Almost any word may be used as a verb by prefixing the verbal
particles, but some words are naturally verbs as being the names of
actions and not of things. There are also verbs which have special
forms as such by means of a prefix or termination. Verbal particles
precede the verb; they have a temporal force.
1. The verbal particles are _ka_, _ko_. The particles are written
apart from the verb, but the speakers like to join them to the
governing pronouns of the first and second persons singular, _gu_,
_o_.
_Ka_ is used both of present and of future time: _nia ka bae uri_ he
speaks thus, _ka urina_ if that be so, _tasi doo taa gera ka odea_
what will they do? _lelea ka rodo_ go till nightfall; the illatives
_fi_, _fe_, may be added.
_Ko_ is used only with the personal pronoun, second singular _o_,
and may express either present or future time: the illative may be
added.
The preposition _fuana_ to him, to it, in order that, is used as a
subjunctive or optative.
2. Time and Moods: A subjunctive is formed by _ana_ if, when,
followed by the particle _ka_, or by the use of _saea_.
Conditional affirmation is expressed by _saumala_.
The illatives are _fi_ and _fe_, and mean, then, in that case,
following upon, just now, for the first time: _ta ka fi uri_ then
said he, _gami mifi saitamana na tala uta_ and how shall we know the
way?
_Fe_ as an illative denotes, in that case, following upon; _fe_ is
also used like _ha'i_ in Sa'a, to denote repetition or continuance
or restoration: _na abana e fe boeboela lau_ his hand was restored
whole again, _gera ka fe dao toona_ they will certainly reach him,
_daro fe lea lau_ go they went on again, _da tefe bae ana tesi
baela_ they all cried out together.
_Na_ is used following the verb to form a preterit: _nia mae na_ he
is dead. Finality is shown by the use of _sui_: _sui na_ it is all
finished, _nia kafi dao sui na_ when he shall have arrived, _sui
nana_ it is finished, _sui ta_ thereupon, after that.
For the imperative the simple verb is used: _o lea amu_ go away;
_fasi_ may be added for politeness: _lea fasi amu_ you go!
3. Negative Particles: The foregoing particles are not used in
negative sentences. The negative particles are _langi_, _e langi_,
_si_. These may be combined: _nia langi si saea_ he does not know
it, _e langi mu si rongoa ma e langi mu si saea_ you have neither
heard it nor seen it, _e langi nau gu si lea_ I am not going, _e
langi uri ta ai e adasia_ no one has seen it, _e langi asia_ not at
all. The verbal particle _ka_ may be used in negative sentences with
the addition of _si_, _kasi bobola_ it is not fitting. The
dehortative and the negative imperative is _fasia_: _fasia oko lea_
do not go! _fasia gera ka adasia_ let them not see it, _o fasia oko
luia_ do not forbid it.
Genitives: _ni_, _i_ are used to express purpose.
4. Suffixes to verbs: There are certain terminations which, when
added to neuter verbs or to verbs active only in a general way, make
them definitely transitive or determine their action upon some
object. These are of two forms:
a. A consonant with _i_: _fi_, _li_, _mi_, _ni_, _ngi_, _si_, or _i_
by itself; e.g. _tau_, _taufi_; _mae_, _maeli_: _ano_, _anomi_;
_mou_, _mouni_; _sau_, _saungi_; _ada_, _adasi_; _manatat_,
_manatai_; to the verb _taa_ to be bad, both _si_ and _li_ are added
and the causative _fa_ is prefixed: _fataasi_, _fataali_, to make
worse. Certain verbs which are active in Lau are neuter in Sa'a:
_angai_ to lift, _angaia_ lift it, Sa'a _angainia_; _faodo_ to
straighten, _faodoa_ straighten it, Sa'a _ha'aodohie_; _famae_ to
kill, _famaea_, Sa'a _ha'amaesie_; _famou_ to frighten, _famoua_,
Sa'a _ ha'ama'usie_.
b. The termination _ai_ is suffixed by itself to nouns to convert
them into verbs, _sato_, _satoai_. When this syllable _ai_ is
suffixed to verbs the genitive _ni_ may be added, and to the form
_aini_ the consonants f, m, ng, t, are prefixed: _oli_ to return,
_olifaini_ to carry back, _ala_ to answer, _alamaini_ to consent,
_sau_ to become, _saungaini_ to make, _tagala_ lost, _tagalangaini_
to drive out, _foaa_ to pray, _foaataini_ to pray for. The forms in
_ai_ are also used intransitively: _tege_ to fall, _tegelai_ lost,
_oli_ to turn, _olitai_ converted.
The genitive _ni_ (cf. M. L., p. 532) is often omitted and is not
invariably used as it is in Sa'a, since the form _ai_ without the
addition of _ni_ is transitive: _gonitai_ to receive, _gwoutai_ or
_gwoutaini_ to be left alone, _oalangai_ to apportion, _fatolamai_
to command.
_Ani_ appears to be used by itself as a transitive suffix: _ui_ to
throw, _uiani_ to throw away, _laga_ to drive, _lagaani_ to drive
away, _taba_ to strike, _tabaani_ to destroy; _ani_ is used also
with _too_ to hit, _tooani_ to understand.
With either class of suffixes there is no difference in meaning
between one suffix and another.