Can, want, must
Five short "mood" words carry ability, wish, permission and obligation. They are ordinary modifiers, sitting in front of the verb exactly like an adverb.
| Word | Sense | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| kan | can, is able | Eko ri kan ire. | I can go. |
| pos | might, maybe | Eko ri pos ire. | I might go. |
| vori | want to | Eko ri vori ire. | I want to go. |
| pospona | should | Eko ri pospona ire. | I should go. |
| neses | must, needs to | Eko ri neses ire. | I must go. |
These are ordinary adverbs like veros ‘fast’, in the same slot, doing the same thing — they just happen to make the action something not yet done.
They take no a
A modifier has no object, so none of the five is ever followed by a. The object marker belongs to the verb they sit in front of:
I want to eat meat.
Eko ri vori komi a karne.But vori and neses are also ordinary verbs — want and need — and an ordinary verb takes an object like any other. That is what an a after one of them tells you:
| Pikotika | Meaning | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Eko ri vori ire. | I want to go. | modifier — one predicate, and you do the going |
| Eko ri vori a ire. | I want travel. | verb — the object is a thing |
| Eko ri vori a tu ri ire. | I want you to go. | verb — the object is a whole clause |
Rule of thumb: Leave the a out whenever the next word is plainly an action. Put it in when what follows is a thing, or a full clause containing ri.
Add vin for the past
Any of the five with the vin aspect marker indicates regret, a missed possibility, or a conclusion from evidence.
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Eko ri kan ire vin. | I could have gone. |
| Eko ri pos ire vin. | I might have gone. |
| Eko ri vori ire vin. | I wanted to go [but didn't]. |
| Eko ri pospona ire vin. | I should have gone. |
| Eko ri neses ire vin. | I must have gone. |
There is no polite would
English hedges with would for politeness; Pikotika does not have this. Just state desires plainly with vori (want) and kusta (like).
| English | Pikotika |
|---|---|
| I would like to go. | Eko ri vori ire. |
| I think you would like it. | Eko ri pensa a tu ri kusta a tis. |
| I would rather walk. | Eko ri mas kusta a kampaire. |
Try it yourself
See if you can translate the following.
- Eko ri kan toma a aku, ker?
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‘May I have some water?’ Permission (may I) and ability (can I) are the same word in Pikotika.
- Eko ri neses tormi a eko vortotika.
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‘I need to charge my phone.’ (Tormi can also mean "recharge.")
- Tu ri pos ves.
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‘You may be right.’
- ‘We could have eaten together.’
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Ekomen ri kan yunta komi vin.