Language/Nigerian-pidgin/Grammar/Tense-Aspect-Mood-Markers

• S = subject, V = verb

	markers	secondary interpretations		uses		examples	translation
mood
declarative	S + V	[+realis] modality		statements		À go tawn.	‘I went to town.’
		factitive aspect & tense		questions
imperative	ZERO + V	[-completive] aspect		commands		Go tawn!	‘Go to town!’
		[-past] tense
subjunctive	mek + S + V	[-completive] aspect		purposive		À kuk mek à cho̱p.	‘I cooked so that I might eat.’
		[-past] tense		causative
				hortatory/imperative
modality
realis	S + ko̱m + V	[+completive] aspect		epistemic certainty		À ko̱m go tawn.	‘I (really) went to town.’
		[+past] tense		emphasis, narration
irrealis	S + gò + V	[-past] tense		epistemic uncertainty		À gò go tawn.	‘I will/would go to town.’
				conditional, future
aspect
factative	S + V	V[+active] = [+completive]		perfect(ive)		À tink (se) im go.	‘I am thinking/think (that) s/he has gone/went.’
		V[-active] = [-completive]		imperfect(ive) habitual
completive	S + do̱n + V	[+past] tense		completive		À do̱n go (finish). Im (do̱n) go finish.	‘I have gone/went.’
	S + V + finish			perfect(ive)
incompletive	S + dè + V	[-past] tense		incompletive		À dè go.	‘I go/am going.’
	reduplicated V			imperfect(ive)
				progressive, habitual
tense/sequence
factative	S + V	V[+active] = [+past]				A tink (se) ìm go.	‘I am thinking/think (that) s/he has gone/went.’
		V[-active] = [-past]
anterior	S + bìn + V	[+completive] aspect		anterior sequence		À bìn go.	‘I went/had gone.’
				past tense, pluperfect
modal verbs
competence	S + fit + V	‘be able (to)’		ability, permission		A fit go.	‘I can go.’
obligation	S + fò̱ + V	‘should’ ‘would’ ‘ought (to)’		past conditional		A fò̱ go.	‘I should go.’
consent	S + gri + V	‘consent (to)’		agreement		A gri go.	‘I agree to go.’
desiderative	S + layk + V	‘like (to)’ ‘be about to’		desire incipient aspect		A layk go.	‘I like to go.’ ‘I’m about to go.’
obligation	S + mo̱s + V	‘must’		obligation		A mo̱s go.	‘I must go.’
competence	S + sàbi + V	‘know how (to)’		competence cognitive ability		A sàbi go.	‘I know how to go.’
desiderative	S + wan + V	‘want (to)’		desire incipient aspect		A wan go.	‘I want to go.’ ‘I’m about to go.’

Source: https://apics-online.info/surveys/17

Other Lessons

• Personal pronouns, adnominal possessives, and reflexive pronouns
• Serialized Verb Constructions
• Noun phrase