Language/Plateau-malagasy/Grammar/Present,-Past,-and-Future-Tenses
Plateau Malagasy is a dialect of Malagasy language spoken in the Plateau region of Madagascar. As a student of the Complete 0 to A1 Plateau Malagasy Course, you are beginning to familiarize yourself with this unique and beautiful language. In this lesson, we will dive deep into Plateau Malagasy grammar and explore the three essential tenses: present, past, and future.
Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Basic Sentence Structure & Conjunctions and Their Usage.
Forming the Present Tense
The present tense in Plateau Malagasy refers to an action that is happening right now or continuously happening. It can also express general truths, habitual actions, and future plans. To form the present tense, we use the infinitive form of the verb (the root form without any conjugation) and add a prefix that indicates the subject.
Here are the prefixes:
| Person | Prefix |
|---|---|
| 1st singular | mi- |
| 2nd singular | u- |
| 3rd singular | m- |
| 1st plural | mi- |
| 2nd plural | m- |
| 3rd plural | mi- |
Here is an example with the regular verb "manao" (to do):
| Plateau Malagasy | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mi-manao | mi.manaw | I am doing |
| u-manao | o.manaw | You are doing |
| m-manao | manaw | He/She is doing |
| mi-manao | mi.manaw | We are doing |
| m-manao | manaw | You (plural) are doing |
| mi-manao | mi.manaw | They are doing |
Note that some verbs have irregular forms in the present tense.
Here are some examples of regular verbs in the present tense:
- Mitady aho (I am searching)
- Uvaly ianao (You are washing yourself)
- Mavaloha azy (He/She is laughing)
- Mipetraka antsika (We are living together)
- Mahatsiaro anareo (You (plural) are careful)
- Mivaky ny vary izy ireo (They are cooking rice)
Remember that the present tense can also indicate a future action or an habitual action, depending on the context.
Forming the Past Tense
The past tense in Plateau Malagasy refers to an action that has already happened in the past. To form the past tense, we use the infinitive form of the verb plus a suffix that indicates the tense.
Here are the suffixes:
| Person | Suffix |
|---|---|
| 1st singular | -ty |
| 2nd singular | -y |
| 3rd singular | -ny |
| 1st plural | -tsy |
| 2nd plural | -ny |
| 3rd plural | -n'ny |
Here is an example with the regular verb "manao" (to do):
| Plateau Malagasy | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| nandao-tsy aho | nandao.ts(ih/ah)au | I did |
| nandao-y ianao | nandao.y(ih/ah)anau | You did |
| nandao-ny izy | nandao.ny(ihn/ahn)y | He/She did |
| nandao-tsy antsika | nandao.ts(ih/ah)ats(an)sikau | We did |
| nandao-ny anareo | nandao.ny(ihn/ahn)yanareau | You (plural) did |
| nandao-n'ny izy ireo | nandao.n(ihn/an)ny(ihn/ahn)zy(he/ya)nareau | They did |
Note that some verbs have irregular forms in the past tense.
Here are some examples of regular verbs in the past tense:
- Nandeha aho (I went)
- Nanomboka ianao (You started)
- Nanapaka azy (He/She cried)
- Nanala anay (We took)
- Nampitohana anareo (You (plural) understood)
- Niseho izy ireo (They disappeared)
As in English, the past tense in Plateau Malagasy usually implies that the action is completed and has no effect on the present.
Forming the Future Tense
The future tense in Plateau Malagasy refers to an action that will happen in the future. To form the future tense, we use the infinitive form of the verb plus a suffix that indicates the tense.
Here are the suffixes:
| Person | Suffix |
|---|---|
| 1st singular | -ko |
| 2nd singular | -o |
| 3rd singular | -y |
| 1st plural | -ko |
| 2nd plural | -y |
| 3rd plural | -n'ny |
Here is an example with the regular verb "manao" (to do):
| Plateau Malagasy | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ho_vao ko aho | hovaw.ko(ah)au | I will do |
| ho_vao o ianao | hovaw.o(ah)anau | You will do |
| ho_vao y izy | hovaw.y(ahn/ihn)y | He/She will do |
| ho_vao ko anay | hovaw.ko(ah)anay | We will do |
| ho_vao y anareo | hovaw.y(ahn/ihn)yanareau | You (plural) will do |
| ho_vao n'ny izy ireo | hovaw.n(ahn/ihn)ny(ahn/ihn)zy(he/ya)nareau | They will do |
Note that some verbs have irregular forms in the future tense.
Here are some examples of regular verbs in the future tense:
- Hanao aho (I will do)
- Hiova ianao (You will come)
- Hivadika azy (He/She will dance)
- Ho avy anay (We will come)
- Hitohy anareo (You (plural) will continue)
- Hividy izy ireo (They will buy)
As in English, the future tense in Plateau Malagasy is often used to talk about hypothetical or planned actions.
Using Present, Past, and Future Tenses
Now that you know how to form the present, past, and future tenses in Plateau Malagasy, let's explore how and when to use them.
The present tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now, habitual actions, general truths, and future plans. For example:
- Mitondra antsika ho eo amin'ny faritra maro ianao (You are taking us to various regions)
- Tsy tapaka ny rivotra eto (It never rains here)
- Ho zara raha mahita anao mafy ny safidy (Let's go to the market if we meet you there)
- Manondro ny fiainana ato amin'ny arovana ianao (You are enjoying life here in Arovana)
The past tense is used to describe actions that have already happened in the past and are now completed. For example:
- Hiditra ny tranon'ny filoham-pirenena avokoa izahay nandeha tany (We entered the presidential palace when we went there)
- Nampidina anay ny kofe mihitsy teo an-tandroka (We bought some coffee at An-tandroka)
- Nampidirina anay ny omby kely mihitsy (We took the little cattle)
- Niseho anay tao Menalamba (We disappeared in Menalamba)
The future tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. For example:
- Ho tonga ianao androany hariva? (Will you come this evening?)
- Hazavao loatra ny tantaran'i Madagasikara (You will really understand the history of Madagascar)
- Hihazakazaka amin'ny faritra madinika izy ireo (They will explore the highlands region)
- Hisy fizarana ara-pitady any amin'ny faritany (There will be an investigation in the region)
Remember that different contexts may affect the meaning of the verb tenses in Plateau Malagasy. Don't be afraid to practice and experiment with different sentence structures and tenses to improve your fluency.
Congratulations on mastering the three basic verb tenses in Plateau Malagasy! In the next lesson, we will dive into more complex verb forms and further expand your knowledge of this fascinating language.