Time and aspect
Verbs never change form. vite is see, saw, seen and seeing; the work tenses do in other languages is done by ordinary words in Pikotika.
Time is stated once, then assumed
Say when you are talking about, and it holds until you change it. Nothing needs re-marking.
Yesterday I saw the dog.
Yanyer, eko ri vite a kanis.Tomorrow I will see the dog.
Yantar, eko ri vite a kanis.The verb is identical in both. The listener/reader would continue to assume the same time period in subsequent sentences, until you specify otherwise.
Here are some good time words to help set the context to the past, present, or future.
| Pikotika | English | Relative time |
|---|---|---|
| yertempo | in the past, formerly | past |
| yanyer | yesterday | past |
| yer senseyan | last week | past |
| yer mese | last month | past |
| yer anyo | last year | past |
| in yer | at first, earlier on | past |
| tistempo | now, at present | present |
| tartempo | in the future | future |
| yantar | tomorrow | future |
| in tar tempo | next time | future |
| tar senseyan | next week | future |
| tar mese | next month | future |
| tar anyo | next year | future |
There's a useful pattern to many of these: yer and tar work in front of any unit of time. yer nemyan ‘last night’, tar suryan ‘next (tomorrow) morning’, etc.
Note that words like tisyan (today) and tisnemyan (tonight) may or may not establish a relative time, depending on context. If it's early in the day, then tisnemyan is talking about the future. But if it's already nighttime, then it may be present, or even past; more context will be needed to be sure.
Three aspect markers
The "aspect" of an action — whether it is starting, finished, or still going — is indicated by one word at the end.
| Marker | Sense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| apa | beginning | Eko ri komi apa. I'm starting to eat. |
| vin | finished | Eko ri komi vin. I have eaten. |
| sista | still going | Eko ri komi sista. I'm still eating. |
Combine a marker with a stated time and you get the rest of English's tenses for free: Yanyer, eko ri komi vin is ‘I had eaten’.
These can be used in any combination:| Marker | In the past | In the present | In the future |
|---|---|---|---|
| apa | had started to eat | am starting to eat | will start eating |
| vin | had eaten | have eaten | will have eaten |
| sista | was still eating | am still eating | will still be eating |
The aspect marker goes last, after the object
Never put apa, vin, or sista (when used as an aspect marker) before a; place it after the object, if any, or at the end of the sentence instead.
I am still eating.
Eko ri komi sista.Please stop the car.
Pam sista a karo.The aspect marker closes the whole description, not the verb. This is clearest when there is no verb at all:
I am still here.
Eko ri in tisroko sista.A prepositional phrase may sit on either side of the marker. One that is part of what you are saying goes inside, before it, like the example above; one that merely frames the sentence in time or place may follow it.
The light has been broken for months.
Vortoyan ri rompe vin in mur mese turan.Try it yourself
- Musi ri apa in ots ora.
Show answer
‘The music starts at eight.’ Here apa is the ordinary verb ‘begin’, not an aspect marker.
- Eko ri vite a kanis vin.
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‘I have seen the dog.’ The aspect marker (vin) comes after the object (kanis).
- ‘I had already finished.’ (Start with Yertempo to place this sentence in the past.)
Show answer
Yertempo, eko ri vin. — state the past time once, and vin does the rest.