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Mirad Grammar/Determiners

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Determiners are words that specify or point out the context of nouns and other parts of speech. The English determiner this, for example, specifies a noun for its proximity to the current context. In English, demonstrative pronouns/adjectives/adverbs, possessive pronouns/adjectives, quantifiers like more and very, and numeric expressions like both fall under this category.

Types of Determiners[edit | edit source]

Determiners in Mirad fall into the following categories:
Types of Determiners
TYPE ALSO KNOWN AS ENGLISH EXAMPLES
Deictic Demonstrative Pronouns/Adjectives/Adverbs the, this, some, every, which?, when
Pronominal Possessive Pronouns/Adjectives my, anybody's, one's own
Quantitative Quantifiers more, less, very
Numerical Numerals/Fractions/Ordinals/Dates, etc. one, half, first
Furthermore, as for part of speech, determiners can be adjectives, pronouns, or adverbs. As adjectives, determiners can itemize or classify. As pronouns, they can refer to one or more persons (male or female) or things. As adverbs, they can specify circumstance, i.e. time, place, degree, kind, age, frequency, and so forth.

Deictic Determiners[edit | edit source]

Deictic determiners are words which point out or specify other words as to their context, including what grammarians often call demonstratives. All deictic determiners in Mirad begin with the letter h. The letters following the h indicate the grammatical and semantic category.
Deictic determiners include the following traditional grammatical categories:
  • Demonstrative adjectives like this, that, those, that one
  • The definite article the    (which is really a demonstrative adjective like those above.)
  • Demonstrative pronouns like this, that, those, that one
  • Interrogative and relative pronouns like who, which, that
  • Indefinite adjectives like any, some, all, something, such, etc.
  • Indefinite pronouns like any, some, all, something, such, etc.
  • Pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs of quantity like so much, that many, how many?, very, etc.
  • Adverbs of circumstance:
  • time like when, now, ever
  • place like there, here, somewhere
  • manner like how, thus, somehow
  • kind like so, age this year old
  • direction like that way, any which way
  • reason why?, for that reason, for no reason
  • degree this (well), so (good), how (bad)
  • frequency like how often, so often, never
  • age like this old, how old?, of any age

Deictic Prefixes[edit | edit source]

There is a whole set of correlative deictic prefixes, which are joined to circumstantial stub category suffixes to derive pronoun, adjective, and adverb determiners. In some grammars, these words are called wh-question words and their pointed answers. For example, QUESTION: Who is your wife? ANSWER: This is my wife. (or) QUESTION: Where is your house? ANSWER: My house is here. These word forms are called correlative because they relate to one another in way that can be mapped to a table.
Here are the Mirad deictic classification prefixes:
Deictic Prefixes
CLASSIFICATION DEICTIC PREFIX
Interrogative duho-...?....what?, which?
Relative ho-....which, that
Exclamatory hoo-....how...!
Definite ha-....the
Indefinite he-....some, a certain
Proximal hi-....this, these
Immediate hii-....the following
Distal hu-....that, those
Intensive huu-....such, so, what a...!
Distributive hya-....every, all, each
Indeterminate hye-....any, whatever
Negative hyo-....no, not any
Identical hyi-....the same, the very
Non-identical hyu-....the other, another, else
Note: The Identical (hyi-) and Non-identical prefixes (hyu-) can optionally be substituted with ge- (same) and oge- (different), respectively.

Circumstantial Category Suffixes[edit | edit source]

The table below shows word stub suffixes that indicate the circumstantial category of deictic expressions. They are called stubs, because they are reduced word forms. The combination of deictic prefixes and circumstantial stub suffixes produce a matrix of deictic correlatives, seen later in this chapter. Use of the stub instead of the long form is a matter of optional economy. A few categories do not have stubs.
Category Stubs
CATEGORY STUB LONG FORM QUESTION WORD EXAMPLE
Person -t tob...person duhot?....who?
Thing -s sun...thing duhos?....what?
Place -m nem...place duhom?....where?
Time -j job...time duhoj?....when?
Manner -yen byen...manner duhoyen?....how?
Kind -yena syena...of a style duhoyena?....what kind of?
Degree -gla nog...degree duhogla fi?....how well?
Quantity -gla sag...number duhogla pati?....how many birds?
Mass -gla glan...amount duhogla mil?....how much water?
Frequency -xag xag...frequency duhoxag?....how often?
Reason -sav sav duhosav?....why?
Age -jag jag...age duhojag?....how old?
There can be other circumstantial categories other than those listed above, such as "direction", "order", etc. eg. Duhomep wit pa?....Which way did he go?.

Charts of Correlative Deictic Determiners[edit | edit source]

Here is are three tables showing the matrix of correlative deictic determiners. Note that the determiners belong to three parts of speech, 1) adjectives, 2) pronouns, and 3) adverbs:
PART OF SPEECH ENDING
Adjective -a
Pronoun -t(i), -s(i)
Adverb (no ending)

Deictic Determiner Adjectives[edit | edit source]

All deictic determiner adjectives in in -a and are used to modify nouns.
Correlative Deictic Determiner Adjectives
SELECTIVE
-a
POSSESSIVE
-ta
KIND/MANNER
-yena
QUANTITY
-gla
AGE
-jaga
FREQUENCY
-xaga
Interrogative duhoa?
which?
duhota?
whose?
duhoyena?
what kind of?
duhogla?
how much/many?
duhojaga?
how old?
duhoxaga?
how frequent?
Relative hoa
which
hota
whose
hoyena
what kind of
hogla
how much/many
hojaga
how old
hoxaga
how frequent
Exclamatory hooa
what a...!
hoogla
look how much/many...!
hoojaga
how old a...!
Definite ha1
the
hatas
the person’s
hayena
of the kind
hagla
of the amount
hajaga
of the age
haxaga
of the frequency
Indefinite hea
some/a certain
heta
someone's
heyena
some kind of
hegla
some
hejaga
somewhat old
hexaga
sometimes
Proximal hia
this
hita
this person’s
hiyena
this kind of
higla
this much
hijaga
this old
hixaga
this often
Immdediate hiia
the following
hiita
the follow person’s
hiiyena
the following kind of
hiigla
to the following degree
hiijaga
of the following age
hiixaga
of the following frequency
Distal hua
that
huta
that person’s
huyena
that kind of
hugla
that much/many
hujaga
of that age
huxaga
that often
Intensive huua
such a
huuta
such a person’s
huuyena
such kind of
huugla
so much/many
huujaga
of such an age
huuxaga
so often
Negative hyoa
no
hyota
nobody’s
hyoyena
no kind of
hyogla
no amount/number of
hyojaga
of no age
hyoxaga
of zero frequency
Distributive hya1
every
hyata
everybody’s
hyayena
every kind of
hyagla
all
hyajaga
of every age
hyaxaga
always
Indeterminate hyea
whichever/any2
hyeta
whosever
hyeyena
whatever/any kind of
hyegla
however much/many
hyejaga
however old
hyexaga
however frequent
Identical hyia
the same
hyita
the same person’s
hyiyena
the same kind of
hyigla
just as
hyijaga
just as old
hyixaga
just as often
Non-identical hyua
the other
hyuta
someone else's
hyuyena
another kind of
hyugla
not as much/many
hyujaga
of another age
hyuxaga
not as often
Note 1: The determiners ha (the) and hya (every) are shortened forms of haa and hyaa. Also, ha is commonly called a "definite article".
  • While hya means every or all, the word hyawa is used for each.
  • The possessive adjective forms in the above table ending in -ta such as hyeta....whosever cannot be pluralized by the ending -tia. To say other people's, use the expression bi hyuti (Lit. of others).
  • The ho- words are relative, meaning that they can serve to form relative clauses like the following:
  • Ha toyb, hota twad se Bill,....The woman, whose husband is Bill,
  • At voy te hos et tepfe.....I don't know what you mean.
  • At teste hogla et fie iyt.....I understand how much you love her.
  • The hoo- words are exclamatory and are used in expressions like the following:
  • Hoogla iva se at van et upa!....How glad I am that you came!
  • Hooa jub his saye!....What a day this has been! (Hoogla is pronounced ho-O-a as three syllables.)
Note 2: The indeterminant determiners can also be translated with no matter what, no matter where, etc.

Deictic Determiner Pronouns[edit | edit source]

All deictic determiner pronouns end either in -t for persons or -s for things. They can be singular or plural (-i).
Correlative Deictic Determiner Pronouns
THING -s
THINGS -si
PERSON -t
PERSONS -ti
KIND OF THING -yenas
KINDS OF THINGS -yenasi
AMOUNT -glas
NUMBER OF THINGS -glasi
NUMBER OF PEOPLE -glati
Interrogative duhos?
  what?
duhosi?
  what (things)?
duhot?
  who?
duhoti?
  who (pl.)
duhoyenas?
  what kind of thing?
duhoyenasi?
  what kinds of things?
duhoglas
  how much?
duhoglasi?
  how many things?
duhoglati?
  how many people?
Relative hos
  what
hosi
  what
hot
  who
hoti
  who
hoyenas
  what kind of thing
hoyenasi
hoglas
  how much
hoglasi
  how many
hoglati
  how many
Exclamatory hoos
  what a thing!
hoosi
  what things!
hoot
  what a person!
hooti
  what people!
hooglas
  what an amount!
hooglasi
  what a number!
hoglati
  what a number of people!
Definite has
  it
hasi
  they/them
hat
  he/she/him/her
hati
  they/them
hayenas
  the king of thing
hayenasi
  the kind of things
haglas
  the amount
haglasi
  the number of things
haglati
  the number of people
Indefinite hes
  something
hesi
  some things
het
  someone
heti
  some
heyenas
  some kind of thing
heyenasi
  some kinds of thing
heglas
  some
heglasi
  some things
heglati
  some people
Proximal his
  this
hisi
  these
hit
  this person
hiti
  these people
hiyenas
  this kind of thing
hiyenasi
  these kinds of things
higlas
  this much
higlasi
  this many
higlati
  this many people
Immediate hiis
  the following thing
hiisi
  the following things
hiit
  the following person
hiiti
  the following people
hiiyenas
  the following kind of thing
hiiyenasi
  the following kinds of things
hiiglas
  the following amount
hiiglasi
  this following number of things
hiiglati
  the following number of people
Distal hus
  that
husi
  those
hut
  that person
huti
  those people
huyenas
  that kind of thing
huyenasi
  those kinds of things
huglas
  that much
huglasi
  that many
huglati
  that many people
Intensive huus
  such a thing
huusi
  such things
huut
  such a person
huuti
  such people
huuyenas
  such a kind of thing
huuyenasi
  such kinds of things
huuglas
  so much
huuglasi
  so many
huuglati
  so many people
Negative hyos
  nothing
hyosi
  none of them
hyot
  nobody
hyoti
  none of them
hyoyenas
  no kind of thing
hyoyenasi
  no kinds of things
hyoglas
  none
hyoglasi
  none
hyoglati
  none
Distributive hyas
  everything
hyasi
  all of them
hyat
  everybody
hyati
  all of them
hyayenas
  every kind of
hyayenasi
  all kinds of things
hyaglas
  all of it
hyaglasi
  all of them
hyaglati
  all of them
Indeterminate hyes
  anything
hyesi
  any
hyet
  anybody
hyeti
  any of them
hyeyenas
  any kind of
hyeyenasi
  whatever things
hyeglas
  any of it
hyeglasi
  any of them
hyeglati
  whoever
Identical hyis
  the same thing
hyisi
  the same things
hyit
  the same person
hyiti
  the same people
hyiyenas
  the same kind of
hyiyenasi
  the same kinds of things
hyiglas
  as much
hyiglasi
  as many
hyiglati
  as many people
Non-identical hyus
  something else
hyusi
  other things
hyut
  someone else
hyuti
  other people
hyuyenas
  another kind
hyuyenasi
  other kinds
hyuglas
  another amount
hyuglasi
  another number of things
hyuglati
  another number of people
Concerning the above chart, note the following:
  • The interrogative determiners all begin with duho-, which means say which, and are technically imperatives. Duhom?, for example, means Tell (me) the place.... The o-stem forms without the du- are used as relative clause heads, eg. At po hom et po.
      I will go where you go.
  • Interrogatives usually come at the beginning of a sentence as in English, eg. Duhos se eta dyun?
      What is your name?
  • Determiners come first before any other epithets of a noun, eg. Hia aga jaga tam...
      This big old house....
  • Person and Thing determiners can be made selective by inserting a before the final t or s, eg. Hot? means Who?, while Hoat? means Which one (of several persons)?
  • Duhoyat?
      Which of us?, Hyeyat
      Any of us, etc.
  • Duhoyet?
      Which of you?, Hyeyet
      Any of you, etc.
  • Duhoyit?
      Which of them?, Hyeyit
      Any of them, etc.

Deictic Determiner Adverbs[edit | edit source]

All deictic determiner adverbs refer to a circumstance.
Correlative Deictic Determiner Adverbs
CIRCUMSTANCE--> PLACE
-m
TIME
-j
MANNERM
-yen
DEGREE
-gla
FREQUENCY
-xag
REASON
-sav
Interrogative duhom?
where?
duhoj?
when?
duhoyen?
how?
dugla?
how (very)?
duxag?
how often?
duhosav?
why?
Relative hom
where
hoj
when
hoyen
how
hogla
how (very)
hoxag
how often
hosav
because
Exclamatory hooyen
and how!
hoogla
how very...!
Definite ham
the place
haj
the time
hayen
the manner
hagla
just as
haxag
as frequently
hasav
the reason
Indefinite hem
somewhere
hej
sometime
heyen
somehow
hegla
somewhat
hexag
somewhat often
hesav
for some reason
Proximal him
here
hij
now
hiyen
this way
higla
this
hixag
this often
hisav
for this reason
Immediate hiim
the following place
hiij
the following time
hiiyen
the following way
hiigla
to the following degree
hiixag
at the following frequency
hiisav
for the following reason
Distal hum
there
huj
then
huyen
that way
hugla
to that degree
huxag
that often
husav
therefore
Intensive huum
such a place
huuj
at such a time
huuyen
in such a way
huugla
so (very)
huuxag
so often
huusav
for such a reason
Negative hyom
nowhere
hyoj
never
hyoyen
in no way
hyogla
not at all
hyoxag
not once
hyosav
for no reason
Distributive hyam
everywhere
hyaj
always
hyayen
in every way
hyagla
fully
hyaxag
always
hyasav
for every reason
Indeterminate hyem
anywhere
hyej
whenever
hyeyen
however
hyegla
however
hyexag
however often
hyesav
for whatever reason
Indentical hyim
at the same place
hyij
at the same time
hyiyen
in the same way
hyigla
as
hyixag
as often
hyisav
for the same reason
Non-identical hyum
somewhere else
hyuj
some other time
hyuyen
otherwise
hyugla
not as
hyuxag
not as often
hyusav
for some other reason
Concerning the above chart, note the following:
  • The determiners ha (the) and hya (every) are shortened forms of haa and hyaa.
  • The interrogative determiners all begin with duho-, which means say which, and are technically imperatives. Duhom?, for example, means Tell (me) the place.... The o-stem forms without the du- are used as relative clause heads, eg. At po hom et po.....I will go where you go.
  • There are is a category not shown in the table:
  • hoo-, used to form exlamatory determiners like Hoogla flia!....How marvelous! or Hooa via jub!....What a beautiful day!.
  • Person determiners can be specified for gender. A determiner is made female by inserting a y after the ordinal, or male by inserting a w before the ordinal, eg. Huyti....those females or Hwit....this guy.
  • Interrogatives usually come at the beginning of a sentence as in English, eg. Duhos se eta dyun?....What is your name?
  • Determiners come first before any other epithets of a noun, eg. Hia aga jaga tam.......This big old house....
  • Person and Thing determiners can be made selective by inserting a before the final t or s, eg. Hot? means Who?, while Hoat? means Which one (of several persons)?
  • Duhoyat?....Which of us?, Hyeyat....Any of us, etc.
  • Duhoyet?....Which of you?, Hyeyet....Any of you, etc.
  • Duhoyit?....Which of them?, Hyeyit....Any of them, etc.
  • Also not included in the above chart is a related interrogative, which is a complementizer.
  • Duven...?.... (Question introducer) Is it true that...?
  • The adverbs of degree in the above chart (duhogla?, etc.) are interchangeable with adverbs ending in -nog....degree (duhonog?....to what degree?, how...?.
  • Other deictic determiner adverbs of circumstance exist and are not on the above chart:
  • duhomep?....which way?
  • dubyun?....to what end?

Examples of Deictic Determiner Usage[edit | edit source]

  • Duhos se eta dyun?....What is your name?
  • Duhot se iyta twad?....Who is her husband?
  • Duhwoat se iyta twad?....Which one of the guys is her husband? (selective)
  • Duhoti fe eker?....Who (pl.) want to play?
  • Hyas se fia.....Everything is fine.
  • Hyat tre et.....Everyone knows you.
  • Hyot tre at.....Nobody knows me.
  • Hyati ekeye fi.....All of them are playing well.
  • Hyoti ekeye fi.....None of them are playing well.
  • Hyet yafe eker.....Anyone can play.
  • Hyes yafwe.....Anything is possible.
  • At fe hyuyenat be ata ekutyan.....I want someone else on my team.
  • Huuyenati fyuxe yata oj.....Such people harm our future.
  • Et yefe tepier hiisi.....You must bear in mind the following things.
  • Duhoyen et xa hus......How did you do that?
  • Duhosav iyt pia huugla jwa?....Why did she leave so early?
  • Hwita tam se ga aga.....This guy's house is bigger.
  • At voy ayse huytia dyuni.....I don't have those women's names.
  • Duhoa tam se etas?....Which house is yours?
  • Huua tej et ayse!....What a life you have!
  • Duhayena dyezuni ifxe et?....What kind of movies do you like?
  • Duhota tef okwa?....Whose hat was lost?
  • Hota tef okwa bese otwas.....Whose hat was host remains a mystery.
  • Ha tob ta yata dyuni.....The man knew our names.
  • Hayena dini at ife, et ufe.....The kind of stories I love, you hate.
  • Hea mepi egdyunxwo.....Certain streets will be renamed.
  • Heyena fukyes uxaye purnyan.....Some kind of accident has caused a traffic jam.
  • Heta abtaf kaxwa be ha zatem......Someone's coat was found in the foyer.
  • Hia dyes se ata gafias.....This book is my favorite.
  • Hiia duni se yofwa.....The following words are prohibited.
  • Hiiyena xeyen voy afwu.....The following sort of behavior would not be allowed.
  • Hiyena xeyen voy vayafwo.....This type of behavior will not be tolerated.
  • Hita tim so yovoza.....This person's room will be blue.
  • Hua mas efwe egvozilbwer.....That wall needs to be repainted.
  • Huua dini yufxe toboti.....Such stories scare children.
  • Huyena duni yeyfwe yixwer za at.....Such words should not be used in front of me.
  • Hwuta tam magseye.....That guy's house is on fire.
  • Hyoa din se ga tesika.....No story more important.
  • Hyoyena tes tesiyafwe.....No such meaning can be inferred.
  • Hyota jatexdras sa ga fia.....Nobody's plan is better.
  • Hyos oboxe huyt.....Nothing bothers that gal.
  • Hya mepi izpe Roma.....All roads lead to Rome.
  • Hya ha mepi se ebwa.....All the roads are bloacked.
  • Hya tob yefe xer ita gon.....Every man must do his part.
  • Hyayena telami ese be hia mep.....All manner of restaurants exist on this street.
  • Hyata tej se uka bi yaobi.....Everyone's life is full of ups and downs.
  • Hyaewa domi agsaye.....Both cities have grown.
  • Hyea voz so fia.....Any color will be fine.
  • Hyeyena til se aysyafwa.....Any kind of drink is available.
  • Hyeta ved se ge ifa vyel atas.....Anyone's guess is as good as mine.
  • Hyea tim et fe et yafe ayser.....Whatever room you want, you can have.
  • Hyia/(Ha gea) fukyesi kyese glaxag.....The same accidents occur frequently.
  • Hyiyena/(Ha geyena) dyezuni teaxuwa zajub.....The same kind of films were shown yesterday.
  • Hyita/(Ha geta) dyun yixwa gajod.....The same person's name was used again.
  • Hyua dyezun sa ifuyea.....The other movie was more entertaining.
  • Hyuyena/(Ogeyena) som teasu ga fia.....Another kind of furniture would look better.
  • Hyuta/(ogeta) texyen se ge fyia.....Someone else's opinion is equally valid.
  • Hiytia dyuni voy dodraye.....These women's names have not be make public.
  • Hwiitia dyuni voy dodrowe.....The following males' names will not be publicized.
  • Hijaga tobweti voy afwo him.....Boys of this age will not be allowed here.
  • Duhom et tambese?....Where do you live?
  • At tambese hum.....I live there.
  • Et tambese hom ha mep uje.....You live where the road ends.
  • Duhom weti peye?....Where are you guys going?
  • Et yafe per hyem et fu.....You can go anywhere you want.
  • Duhom et byise?....Where are you from? (Lit: Where do you originate.
  • Duhoj et taja?....When were you born?
  • At voy tajaya huj.....I had not been born then.
  • Et yeyfe duder hiiyen.....You should respond in the following way.
  • Ot voy yefe daler huuyen.....One must not talk in such a manner.
  • Et pia hesav.....He left for some reason.
  • Duhoyen et iyfe hia vafil?....How do like this wine?
  • Voy se fia axer hiyen.....It is not good to act this way.
  • Duhosav et tadsa huugla jwa?....Why did you marry so late?
  • Ha tob pia hyosav.....The man left for no reason.
  • Hwat pia hosav it efa per hyum.....The guy left because he needed to go
  • Hyeta texyen so fia.....Anyone's decision will be fine.
  • Duhota dyes se his?....Whose book is this?
  • Duhotasi se hia dyesi?....Whose are these books?
  • Hyata tili yebee yom.....Everyone's drinks contain ice.
  • Hyatasi?....Everyone's?
  • Et se gaj geyenat( ~ hyiyenat).'....You are still the same kind of person.
The semantic reverser o- can be prefixed to some of the above deictic determiners:
Ohyat tiste Platon.....Not everyone understands Plato.
Ohut!'....Not that person!
At iyfe gwagla yavili, oy ohuas!....I like most beers, but not that one!
If the definite article or any other deictic determiner is omitted before a noun, then it has the effect of the English indefinite article a / an with a singular noun or some with a plural noun. For example:
  • Yat tilia ha tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank the glass of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank a glass of wine.
  • Yat tilia ha tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank the glasses of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank (some) glasses of wine.
  • Yat tilia awa tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank one glass of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ha awa tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank the one glass of wine.
  • Yat tilia ewa tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank two glasses of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ha ewa tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank the two glasses of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia hya ewa tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank both glasses of wine.
  • Yat tilia owa tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank no/zero glasses (=not a single glass) of wine.
  • Yat tilia ea tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank another/a second glass of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ha ea tilyeb bi vafil.....We drank the second glass of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ea tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank second glasses of wine., vs.
    • Yat tilia ha ea tilyebi bi vafil.....We drank the second glasses of wine.
If an indefinite article sense is needed for clarity, the words awa (one) or hea (some, a certain) can be used, eg.:
  • At igteata awa tob yiztyoper.....I glimpsed a man walk by.
  • Hwit zoyupo hea juab.....He will come back on a / a certain / some Monday.

Selective vs. Non-Selective Forms[edit | edit source]

The deictic interrogative determiner pronoun duhot? means who(m) and contrasts with its selective counterpart duhoat?, which means which one?. All the selective determiners refer to one or more things or persons from a selectable pool of things or persons.
The following sentences illustrate the use of the above determiner pronouns:
  • Duhot aka zajuba ek?....Who won yesterday's game?
  • Duhoat bi ha akuti sa ha gwa fiat?....Which one of the winners was the best?
  • Duhota tam se hus?....Whose house is that?
  • Duhotas se hus?....Whose is that?
  • Duhotia deuzi et gaife?....Whose songs do you prefer?
  • Duhotias et gaife?....Whose do you prefer?
  • Duhos se eta dyun?....What is your name?
  • Duhosi se eta gaifuni?....What are your preferences?
  • Duhoa deuzi se eta gwafiasi?....Which songs are your best?
  • Duhoasi se eta gwafiasi?....Which ones are your best?
  • Bi hia deuzuti, hoat et gafie?....Of these vocalists, which one do you prefer?
  • Hiiti yaneko hijub.....The following people will compete today.
  • Duhoati se gwa fia?'....Which ones are best?
  • Duhoti et teexe gwa jodi?....Who (all) do you listen to the most often?
  • Hoat at teexe gwaxag draye ejna deuz.....The one I listen to the most has written a new song.
  • Ejna deuz? At voy teste hoas et tede.....New song? I don't understand which one you mean.
  • Hias.....This one.
  • Vo. Huasi se ga fia.....No. Those are better.
  • His se jub av ivxelen.....This is a day for celebration.
  • Va. Hia jub. At tese hijub.....Yes. This day. I mean To-day.
  • Husi sa ha jubi, ata dat!....Those were the days, my friend!
  • Duhos se eta dyun?....What is your name?
  • Duhot aka ha igpek?....Who won the race?
  • Hyas uja fi.....Everything ended well.
  • Hyasi uje.....All things come to an end.
  • Hyayenasi vey kyesu.....All sorts of things might happen.
  • Hyos yokxa at.....Nothing surprised me.
  • Hyot ta hadut hu ako.....Nobody knew who would win.
  • Hoayti fu pier yefe.....Those females who would like to leave may.
  • Hyet yefe eker hia ifek.....Anyone can play this game.
  • Huyenasi voy afwo.....Such things will not be permitted.
  • Hua twob voy taxe hia toyb.....That man does not remember this woman.
  • Huti yanyexe fi.....Those guys work well together.
  • Huuyti hyaj yubixe tezex.....Such females always attract attention.
  • At jay teataye hiyenasi.....I've seen such things before.
  • Huyenwat voy vabiwu.....A guy like that would not be accepted.
  • Duhoyenasi weti iyfe xer je ha maj.....What kinds of things do you guys like to do during the day?

Numerical Deictic Determiners[edit | edit source]

Sometimes, a deictic determiner specifies numerical information. This chart shows those forms:
Number-incorporating Deictic Determiners
ADJECTIVE INANIMATE PRONOUN ANIMATE PRONOUN PRONOMINAL DETERMINER POSSESSIVE PRONOUN
hawa1
the only
hawas
the only thing
hawasi
the only things
hawat
the only one (person)
hawati
the only ones
hawata
the only person's
hawatas
the only one's
hawatasi
the only one's (things)
hyawa*
each
hyawas
each one
hyawat
each person
hyawata
each person's
hyawatas
each one's
hyawatasi
each one's (things)
hyaewa
both
hyaewasi
both (things)
hyaewati
both (people)
bi hyaewati
both person's
has bi hyaewati
both person's
hasi bi hyaewati
both persone's (things)
hyaiwa
all three
hyaiwasi
all three (things)
hyaiwati
all three (people)
hyaiwata
all three person's
has bi hyaiwati
all three person's
hasi bi hyaiwati
all three person's (things)
ohyawa
not every
ohyawas
not everything
ohyawat
not everyone
ohyawata
not every person's
ohyawatas
not everyone's
ohyawatasi
not everyone's (things)
hyoawa
not a single
hyoawas
not a single thing
hyoawat
not a single person
hyowata
not a single person's
hyowatas
not a single person's
hyowatasi
not a single person's (things)
hyeawa
either
hyeawas
either one
hyeawat
either one (person)
hyeawata
either one's
hyeawatas
either one's
hyeawatasi
either one's (things)
hyeewa
any two
hyeewasi
any two things
hyeewati
any two people
bi hyeewati
any two person's
has bi hyeewati
any two persons'
hasi bi hyeewati
any two persons' (things)
hyeowa
neither
hyeowas
neither one
hyeowat
neither person
hyeawata
neither person's
hyeowatas
neither one's
hyeowatasi
neither one's (things)
hyuawa
another
hyuawas
another one
hyuawat
another
hyuawata
another's
hyuawatas
another's
hyuawatasi
another's (things)
hyuowa
no other
hyuowas
nothing else
hyuowat
nobody else
hyuowata
no other's
hyuowatas
no other's
hyuowatasi
no other's (things)
gawa2
another
gawas
another one
gawat
another (person)
gawata
another's
gawatas
another's
gawatasi
another's (things)
1Hawa and hyawa are short for haawa and hyaawa, respectively.
2Gawa is short for ga awa, yet one.

Notes on Numerical Deictic Determiners[edit | edit source]

Examples using the above number-incorporating deictic determiners:
  • Ohyawat se iva bay eta vaod.....Not everyone is happy with your decision.
  • Hyaewasi yafwe uxer yata efi.....Both (things) can serve our needs.
  • Hyeawa tim ivlaxo at.....Either room will satisfy me.
  • Hyeowas oivlaxo at.....Neither one will dissatisfy me.
Note:
  • hyua means another (an alternative). Ex. At fu hyua til.....I would like another (a different) drink.
  • hyuawa means another (an additional). Ex. At fu hyuawa til.....I would like another (an additional) drink.
  • ha hyua means the other (the alternative). Ex. At fu ha hyua til.....I would like the other drink.


Similarly, hya means every, all, while hyawa means each, and hyaha....all the, ex:
  • Hya dom ayse tebixea suni teaxer.....Every city has interesting things to see.
  • Hya domi ayse tebixusi.....All cities have things of interest.
  • Hyaha domi ayse tebixusi.....All the cities have things of interest.
  • Hyawa dom ayse tebixun.....Each city has something of interest.
Also, ha means the, while hawa means the only, eg.:
  • Ha twob hu at gwa ife se et.....The man I most love is you.
  • Hawa toyb nazea ata tezex se et.....The only woman worth my attention is you.
By appending y to hawa, we get the adverb haway....only, solely, eg;
  • Haway et nize ata tezex.....Only you deserve my attention..
The singular person pronouns in the above chart can be converted into pronominal determiners by adding the adjective suffix a, eg.:
  • Hyawata tej se ge glatesa vyel hyutas.....Each one's life is as important as another's.
  • Hyeowata dyun se vyama.....Neither person's name is real.
However, the plural person pronouns in the above chart use the preposition bi (of) to form possessives, eg.:
  • Ha teji bi hyaiwati se kyebukuwa.....The lives of all three are in danger.
The above singular pronominal determiners can, in turn, be converted into inanimate pronouns with the suffix -s.
  • Hyawatas se glatesa.....Each one's is important.
  • Hyeowatas se vyama.....Neither's is real.
The plural pronominal determiners can be nominalized with the use of bi, eg:
  • Hyaiwasi bi huti se kyebukuwa.....All three of theirs' are in danger.
Correlative Number-incorporating Deictic Determiners are handled as follows:
  • Hyeawa A ey B....either A or B
  • Hyeowa A oy B....neither A nor B
  • Hyaewa A ay B....both A and B
  • Hawa A, voy B....only A, not B

elsewhere.

The different, somewhat confusing, meanings of how are illustrated here:
  • Duhoyen wit xa hus?....How did he do that?.... (Equivalent to Be duha byen...?....In what way...?) (ADVERB OF MANNER)
  • Duhoyen et xeye?....How are you doing?.... (This is the normal way of saying How are you? or How do you do? (ADVERB OF MANNER)
  • Duhoyena sa ha dyezun?.... How was the film?.... (How here is an ADJECTIVE OF KIND, and thus ends in -a.)
  • Duhonog (= Duhogla) aga it se?....How big is he?.... (ADVERB OF DEGREE)
  • Huunog (= Huugla) iyfla et se!....How nice you are!.... (ADVERB OF EMPHATIC DEGREE)
The conjunction as is expressed most often using relative pro-adverbs of manner:
  • Xu hoyen at de.....Do as I say. = (in) the way that...
  • Xu hyiyen (~ geyen) at xe.....Do as I do. ( = (in) the same way that...)
  • Xu hiiyen:....Do as follows. ( = (in) this hereby manner...)
However, the preposition/conjunction gel (like, as) can be substituted:
  • Xu gel at de.....Do as I say.
Many of the determiner adverbs in the above chart can be used in relative clauses, eg:
  • At teato et hoj et puo him.....I will see you when you get here.
  • It xa has hosav tosa yefa.....He did it because (for the reason that) he felt compelled.
  • Hyehom et po, et so ga iva.....Wherever you go, you'll be happier.
  • Hyet te ha did, pyaxu eta tuyab.....Whoever knows the answer, raise your hand.
  • At te hoyen et xa has.....I know how you did it.
See more about this in the section on relative clauses under Syntax.

Quantitative Deictic Determiners[edit | edit source]

The deictic prefixes can be combined with gla to form quantitative expressions acting as adverbial or adjectival determiners, and substantives (pronouns referring to things or people):
Quantitative Deictic Determiners
ADVERBIAL / ADJECTIVAL
DETERMINER
INANIMATE SINGULAR
PRONOUN
INANIMATE PLURAL
PRONOUN
ANIMATE PLURAL
PRONOUN
Interrogative duhogla?
how?/how much?/how many?
duhoglas?
how much?
duhoglasi?
how many
duhoglati?
how many (people)?
Relative hogla
as many/much
hoglas
how much
duhoglasi
how many
duhoglati
how many (as)
Definite hagla
how/as much/as many
haglas
as much
haglasi
as many
haglati
as many (people)
Indefinite hegla
somewhat/some/some
heglas
some
heglasi
some
heglati
some (people)
Proximal higla
this/this much/this many
higlas
this much
higlasi
this many
higlati
this many (people)
Distal hugla
that/that much/that many
huglas
that much
huglasi
that many
huglati
that many (people)
Intensive huugla
so very, so much, so many
huuglas
so much
huuglasi
so many
huuglati
so many (people)
Negative hyogla
none, not very
hyoglas
none of it
hyoglasi
none of them
hyoglati
none
Distributive hyagla
totally/all/all
hyaglas
all of it
hyaglasi
all of them
hyaglati
all
Indeterminate hyegla
however/any/any
hyeglas
any of it
hyeglasi
any of them
hyeglati
any number of them
Identical hyigla
as/as much/as many, equally
hyiglas
the same amount
hyiglasi
the same number
hyiglati
as many (people)
Non-identical hyugla
not as much/not as much/not as many
hyuglas
a different amount
hyuglasi
a different number of things
hyuglati
a different number of people
Here are some examples showing how these quantitative determiners are used:
  • Et deuze huugla fi.....You sing so well.
  • At se hegla booka.....I am somewhat tired.
  • Duhogla pati et teata hijub?....How many birds did you see today?
  • At teata vyavay hugla tami.....I saw exactly that many houses.
  • Iyt fe hyiglas vyel et.....She wants the same amount as you.
  • Duhoglati yantexe yet?....How many (people) agree with you?
  • Hyoglati yantexe.....None agree.
  • Yit fu heglasi.....They would like some (of them).
  • Et yafe bier hyehoglasi et fe.....You can take however many you want.
  • Besu hogla job bay at et fe.....Stay as long with me as you want.
  • At se huugla booka.....I am so tired.
NOTE: The following determiners are synonymous and interchangeable:
  • hegla = gle = henog (somewhat, to some degree)
  • hyigla = ge = hyinog (as, equally, to the same degree)
The determiner huugla' can be used as an exclamatory adverb, eg.:
  • Huugla et agsaye!....How you have grown!
  • Hua twob jagsaye huugla!....That man has aged so much!
  • Hia jotul se huugla fiteluza!....This dessert is sooo delicious!

Pronominal Determiners[edit | edit source]

Pronominal Determiners are what are more often called possessive adjectives such as my or your and are discussed in a subsection of Pronouns.

Quantitative Determiners[edit | edit source]

Quantitative determiners act in one of several ways, they:
  • specify mass, uncountable, singular nouns for relative AMOUNT, eg. much happiness, less work
  • specify countable nouns for relative NUMBER, eg. one apple, two birds, many places
  • specify adverbs, adjectives, and verbs for relative DEGREE, eg. how poorly, very good, eat too much.
From these, pronominalized quantitative determiners for PERSONS and THINGS can be derived.
  • Inanimate singular pronouns are formed by adding s for AN AMOUNT OF A THING
  • Inanimate plural pronouns are formed by adding si for A NUMBER OF THINGS
  • Animate plural pronouns are formed by adding ti for A NUMBER OF PERSONS.
The following table presents most of these word forms (Note that the determiners are in a plus (+), equal (=), or minus (-) row.):
Quantitative Determiners
Adverb / Adjective Singular Pronoun Plural Pronoun
Degree/Amount/Number Amount Number of Things Number of People
+ ga....more gas....more (stuff) gasi....many (things) gati....many (people)
= ge....as, as much, as many ges....as much (stuff) gesi....as many (things) geti....as many people
- go....less, fewer gos....less (stuff) gosi....fewer (things) goti....fewer (people)
+ gla....very, much, many
glay....so, so much, so many
glaa....several
glas....much (stuff)
glays....so much stuff)
glasi....many (things)
glaysi....so many (things)
glaasi....several things
glati....many (people)
glayti....so many (people)
glaati....several people
= gle....rather, quite a lot, quite a few gles....quite a lot (of stuff) glesi....quite a lot (of things) gleti....quite a few (people)
- glo....slightly, a little, few glos....a little bit glosi....a few (things) gloti....few (people)
+ gra....too, too much, too many gras....too much (stuff) grasi....too many (things) grati....too many (people)
= gre....enough gres....enough (stuff) gresi....enough (things) greti....enough (people)
- gro....insufficiently, too little, too few gros....too little grosi....too few groti....too few (people)
+ gwa....most gwas....the most (stuff) gwasi....the most (things) gwati....most people
= gwe....just so (much/many) gwes....just so much gwesi....just so many gweti....just so many (people)
- gwo....least gwos....the least (stuff) gwosi....the least (number of) gwoti....the least number (of people)
Examples Using Graded Quantitative Determiners
Adverbs of degree modifying an adjective:
  • At se gla iva.....I am very happy.
  • Et sa gra uga.....You were too slow.
Adverbs of Degree modifying another adverb:
  • Twobi dale ge igay vyel toybi.....Men talk as fast as women.
  • Yat yexe ga igay vyel yet.....We work faster (= more quickly) than you.
Adjectives quantifying a singular mass noun:
  • Ga nas efwo.....More money will be needed.
  • Gra nas noxwa.....Too much money was spent.
Adjectives quantifying a plural countable noun (= things or people):
  • At ayse gro sari.....I've got too few tools.
  • Gla tami osexwa.....Many houses were destroyed.
  • Yat efe gla ga valkdibuti.....We need many more policemen.
Pronouns referring to a mass amount of something (= stuff):
  • Gas ilokeye.....More (stuff) is leaking.
  • Et dileye gras.....You are asking for too much (stuff).
  • Yat kexo gwas.....We will seek as much (stuff) as possible.
  • At iba gwes.....I received just the right amount.
Pronouns referring to a countable number of things:
  • Hisi se fia oy yat fe gasi.....These (items) are good but we want more (items).
  • At teate drilari oy grosi.....I see pens, but too few.
Pronouns referring to a countable number of people:
  • Grati xaye vyoki be hia yexem.....Too many (people) have made mistakes at this work site.
  • Glati dyunwe oy gloti kexbiwe.....Many are called but few are chosen.

Numerical Determiners[edit | edit source]

This category of determiners, which includes cardinal, ordinal and other number words like two, a tenth, and first, is such a vast topic that it is treated in its own chapter Mirad_Grammar/Numbers

← Adverbs · Mirad Grammar · Numbers →