Conditions and counterfactuals
A condition opens with pos and its consequence opens with tisrason ‘therefore’. Both halves are ordinary sentences; nothing else changes.
| pos | the condition | tisrason | what follows from it |
If you come, we'll be happy.
Pos tu ri veni, tisrason ekomen ri konten.If the train is late, please tell me.
Pos metarrinekaro ri tar, tisrason pam tika ver eko.Do not leave out tisrason; it makes it clear where the condition ends and the dependent clause begins.
English marks a conditional clause on its verb, adding will or would. Pikotika puts that work in tisrason, at the head of the clause, so the verb itself stays plain.
Counterfactuals: nonves
A counterfactual is just a condition you already know to be false. Simply replace pos with nonves, and now something like "if you come" (something that may happen) turns into "if you had come" (something that did not happen).
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pos eko ri tene a moni, tisrason eko ri kompar a tis. | If I have the money, I'll buy it. (maybe I do) |
| Nonves eko ri tene a moni, tisrason eko ri kompar a tis. | If I had the money, I would buy it. (I don't) |
| Nonves eko ri tene a moni vin, tisrason eko ri kompar a tis vin. | If I had had the money, I would have bought it. (I didn't) |
The two markers are exact opposites: pos leaves the condition open, nonves denies it. As a plain word nonves just means ‘false’, and this is the same word doing the same job — falsely, I have the money.
Past time (technically, the "finished" aspect) comes from the vin aspect marker. This can be apply to the condition (indicating an opportunity that already passed) alone, or it can apply to both (indicating a consequence that's already complete).
Notice that nonves goes only on the condition, not on the consequence. The fact that the consequence did not/will not happen is already clear, due to the false condition.
Without a stated condition
The mood words pospona (should) or kan (can), when combined with vin, indicate should have or could have — a counterfactual where the failed condition is not explicitly stated.
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Eko ri pospona apa yer vin. | I should have started earlier. |
| Tu ri kan tika ver eko vin. | You could have told me. |
Try it yourself
See if you can translate the following.
- Pos tu ri kansa, tisrason ekomen ri kan retsire.
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‘If you're tired, we can go back.’
- Nonves eko ri sape vin, tisrason eko ri veni yer vin.
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‘If I had known, I would have come earlier.’
- ‘If it rains, we'll stay home.’ (Rain is ruva, stay is sista, and home is kase.)
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Pos ri ruva, tisrason ekomen ri sista in kase.