Language/Sicilian/Grammar/Present-Tense
Hello everybody,
In today's lesson you will learn some useful vocabulary about ¨PRESENT TENSE¨ in Sicilian.
Feel free to edit this page by adding new words and expressions!
Happy learning! 😀
Conjugating Sicilian –ari Verbs
The paradigm for conjugating present tense –ari verbs in Sicilian is simple:
- The ending of the verb will change from 1st, 2nd and 3rd person.
Look closely how the ending changes, because this will happen the same way for all –ari verbs.
All verbs ending with the letters –ari such as parrari (to speak), accattari (to buy), cantari (to sing) etc., will end with the new ending of u, i, a, amu, ati, and anu respectively.
Here’s how it goes:
| Sicilian | Translation |
|---|---|
| Parrari | to speak, talk |
| Parru | I speak |
| Parri | you speak |
| Parra | he/she speaks |
| Parramu | we speak |
| Parrati | y’all speak |
| Pàrranu | they speak |
Did you notice how the ending of the verb parrari (-ari) was removed, and replaced with u, i, a, amu, ati and anu as it was conjugated through 1st, 2nd and 3rd person? Well, this will happen with all –ari verbs. Here is another verb being conjugated.
| Sicilian | Translation |
|---|---|
| Accattari | to buy |
| Accattu | I buy |
| Accatti | you buy |
| Accatta | he/she buys |
| Accattamu | we buy |
| Accattati | y’all buy |
| Accàttanu | they buy |
Now you try one.
| Sicilian | Translation |
|---|---|
| Cantari | to sing |
| Cant__ | I sing |
| Cant__ | you sing |
| Cant__ | he/she sings |
| Cant___ | we sing |
| Cant___ | y’all sing |
| Cànt___ | they sing |
Very good! Also notice how in the third person plural that the accent changes.
Also be aware that the auxiliary verb “do” is simply understand in the Sicilian language.
So,
- “Parri sicilianu?” means, “Do you speak Sicilian?”.
- “Canti canzuni Sicilianu?” means “Do you sing Sicilian songs?”.
Hope this helps! Good luck and have fun learning Sicilian.
Some Verbs in the Present Tense in Sicilian
Verb : to love (amari / finishing by -ari)
| ENGLISH | SICILIAN |
|---|---|
| I love | İu amu |
| You love | Tu ami |
| He loves | İddu ama |
| We love | Nuàutri amamu |
| You love | Vuàutri amati |
| They love | İddi àmanu |
.
Verb : to speak (parrari / finishing by -ari)
| ENGLISH | SICILIAN |
|---|---|
| I speak | İu parru |
| You speak | Tu parri |
| He speaks | İddu parra |
| We speak | Nuàutri parràmu |
| You speak | Vuàutri parràti |
| They speak | İddi pàrranu |
.
Verb : to sleep (durmìri / finishing by -ìri)
| ENGLISH | SICILIAN |
|---|---|
| I sleep | İu dormu |
| You sleep | Tu dormi |
| He sleeps | İddu dormi |
| We sleep | Nuàutri durmèmu |
| You sleep | Vuàutri durmìti |
| They sleep | İddi dòrminu |
.
Verb : to open (gràpiri / finishing by -iri)
| ENGLISH | SICILIAN |
|---|---|
| I open | İu grapu |
| You open | Tu grapi |
| He opens | İddu grapi |
| We open | Nuàutri grapemu |
| You open | Vuàutri grapiti |
| They open | İddi gràpinu |