subject that is not you gives an order: let us.
o + zuverb, then verb1-love
+ launoun: eternity · adv: alwaysETERN
→ ozulauverbo-zu-lau1-love-ETERNI always love.
o + zuverb, then verb1-love
+ neiadv: neverNEVER
→ ozuneiverbo-zu-nei1-love-NEVERI never love.
sho + menynoun1PL-dance
+ leinoun: time · adv: now · def: thenthen
→ shomenyleiverbsho-meny-lei1PL-dance-NOWLet us dance!
phrase 722 · engine: noun
The place of the tenseTime
The tense follows the root. The passive es and the continuous lu stand before the root. The subordinate n and the topic wa follow the tense.
es + i + lu + miverb, then verbPASS-2SG-CONT-caress
+ emdef: pastPST
→ esilumilemverbes-i-lu-mi-l-emPASS-2SG-CONT-caress-EP-PSTYou were being caressed.
phrase 338
o + zu + emverb1-love-PST
+ ndef: subordinateSUB
→ ozulemenverbo-zu-l-em-e-n1-love-EP-PST-EP-SUBthat I loved
a + fo + iriverb3SG-whip-CRAS
+ wanoun: isTOP
→ afoliriwaverba-fo-l-iri-wa3SG-whip-EP-CRAS-TOPThey will whip tomorrow, and…
phrase 175
A past and a future that are felt nowTime
lue and lui stand where the continuous lu stands. With lue, the action happened in the past, and the body feels it now, as if it were happening. With lui, the action is desired so much that it is felt real, and now. lue comes from lu and em, and lui from lu and ir.
o + lueverb, then verb1-CONT.REMEMBER
+ noanoun: skin · verb: to touchskin
→ oluenoaverbo-lue-noa1-CONT.REMEMBER-touchMy skin is feeling a past touch.
phrase 7
o + luiverb, then verb1-CONT.DESIRE
+ noanoun: skin · verb: to touchskin
→ oluinoaverbo-lui-noa1-CONT.DESIRE-touchI desire to touch so much that I feel it now.
phrase 8
My lips are feeling your past kiss.o-lue-laɔluɛlaఓలుఎలా1-CONT.REMEMBER-kissti-la-mtilamతిలాం2SG.POSS-lips-ACC
I desire to caress your belly so much that I feel it now.o-lui-miɔluimiఓలుఇమి1-CONT.DESIRE-caressbo-mbɔmబోంbelly-ACC
phrase 107
A tense in a phrasediffers from legacy
The tense is on the verb, and no other word is needed to say when.
Yesterday, you threw the ball.i-rumo-l-emiirumɔlɛmiఇరుమోలేమి2SG-throw-EP-HESTtame-mtamɛmతామేంball-ACC
phrase 332
He took my voice, long ago.totɔతోMa-xajo-l-emuaaʒɔlɛmuఅహాజోలేము3SG-take-EP-PST.DISTmo-lapa-mmɔlapamమోలాపాం1.POSS-voice-ACC
phrase 218 · engine: ahajolemu 3SG-take-PST.DIST
I will always love you.o-zu-lauɔzulauఓఠులౌ1-love-ETERNti-mtimతిం2SG.POSS-ACC
phrase 373
I never eat apples.o-liu-neiɔliunɛiఓలిునేఇ1-eat-NEVERguyil-mgujilmగుయిల్ంapple-ACC
phrase 375
AfterTime
xu before dem makes after.
I kissed you after they fell asleep.o-la-l-emɔlalɛmఓలాలేం1-kiss-EP-PSTti-mtimతిం2SG.POSS-ACCxu-demxudɛmxఉదేంafter-whena-fodiru-l-emafɔdirulɛmఅచోదిరులేం3SG-fall.asleep-EP-PST
phrase 69
Later today and tomorrowTime
iro is later in the same day or night: later today, or tonight. It is the closest tense, as o, me, is the closest subject. iri is the next day, as i, you, is the closest after me.
Jane will whip John's butt tomorrow.JaneʒanɛజానేJanea-fo-l-iriafɔliriఅచోలిరి3SG-whip-EP-CRASJohnʒɔnజోhఁJohnpal-mpalmపాల్ంbutt-ACC
Jane will whip John's butt later today, or tonight.JaneʒanɛజానేJanea-fo-l-iroafɔlirɔఅచోలిరో3SG-whip-EP-FUT.HODJohnʒɔnజోhఁJohnpal-mpalmపాల్ంbutt-ACC
e is maybeTime
The vowel e says that the action is not sure. eme is a doubt about the past: maybe it happened. ire is what may come: maybe it will happen, as mungkin besok, maybe tomorrow, in Indonesian.
Maybe, in the past, I lived on earth.o-x-em-emeɔxɛmɛmɛఓxఎమేమే1-EP-live-PST.EVNTro-ganarɔganaరోగానాINESS-earth
phrase 155
Maybe they will love you, someday.a-zu-l-ireazulirɛఅఠులిరే3SG-love-EP-FUT.EVNTau-ti-mautimఆుతింheart-2SG.POSS-ACC
phrase 372
Did you caress Iris, maybe?ejaɛʒaఎజాplausibleIris-mirismఇరిస్ంIris-ACCi-mi-l-emeimilɛmɛఇమిలేమే2SG-caress-EP-PST.EVNT
phrase 209
Each verb takes its tenseTime
In a phrase with several verbs, each verb has its own tense. A verb with no tense is in the present.
When we arrived, they were still in bed.demdɛmదేంwheno-x-odu-l-emɔxɔdulɛmఓxఓదులేం1-EP-come-EP-PSTa-lu-x-e-l-emaluxɛlɛmఅలుxఎలేం3SG-CONT-EP-be-EP-PSTro-piwerɔpiwɛరోపివేINESS-bed
He was thinking of you when he fell asleep.a-lu-gaxim-emalugaximɛmఅలుగాxఇమేం3SG-CONT-think-PSTti-mtimతిం2SG.POSS-ACCdemdɛmదేంwhena-fodiru-l-emafɔdirulɛmఅచోదిరులేం3SG-fall.asleep-EP-PST
I kissed you after they fell asleep.o-la-l-emɔlalɛmఓలాలేం1-kiss-EP-PSTti-mtimతిం2SG.POSS-ACCxu-demxudɛmxఉదేంafter-whena-fodiru-l-emafɔdirulɛmఅచోదిరులేం3SG-fall.asleep-EP-PST
phrase 69
dem is when, at any timeTime
dem starts a phrase that says when. It has no time of its own: the tense is on the verbs.
I burn to ashes when you are here.es-o-pizauɛsɔpizauఎసోపిఠౌPASS-1-burn.the.egosi-qenamsiqɛnamసిఖేనాంADV-ashdemdɛmదేంwheni-x-eixɛఇxఎ2SG-EP-besensɛnసేఁhere
phrase 212
dem asks whenTime
dem also asks the question when, for any time.
When will he go?demdɛmదేంwhentoda-mtɔdamతోదాంman.wind-ACCa-x-odo-l-iraxɔdɔlirఅxఓదోలిర్3SG-EP-leave-EP-FUT
The names of the daysTime
A day is named from where it stands: iri or emi, before ya, the night, or yo, the daytime.